Admiral Robert Craigie RN (1800–1873) was a 19th-century Royal Navy officer of Scots descent who rose to the rank of rear admiral in active service and subsequently was promoted to admiral in retirement.

Life

He was born in Canada in 1800 the son of John Craigie and his wife Susanna Coffin (widow of James Grant). He joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

in 1811 and spent his whole life there, slowly rising through the ranks. Early in his life he was involved in action, when on board in the capture of in July 1814. By 1823 he had reached the rank of lieutenant and was serving on in 1824 when she captured an Algerian brig. In 1828 he was promoted to captain and commander. However, he then decided to undergo more formal training and took a leave of absence from the navy for three years to study navigation and mathematics at the Royal Navy College and

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. In 1835 he had his first full command: , which patrolled the coast of Africa. This included two periods on the west coast when he was tasked with commanding the whole squadron. In March 1837 and again in 1838 he had to command his ship in the

Bonny River Bonny River is a river in Rivers State, Nigeria. Water taxis which move along the river provide the connection between Bonny Island and Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, which lies alongside the river. See also *Bonny Light oil *Niger D ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Here he was involved in the anti-slavery treaty agreed with King Peppel. He returned to Britain in 1839 for lighter duties (on half pay). In 1847 he was sent to Shetland to oversee relief of the population which was badly hit by the potato famine of 1846. He spent two years as resident Inspector and a further three years as Inspector General. During this period he was responsible for much road building and road improvement on the island. He lived at 1 Queens Lane in Lerwick. In November 1854 he was moved to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

to oversee steam packet organisation. In February 1855 he was appointed chairman of the Transport Board, organising supplies to the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. At the end of that war in November 1856 he was put in charge of the

Royal William Victualling Yard The Royal William Victualling Yard in Stonehouse, a suburb of Plymouth, England, was the major victualling depot of the Royal Navy and an important adjunct of Devonport Dockyard. It was designed by the architect Sir John Rennie and was named ...

and

Royal Naval Hospital A Royal Naval Hospital (RNH) was a hospital operated by the British Royal Navy for the care and treatment of sick and injured naval personnel. A network of these establishments were situated across the globe to suit British interests. They were ...

near Plymouth. From 1858 he was placed on the Reserved List with the rank of rear admiral. He rose on the Reserved List to the rank of Admiral in 1870. He died on 2 March 1873 in Dawlish on the Devon coast.

Family

In April 1842 he married Charlotte Grant (1820-1887), twenty years his junior, and niece of the Right Hon Sir William Grant,

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of ...

. They had two sons and three daughters. The family originally lived with him in Melrose but moved with him to Lerwick when he was posted to Shetland. His uncles were

Robert Craigie, Lord Craigie Robert Craigie, Lord Craigie (1754–1834) was an 18th/19th century Scottish lawyer who rose to be a Lord of Session and Senator of the College of Justice. Life He was born in Dunbarney House the second son of Anne Craigie and her husband a ...

and

Lawrence Craigie Laurence or Lawrence Craigie (c.1750–c.1833) was an 18th/19th century Scottish merchant and local politician who twice served as Lord Provost of Glasgow. Life He was the eldest son of John Craigie of Kilgraston, son of Lawerence Craigie (a Baro ...

, twice

Lord Provost of Glasgow The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Glasgow is the convener of the Glasgow City Council. Elected by the city councillors, the Lord Provost serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. The office is equiv ...

. He was cousin to General

Patrick Edmonstone Craigie General Sir Patrick "Peter" Edmonstone Craigie, (3 February 1794 – 13 December 1873) was a senior officer in the British Army. Life He was born the third son of Lawrence Craigie, later twice Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was educated at Glasgo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craigie, Robert 1800 births 1873 deaths Royal Navy admirals