Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet (2 September 1753 – 27 February 1822) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer, diplomat and politician who sat in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

between 1774 and 1807.

Early life

Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, he was the son and heir of John Borlase Warren (died 1763Stanford University
) of Stapleford and

Little Marlow Little Marlow is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. History The Church of England parish church of Saint John the Baptist lies at the heart of the village, not far from the river and next to th ...

. He entered Emmanuel College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

in 1769, but in 1771 entered the navy as an

able seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

; in 1774 he became member of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for

Great Marlow Great Marlow is a civil parishes in England, civil parish within Wycombe district in the England, English county of Buckinghamshire, lying north of the town of Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the ...

; and in 1775 he was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, the baronetcy held by his ancestors, the Borlases, having become extinct in 1689.

Career

His career as a seaman really began in 1777, and two years later he obtained command of a ship. On 23 April 1794, as Commodore of the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

squadron off the north-west French coast assisting in the blockade of Brest, Warren and his squadron captured a number of French frigates. In 1795, he commanded one of the two squadrons carrying troops for the

Quiberon expedition The invasion of France (also known as the Battle of Quiberon) was a major landing on the Quiberon peninsula by émigré, counter-revolutionary troops in support of the Chouannerie and Vendée Revolt, beginning on 23 June and finally definitive ...

and in 1796 his frigate squadron off Brest is said to have captured or destroyed 220 vessels. In October 1798, a French fleet—carrying 5,000 men—sailed from Brest intending to invade

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The plan was frustrated in no small part due to the squadron under his command during the action of 12 October 1798 off Donegal.

Diplomatic career

In 1802, he was sworn of the Privy Council and sent to

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

as ambassador extraordinary, but he did not forsake the sea. In 1806 he captured a large French warship, the ''Marengo'', at the action of 13 March 1806. He was commander-in-chief on the North American Station from 1807 to 1810. He became an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

in 1810, and was commander-in-chief on this Station again from 1813 to 1814. While in Halifax he determined the late commander John Shortland's dog had been stolen from London and brought to Halifax. He had the dog returned to London to Shortland's widow. In 1814, Warren led the British forces which occupied

Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland, United States. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre ...

and burnt much of the town, including the home of Commodore John Rodgers.

Personal life

On 12 December 1780, he married Caroline Clavering, a daughter of Lt.-Gen. Sir John Clavering. She died in 1839. He died on 27 February 1822. His two sons predeceased him. His daughter and heiress, Frances Maria Warren (1784–1837), married George Venables-Vernon, 4th Baron Vernon. Their son was George Venables-Vernon, 5th Baron Vernon.

Legacy

There is a monument to him in St Mary's Church, Attenborough in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

. A popular figure in the area of his birth, there are a number of pubs named after him in Nottingham and nearby towns.

Notes

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, John Borlase 1753 births 1822 deaths Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars People from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Russian Empire UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1796–1800 Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars