Admiral Lord George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, 1719-1792 by Jean-Laurent Mosnier, painted 1791

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney Bt (February 1718 – May 24, 1792) – British naval officer. Download high resolution version (700x929, 90 KB)Admiral Lord George Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, 1719–1792 by Jean-Laurent Mosnier, painted 1791 The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of... Download high resolution version (700x929, 90 KB)Admiral Lord George Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, 1719–1792 by Jean-Laurent Mosnier, painted 1791 The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of... // Events January 23 - The Principality of Liechtenstein is created within the Holy Roman Empire April 25 - Daniel Defoe publishes Robinson Crusoe June 10 - Battle of Glen Shiel Prussia conducts Europes first systematic census Miners in Falun, Sweden find an apparently petrified body of Fet-Mats Israelsson in an unused... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1791 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt), is the holder of an hereditary title awarded by the British Crown, known as a baronetcy. ... Look up February in Wiktionary, the free dictionary February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events July 21 - Treaty of Passarowitz signed November 22 - Off the coast of Virginia, English pirate Edward Teach (best known as Blackbeard) is killed in battle when a British boarding party cornered and then shot and stabbed him more than 25 times. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

He was born in Walton-on-Thames, though the family seat was Rodney Stoke, Somerset. His father had served in Spain under the Earl of Peterborough, and on quitting the army served as captain in a marine corps which was disbanded in 1713. George was sent to Harrow, being appointed, on leaving, by warrant dated June 21, 1732, a volunteer on board Sunderland. While serving on the Mediterranean station he was made lieutenant in Dolphin, his promotion dating February 15, 1739. In 1742 he attained the rank of post-captain, having been appointed to the Plymouth on November 9. After serving in home waters, he obtained command of the battleship Eagle 60, and in this ship took part in Hawke's victory off Ushant (14 October 1747) over the French fleet. On that day Rodney gained his first laurels for gallantry, under a chief to whom he was in a measure indebted for subsequent success. Walton-On-Thames is a town in Surrey, England. ... Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough and 1st Earl of Monmouth KG PC (1658–25 October 1735) was the son of the John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt and his wife Elizabeth Carey. ... // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... Harrow School Crest Harrow School is a British public school, located in Harrow on the Hill in North West London. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... HMS Dolphin (1751-1770) was an 18th century British Royal Navy sailing ship, which circumnavigated the world twice in an era when this was still a hazardous and infrequently-made undertaking. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 1 - Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier. ... // Events January 24 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... About fifteen ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Eagle, after the eagle. ... Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, (February 21, 1705 - October 16, 1781) was an admiral in the Royal Navy. ... Ushant (in French Ouessant, in Breton Enez Eusa) is an island in the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of European France. ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events January 31 - The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Dock Hospital April 9 - The Scottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded by axe on Tower Hill, London, for high treason; he was the last man to be executed in this way in Britain May 14 - First battle of Cape...

On May 9, 1749 he was appointed governor and commander-in-chief of Newfoundland, with the rank of Commodore, it being usual at that time to appoint a naval officer, chiefly on account of the fishery interests. He was elected M.P. for Saltash in 1751, and married his first wife, Jane Compton (1730–1757), sister of Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton, in 1753. During the Seven Years' War Rodney rendered important services. In 1757 he had a share in the expedition against Rochefort, commanding the battleship Dublin 74. Next year, in the same ship, he served under Boscawen at the taking of Louisburg (Cape Breton). May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... Events While in debtors prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure). ... The Commander-in-Chief in the Royal Navy was the Admiral assigned to have overall command of all Royal Navy ships in a geographic location. ... Map of Newfoundland Newfoundland (French: Terre-Neuve; Irish: Talamh an Éisc; Latin: Terra Nova) is a large island off the northeast coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... The military rank of commodore is used in some navies for officers who command more than one ship, but are not senior enough to be made admirals. ... Location within the British Isles Saltash (Cornish: Essa) is a town in Cornwall, UK. It has a population of about 16,000. ... Events Adam Smith is appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow March 25 - For the last time, New Years Day is legally on March 25 in England and Wales. ... Events Pope Clement XII elected September 17 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed III (1703-1730) to Mahmud I (1730-1754) Anna Ivanova (Anna I of Russia) became czarina Births April 16 - Henry Clinton, British general (d. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Fifty Years War, sometimes referred to as the 87 year old war or the French and Indian War, (1754 and 1756–1763) pitted Great Britain, Prussia, and Hanover against France, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony. ... Rochefort is the name of several communes in France, of a municipality in Belgium and a commune in Switzerland: Rochefort in the Charente-Maritime département of France Rochefort in the Côte-dOr département of France Rochefort in the Savoie département of France Rochefort, Belgium Rochefort, Switzerland It is also... Edward Boscawen (August 10, 1711 - January 10, 1761) was a British (Cornish) admiral. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

On 19 May 1759 he became a rear-admiral, and was shortly after given command of a small squadron intended to destroy a large number of flat-bottomed boats and stores which were being collected at Havre for an invasion of the English coasts. He bombarded the town for two days and nights, and inflicted great loss of war-material on the enemy. In July 1760, with another small squadron, he succeeded in taking many more of the enemy's flat-bottomed boats and in blockading the coast as far as Dieppe. Elected M.P. for Penryn in 1761, he was in October of that year appointed commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands station, and within the first three months of 1762 had reduced the important island of Martinique, while both St Lucia and Grenada had surrendered to his squadron. During the siege of Fort Royal (later Fort de France) his seamen and marines rendered splendid service on shore. At the peace of 1763 Admiral Rodney returned, home, having been during his absence made Vice-Admiral of the Blue and having received the thanks of both houses of parliament. May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Le Havre is a city in Normandy, northern France, on the English Channel, at the mouth of the Seine. ... 1760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Dieppe is a town and commune in the Seine-Maritime département of Haute-Normandie (eastern Normandy), France. ... Market Street in 2005, looking south Map sources for Penryn at grid reference SW782345 Penryn (Cornish: Pennrynn, from Pen-ryn meaning promontory) is a town in Cornwall, England on the Penryn river. ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1764 Rodney was created a baronet, and the same year he married Henrietta, daughter of John Clies of Lisbon. From 1765 to 1770 he was governor of Greenwich Hospital, and on the dissolution of parliament in 1768 he successfully contested Northampton at a ruinous cost. When appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Jamaica station in 1771 he lost his Greenwich post, but a few months later received the office of Rear-Admiral of Great Britain. Till 1774 he held the Jamaica command, and during a period of quiet was active in improving the naval yards on his station. Sir George struck his flag with a feeling of disappointment at not obtaining the governorship of Jamaica, and was shortly after forced to settle in Paris. Election expenses and losses at play in fashionable circles had shattered his fortune, and he could not secure payment of the salary as Rear-Admiral of Great Britain. In February 1778, having just been promoted Admiral of the White, he used every possible exertion to obtain a command, to free himself from his money difficulties. By May he had, through the splendid generosity of his Parisian friend Marshal Biron, effected the latter task, and accordingly he returned to London with his children. The debt was repaid out of the arrears due to him on his return. The story that he was offered a French command is fiction. 1764 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt), is the holder of an hereditary title awarded by the British Crown, known as a baronetcy. ... District Lisbon Mayor   - Party Carmona Rodrigues PSD Area 84. ... 1765 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1768 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about Northampton in England; for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation) Northampton Guildhall, built 1861-4, E.W. Godwin, architect Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England upon the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire. ... 1771 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1774 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Sir George was appointed once more commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands late in 1779. His orders were to relieve Gibraltar on his way to the West Indies. He captured a Spanish convoy off Cape Finisterre on 8 January 1780, and eight days later at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent defeated the Spanish Admiral Don Juan de Lángara off Cape St. Vincent, taking or destroying seven ships. On 17 April an action, which, owing to the carelessness of some of Rodney's captains, was indecisive, was fought off Martinique with the French Admiral Guichen. Rodney, acting under orders, captured the valuable Dutch island of St Eustatius on 3 February 1781. It had been a great entrepôt of neutral trade, and was full of booty, which Rodney confiscated. As large quantities belonged to English merchants, he was entangled in a series of costly lawsuits. 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Position of Cape Finisterre on the Iberian Peninsula Cape Finisterre, in Spanish Cabo Finisterre, literally Cape Lands End, is a rock-bound peninsula in the north-west of Spain. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1780 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... For the battle of the Nine Years War, see Battle of Cape St. ... Juan Francisco de Lángara y Huarte, La Coruña, c. ... The Cabo de São Vicente (Cape St. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen (June 21, 1712 – January 13, 1790), French admiral, entered the navy in 1730 as garde de la Marine, the first rank in the corps of royal officers. ... Map showing location of Sint Eustatius relative to Saba and Sint Maarten/Saint Martin Sint Eustatius (also Saint Eustace and Statia), pop. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

After a few months in England, recruiting his health and defending himself in Parliament, Sir George returned to his command in February 1782, and a running engagement with the French fleet on April 9 led up to his crowning victory at the Battle of the Saintes off Dominica, when on 12 April with thirty-five sail of the line he defeated the Comte de Grasse, who had thirty-three sail. The French inferiority in numbers was more than counterbalanced by the greater size and superior sailing qualities of their ships, yet five were taken and one sunk, after eleven hours' fighting. This important battle saved Jamaica and ruined French naval prestige, while it enabled Rodney to write: "Within two little years I have taken two Spanish, one French and one Dutch admirals." A long and wearisome controversy exists as to the originator of the manoeuvre of "breaking the line" in this battle, but the merits of the victory have never seriously been affected by any difference of opinion on the question. A shift of wind broke the French line of battle, and advantage was taken of this by the English ships in two places. 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... The Battle of the Saintes, 12 April 1782: surrender of the Ville de Paris by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1783, shows Hoods Barfleur, centre, attacking the French flagship Ville de Paris, right. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse (1722 - Paris, 14th of January 1788), French admiral, was born at Bar, in the present départment of the Alpes-Maritimes. ...

Rodney arrived home in August to receive unbounded honour from his country. He had already been created Baron Rodney of Rodney Stoke, Somerset, by patent of June 19, 1782, and the House of Commons had voted him a pension of £2000 a year. From this time he led a quiet country life till his death in London. He was succeeded as 2nd Baron by his son, George (1753–1802), from whom the present baron is descended. June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... --69. ...

Rodney was unquestionably a most able officer, but he was also vain, selfish and unscrupulous, both in seeking prize money, and in using his position to push the fortunes of his family, although such nepotism was common (not to say normal) at the time. He made his son a post-captain at fifteen. He was accused by his second-in-command, Samuel Hood, of sacrificing the interest of the service to his own profit, and of showing want of energy in pursuit of the French on April 12, 1782. It must be remembered that he was then prematurely old and wracked by disease. Admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, 1724–1816 by James Northcote, painted 1784. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

See General Mundy, Life and Correspondence of Admiral Lord Rodney (2 vols, 1830); David Hannay, Life of Rodney; Rodney letters in 9th Report of Hist. manuscripts Coin., pt. iiL; "Memoirs," in Naval Chronicle, i. 353-93; and Charnock, Biographia Navalis, v. 204-28. Lord Rodney published in his lifetime (probably 1789) Letters to His Majesty's Ministers, etc., relative to St Eustatius, etc., of which there is a copy in the British Museum. Most of these letters are printed in Mundy's Life, vol. ii., though with many variant readings. The main entrance to the British Museum The British Museum in London is the United Kingdoms - and one of the worlds - largest and most important museums of human history and culture. ...

At least four serving warships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Rodney in his honour. Six ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Rodney, at least the last five after Admiral George Brydges Rodney. ...

One of the four houses of British public school Churcher's College is named for him. The House System is a traditional feature of British schools, similar to the collegiate system of a university. ... A public school, in current English, Welsh and Northern Ireland usage, is a (usually) prestigious independent school, for children usually between the ages of 11 or 13 and 18, which charges fees and is not financed by the state. ... Churchers College, is an English public school - that is, an independent, fee-paying school which is a member of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference (HMC). ...

Baron Rodney is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Charles Watson (1714 – August 16, 1757) naval officer and colonial governor of Newfoundland, Canada, died at Calcutta, India. ... This is a list of viceroys for the colony, dominion and province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... Events While in debtors prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure). ... Events While in debtors prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure). ... Francis William Drake (baptized August 22, 1724 – December 18, 1787) born in Buckland Monocharum, Devon the third son of Anne Heathcote and Sir Francis Henry Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake. ...

Reference

• This entry incorporates public domain text originally from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.

Supporters contend that the Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1910-1911) represents the sum of human knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century; indeed, it was advertised as such. ...

External link

• Government House The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador