Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Clavering, John
CLAVERING, Sir JOHN (1722–1777), opponent of Warren Hastings, was the third son of Sir James Clavering of Greencroft in Lanchester, Durham, a member of the old northern family of Clavering of Axwell. Clavering was baptised on 31 Aug. 1722 at Lanchester. 'In early life he began his military career in the Coldstream regiment of guards' (family papers). In 1759 General Barrington was sent to take the French island of Guadeloupe. Clavering, with the rank of brigadier-general, commanded under him. He led the British force in person, and was mainly instrumental in securing the conquest of the island, which surrendered after an eight days' attack. 'Clavering,' wrote Horace Walpole to Sir Horace Mann, 'is the real hero of Guadeloupe.'
On 16 June 1759 Clavering was appointed 'to be one of his majesty's aides-de-camp, to command and take rank as colonel of foot,' and in June 1760 he was sent 'to Hesse Cassel, to watch the motions of the landgrave of Hesse.' While engaged in this mission he wrote a number of letters to A. Mitchell, giving an account of part of the military operations during the seven years' war. These letters, together with other correspondence of his noticed below, throw some light not only on the conflict itself, but on British diplomacy of the period.
In 1762 Clavering was appointed colonel of the 52nd regiment of foot, in June 1763 was recalled (Mitchell Papers, Letter 102), in 1770 was made lieutenant-general, and in 1776 a knight of the Bath. In 1773 the 'Regulating Act,' for the better government of India, was passed. Warren Hastings was appointed governor-general of Bengal, and four persons were named in the act to constitute, along with him, a council. Clavering was one of these. He was to command the Bengal army, to be next in rank to Hastings, and as councillor to draw a salary of 10,000l. The new councillors reached Bengal in October 1774, and a bitter strife immediately began between Clavering, Francis, and Monson on the one part, and Hastings, supported by Barwell, on the other. The story of that conflict, in which Hastings, at first outnumbered and regularly outvoted, was at last completely victorious, is told under his life. Clavering conducted the struggle with more violence than discretion, fought a bloodlesss duel with Barwell, and very nearly fought Hastings. He strongly supported Nuncomar in the charges he brought against the governor-general; but after Nuncomar's trial and conviction he 'peremptorily refused ... to make any application in favour of a man who had been found guilty of forgery ' (Stephen, i. 233), and this he repeated again at the council-board (ib. ii. 92). This seems to dispose of the rumour mentioned by Macaulay, that Clavering had sworn that 'even at the foot of the gallows Nuncomar should be rescued.' In September 1776 Monson died. This reduced the council to four, and Hastings, owing to his casting vote, was now supreme. He had, however, given authority to Maclean, his agent in London, to present his resignation if he thought fit. Maclean considered it necessary to do so, and the resignation was at once accepted. In June 1777 intelligence of this reached Bengal. Clavering, who had been directed to act as governor-general till the successor to Hastings should arrive, at once proceeded, in a violent manner, to take possession of the supreme power. He was met by the refusal of Hastings to acknowledge the validity of the resignation presented in his name. Hastings also declared that Clavering, having attempted to seize the governor-generalship, had by so doing vacated his seat at the council-board. The matter was finally referred to the judges of the supreme court, who held that Hastings was still governor-general, and Clavering still a member of council.
Clavering took this disappointment much to heart. He soon after fell ill, and died, 'from the effects of climate,' on 30 (or, according to Impey's letters, 29) Aug. 1777. According to the 'Mahommedan chronicler' (viz. Syud Gholam Hussein Khan; see Stephen, i. 261 et seq.), quoted by Macaulay, Clavering's death was partly due to his enforced attendance at the marriage of Hastings ; but he seems to have been attacked by his fatal illness when returning from a visit to Sir Elijah Impey (Impey to Bathurst, Impey's Memoirs, p. 166).
Burke affirmed (Impeachment, ii. 68) that Clavering was the equal of Hastings 'in every respect,' but in truth he was no match for him. He was an honest, straightforward man, of passionate disposition and mediocre abilities.
Clavering married, first, Lady Diana West, daughter of the first Earl Delaware, and had issue two sons and three daughters; secondly, Katherine, daughter of John Yorke of Bewerley Hall, Yorkshire.
[Information from Sir H. A. Clavering, bart., of Axwell; Surtees's Hist, of Durham, ii. 249. The story of the quarrel with Hastings is given most brilliantly in Macaulay's well-known essay on Hastings, but with much greater care and accuracy, and with full examination of the original authorities, in Sir J. F. Stephen's Nuncomar and Impey (1885). The totally erroneous date of Clavering's death, given in the Annual Register for 1778 as 10 April of that year, is probably the date when the news reached England. Notices of Clavering will be found in the speeches in the trial of Hastings, edited by Bond (1859-61), Gleig's Life of Hastings, Impey's Memoirs, and H. E. Busteed's Echoes from Old Calcutta (Calcutta, 1882). The manuscripts in the British Museum regarding Clavering are the Mitchell Papers, Add. MS. 6840, Add. MSS. 5726 C. f . 116, 6821 f. 40, 12565, 12578, 16265, 16267 f. 5, 29113, Eg. MS. 1722 f. 109.]
Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.69
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
| Page | Col. | Line | |
| 4 | i | 5 f.e. | Clavering, Sir John: after Bath insert From 1770 till death he was governor of Landguard Fort |
| 5 | i | 10 | for Delaware read Delawarr |