A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Waldegrave, Granville George
WALDEGRAVE, C.B. (Rear-Admiral of the White, 1841. f-p., 17; h-p., 36.)
The Right Honourable Granville George Waldegrave, Lord Radstock, born 24 Sept. 1786, is eldest son of William Waldegrave, Lord Radstock, Admiral of the Red, G.C.B.[1] (whom he succeeded as second Baron 20 Aug. 1825), by Cornelia, second daughter of David Van Lennap, Esq., Chief of the Dutch factory at Smyrna; and brother of Capt. Hon. Wm. Waldegrave, R.N. (1828), who died 20 Dec. 1838.
This officer (whose name had been borne in 1794 on the books of the Courageux 74, commanded by his father) embarked, in 1798, as Midshipman, on board the Agincourt 64, Capt. John Bligh, bearing the flag of his parent at Newfoundland, where he remained until June, 1800. He then joined the Phaeton 38 and Pearl 32, Capts. Jas. Nicoll Morris and Sam. Jas. Ballard, both in the Mediterranean; next, in Nov. 1801, the Theseus 74, Capt. John Bligh, lying at Spithead; and, in Jan. 1802, the Medusa 32, Capt. John Gore, again in the Mediterranean; where, in Dec. 1803, he was received by Lord Nelson, on promotion, on board the Victory 100. In that ship, in which he was confirmed a Lieutenant 20 July, 1804, he united in two unsuccessful pursuits after the French fleet. In the spring of 1805 he removed to the Hydra 38, Capt. Geo. Mundy, also in the Mediterranean; and on 22 Jan. 1806 he was promoted to the rank of Commander. His next appointment was, 18 April in the latter year, to the Minorca 18; in which vessel we find him engaged in maintaining a communication between the naval forces off Cadiz and Gibraltar, and involved in occasional skirmishes with the enemy in the Straits. He succeeded while in her in making prize, among other vessels, of a Spanish privateer Nostra Señora del Carmen alias La Caridad of 2 guns, 2 swivels, and 35 men, and a royal packet from Tangier bound to Tarifa. Attaining Post-rank 16 Feb. 1807, he assumed command, in May, 1808, of the Thames 32, then on her passage home from the Mediterranean; whither, after that ship had been refitted, he again proceeded. On 25 July, 1810, Capt. Waldegrave, with the assistance of the Weasel and Pilot brigs, and of their boats, effected the capture and destruction, under the batteries of Amantea, of a convoy of 31 vessels, laden with provisions and stores for the enemy’s army at Scylla, together with seven large gun-boats and five armed scampavias;[2] an event which materially tended to prevent Murat’s contemplated invasion of Sicily. Capt. Waldegrave was afterwards intrusted with a mission to Mehemet Ali, the Pacha of Egypt, and concluded the first treaty effected with that remarkable character. His conduct in this instance, as it had done at Amantea, procured him the thanks of the Commander in-Chief and of the Board of Admiralty. On 5 Oct. 1810 the boats of the Thames and Éclair brig cut out 10 transports collected near Agricoli, in the Gulf of Salerno; and on 16 June, 1811, a detachment, landed from the former ship and the Cephalus sloop-of-war, destroyed the same number of armed feluccas, on the beach, near Cetraro. To mark their approbation of his continuous exertions the Admiralty had, on 15 March in the latter year, appointed Capt. Waldegrave to the Volontaire 38; which ship he joined in the ensuing July. At first he was employed in watching the Toulon fleet during the absence of Sir Edw. Pellew and the line-of-battle ships under his orders. While so stationed, and in company with the Perlen 38, he was pursued, 22 Nov. 1811, by three French ships of the line and two frigates; from whom the British vessels, after a running fight which lasted several hours, contrived to accomplish a gallant escape. He was subsequently, after having refitted in England, employed on the coast of Spain; and his boats, as detailed in our memoirs of the officers who commanded them, engaged, with those of other ships, in capturing and destroying large numbers of the enemy’s vessels. On 4 March, 1815, he took the Aspasia, American letter-of-marque, of 3 guns and 25 men. He continued in the Volontaire until the close of 1815; and has since been on half-pay. On 4 June in the year last mentioned he was nominated a C.B.; and from 5 Sept. 1831 until advanced to Flag-rank, 23 Nov. 1841, he filled the appointment of Naval Aide-de-Camp to his late and her present Majesty.
Lord Radstock, since the peace, has been energetically employed in watching over and ministering, in his public and private capacity, to the wants and comforts of the poorer and more distressed members of the profession. He married, 7 Aug. 1823, Esther Caroline, youngest daughter of Jas. Puget, Esq., of Totteridge, co. Hants, by whom he has issue one son and two daughters.
- ↑ William Waldegrave, second son of John, third Earl of Waldegrave, was born 9 July, 1753, and entered the Navy about 1766, under the auspices of Commodore Spry. la 1775 he obtained command of the Zephyr sloop; he was made Post, 30 May, 1776, into the Rippon 60, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Edward Vernon in the East Indies; and he afterwards commanded the Pomone 28, Prudente of 38 guns and 280 men, Phaeton 38, and Majestic and Courageux 74’s. In the Pomone he made prize of the Cumberland, a notorious American privateer of 20 guns and 170 men; and in the Prudente, aided to a certain extent by the Licorne 32, he succeeded in capturing, 4 July, 1780, the French frigate La Capricieuse of 32 guns, pierced for 44, with a complement of 308 men, more than 100 of whom, in the course of an obstinate contest of four hours, were either killed or wounded, with a loss to the Prudente of 17 killed and 28 wounded. He afterwards, in the same ship, took L’Américain privateer of 32 guns and 245 men, accompanied Admiral Darby to the relief of Gibraltar, assisted under Admiral Kempenfeld in capturing part of a French convoy under M. de Guichen, and obtained possession of another privateer, the Boulogne of 16 guns. With the exception of a short time in 1790, during which he commanded the Majestic, Capt. Waldegrave was on half-pay from 1783 until 1793. He then, in the Courageux, accompanied Vice-Admiral Hotham to the Mediterranean, and after the occupation of Toulon was ordered to England with Lord Hood’s despatches. On his arrival he was sent back with instructions for that nobleman’s further guidance. He was nominated a Colonel of Marines 11 April, 1794; was advanced, 4 July following, to the rank of Rear-Admiral; hoisted his flag, in May, 1795, on board the Minotaur 74, as Commander of a squadron ordered to cruize to the westward; became a Vice-Admiral 1 June in the same year; and sailed a few months afterwards for the Mediterranean, with his flag on board the Barfleur 98. In the spring of 1796 he was sent with five ships of the line to conduct a negotiation of great delicacy with the Dey of Tunis. He subsequently fought, as third in command, in Sir John Jervis’ action with the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent 14 Feb. 1797. For his cool, steady, and meritorious conduct on that memorable occasion he was offered a baronetcy, which he declined, as being inferior to the rank he held as an Earl’s son. He was shortly afterwards appointed Commander-in-Chief at Newfoundland, where he remained for three years; and on 29 Dec. 1800 was raised to the peerage of Ireland, as Baron Radstock, of Castle Town, Queen’s County. In April, 1802, he became a full Admiral. About the same period he was nominated Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, but in consequence of the cessation of hostilities he did not accept the appointment. He was created a G.C.B. 2 Jan. 1815, and died an Admiral of the Red, as above, 20 Aug. 1825.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1810, p. 1857.