Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet (1721 – 21 December 1811) 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. As a junior officer, he was deployed with a squadron under Admiral

Edward Vernon Admiral Edward Vernon (12 November 1684 – 30 October 1757) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' E ...

to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

at the start of the

War of Jenkins' Ear The War of Jenkins' Ear was fought by Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and History of Spain (1700–1808), Spain between 1739 and 1748. The majority of the fighting took place in Viceroyalty of New Granada, New Granada and the Caribbean ...

. He saw action again at the Battle of Toulon during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

. As captain of the

fourth-rate In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...

HMS ''Bristol'' he took part in the Invasion of Guadeloupe during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. As a commodore, he was deployed to the North American Station, to provide naval support for an expedition led by General Sir Henry Clinton reinforcing loyalists in the

Southern Colonies The Southern Colonies within British America consisted of the Province of Maryland, the Colony of Virginia, the Province of Carolina (in 1712 split into North and South Carolina), and the Province of Georgia. In 1763, the newly created colonies ...

at an early stage of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. He led a naval attack against the fortifications on Sullivan's Island (later called

Fort Moultrie Fort Moultrie is a series of fortifications on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, built to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, formerly named Fort Sullivan, built of Cabbage Pal ...

after their commander), protecting

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. However, after a long and hard-fought battle, Parker was forced to call off the attack, having sustained heavy casualties, including the loss of a ship. He subsequently served under Lord Howe in the invasion and capture of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and commanded the squadron that captured

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

and

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. Parker went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica, before being returned as Member of Parliament for Seaford and then as member for

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater Estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is prod ...

. He later became

Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Thomas Williams (Royal Navy officer), Si ...

Early career

Born the third son of Rear-Admiral Christopher Parker, Parker joined the Royal Navy at an early age. Promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

on 17 March 1735, he was deployed with a squadron under Admiral

to the

in 1739 at the start of the

.Heathcote, p. 205 Action off toulon 4

Parker transferred to the

second-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

HMS ''Russell'' and then to the

bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons (Naval long gun, long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but ...

HMS ''Firedrake'' in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

and saw action again during the

. He was moved to the second-rate HMS ''Barfleur'', flagship of Rear-Admiral William Rowley, in January 1744 and took part in the Battle of Toulon in February 1744, before transferring to the second-rate HMS ''Neptune'', flagship of Vice-Admiral Richard Lestock, in March 1744 and returning to England. Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 6 May 1747, he became commanding officer of the sixth-rate HMS ''Margate'' later that month and was deployed protecting commercial shipping, first in the Channel and then in the Mediterranean. Parker became commanding officer of the fifth-rate HMS ''Woolwich'' in 1757 and then transferred to the

HMS ''Bristol'' in January 1759. In HMS ''Bristol'' he took part in the Invasion of Guadeloupe in May 1759 during the

. He was given command of the third-rate HMS ''Buckingham'' in 1760 and took part in the

capture of Belle Île The Capture of Belle Île was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British amphibious expedition to capture the Kingdom of France, French island of Belle Île off the Brittany coast in 1761, during the Seven Years' War. After an initial British attack was ...

in Spring 1761. He transferred to the command of the third-rate HMS ''Terrible'' in 1762 and then retired from active service in 1763 at the end of the War.

American War of Independence

Knighted in 1772, Parker was given command of the second-rate HMS ''Barfleur'' when he rejoined the service in 1773. Promoted to commodore, he was deployed to the North American Station, with his

broad pennant A broad pennant is a triangular swallow-tailed naval pennant flown from the masthead of a warship afloat or a naval headquarters ashore to indicate the presence of either: (a) a Royal Navy officer in the rank of Commodore, or (b) a U.S. Navy ...

in the fourth-rate HMS ''Bristol'', in October 1775 to provide naval support for an expedition led by General Sir Henry Clinton reinforcing loyalists in the

at an early stage of the

. In June 1776, Parker led a naval attack against the fortifications on Sullivan's Island (later called

after their commander), protecting

. At the fort, the American Colonel William Moultrie ordered his men to concentrate their fire on the two large man-of-war ships, HMS ''Bristol'' and HMS ''Experiment'', which took hit after hit from the fort's guns. Chain-shot fired at HMS ''Bristol'' eventually destroyed much of her rigging and severely damaged both the main- and mizzenmasts. After a long and hard-fought battle, Parker was forced to call off the attack, having sustained heavy casualties, including the loss of the sixth-rate HMS ''Actaeon'', grounded and abandoned. Lord William Campbell, the last British Governor of the

Province of South Carolina The Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of the Kingdom of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the Thirteen Colonies i ...

, was mortally wounded aboard HMS ''Bristol''. Parker was himself wounded by a flying splinter which injured his leg and tore off his breeches, an incident that occasioned much mirth in the newspapers. Parker subsequently served under Lord Howe in the invasion and capture of

and, with his broad pennant in the fourth-rate HMS ''Chatham'', he commanded the squadron that captured

in August 1776 and

in December 1776.

Senior command

Promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

on 20 May 1777, Parker became Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station, with his flag in HMS ''Bristol'', in December 1777. At this time, Parker acted as a patron and friend of

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

, then serving aboard the ''Bristol'', an attachment which would endure for the remainder of Nelson's life. Promoted to

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

on 29 March 1779, he returned to England in the second-rate HMS ''Sandwich'', accompanied by various prisoners including Admiral De Grasse captured at the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

, in August 1782.Heathcote, p. 206 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 ...

on 28 December 1782, Parker was, unwillingly, returned as Member of Parliament for Seaford in May 1784, and then as member for

in 1786. Promoted to full

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 ...

on 24 September 1787, he became

in 1793. He was promoted to

on 16 September 1799 and was Chief Mourner at Nelson's state funeral in January 1806. He died at his home at Weymouth Street in London on 21 December 1811 and was buried at

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret the Virgin, Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Pal ...

. Parker also owned the Manor of Bassingbourne at

Takeley __NOTOC__ Takeley is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. History A number of theories have arisen over the origin of the village's name. One believes the village's name was a corruption from the "Teg-Ley" o ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

: in accordance with his wishes the manor was demolished in 1813. StMargaretsChurch

Family

In around 1761 Parker married Margaret Nugent; they had several children (including Vice-Admiral Christopher Parker). He was succeeded in the baronetcy by Christopher's son Peter Parker.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

* * * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies 401 1721 births 1811 deaths Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War British MPs 1784–1790 Members of Parliament for Maldon