Sir Robert Brice Kingsmill, 1st Baronet (1730 – 23 November 1805) was an officer of 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 ...
who served during the
Seven Years' War, the
American War of Independence
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
and the
French Revolutionary and
Napoleonic Wars in a career that spanned nearly 60 years. Kingsmill was a contemporary and close friend of
Lord Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
, and was one of the prominent Royal Navy admirals of his time referred to as "The Conquerors of the Seas," illustrated in Piercy Roberts' 1800 engraving. He served with
Rodney in the West Indies, where he was wounded in battle, and with
Keppel at the
Battle of Ushant. He took the time to embark on a career in politics as a Member of Parliament, giving this up several times to resume his service in the Navy when war broke out. Kingsmill rose to flag rank by the time of the outbreak of war with revolutionary France in 1793. As the naval commander-in-chief on the coast of Ireland, he repelled several attempts by the French to invade Ireland and foment insurrection. Kingsmill died on 23 November 1805 at Sydmonton Court as 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 14t ...
and with the rank of
Admiral of the Blue
The Admiral of the Blue was a senior rank of 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 mar ...
.
Family and early life
He was born in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
as Robert Brice, the son of
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Charles Brice, of Castle Chichester, and his wife Jane.
He followed his father into the navy, joining the 14-gun
sloop
A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular s ...
as an
able seaman
An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...
on 29 October 1746.
He remained on ''Speedwell'' for several years, being promoted to
midshipman on 3 October 1748.
In August 1750, while aboard off the coast of
Guinea, Kingsmill daringly saved the life of 19-year-old
Isaac Heard
Sir Isaac Heard ( 1730 – 29 April 1822) was a British officer of arms who served as appointed Garter Principal King of Arms, from 1784 until his death in 1822 the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms in London. In this role, he ...
(future
officer of arms at the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sover ...
), who was swept overboard in a storm. The storm ripped off the
mast
Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to:
Engineering
* Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship
* Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag
* Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires
* Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship
* Radio mas ...
with Heard on it, and he was spotted in the water caught up in the mast before being rescued by Kingsmill. Heard, later Sir Isaac Heard, and Kingsmill enjoyed a close friendship for the rest of their lives.
Kingsmill passed his lieutenant's examination on 5 July 1754 and received his commission on 29 April 1756.
The outbreak of the
Seven Years' War offered further opportunities for advancement, and in February 1761 he was promoted to master and commander of the sloop . His capture of the 10-gun French
privateer ''Sultan'' led to the confirmation of his rank on 3 July, and he soon received an appointment 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 ( long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but mortars mounte ...
. It was during this period that he was recalled and placed in command of one of the yachts preparing to carry
Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and her suite to England to marry
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
. The voyage was hampered by fierce storms, but all of the yachts and their naval escorts arrived safely.
He then returned to the ''Basilisk'' and sailed to the
West Indies with Rear-Admiral
George Rodney's fleet.
Brice assisted with the assaults on
Martinique and St Lucia, during which he was wounded.
Brice's rewards for his good services were a promotion to
post-captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.
The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:
* Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...
on 26 May 1762, and an appointment to command the 28-gun
sixth rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works an ...
.
He was sent back to the West Indies and remained there until the end of the Seven Years' War in 1764, upon which he returned to England.
He married Elizabeth Corry, heiress to the Kingsmill estates at Sydmonton Court in
Hampshire, at some point in 1766. Her uncle had died on 8 January 1766, and after changing his surname and arms to Kingsmill, by Act of Parliament, he succeeded to the estates.
He retired from active naval service and spent the years of peace enjoying his newly acquired wealth and status.
Active service and political career
The outbreak of war with France in 1778 during the
American War of Independence
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
led to his return to active service. He accepted command of the 64-gun and formed part of Admiral
Augustus Keppel's fleet at the
Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778.
The indecisive result and subsequent controversies and intrigues surrounding the conduct of the officers involved redounded against Kingsmill.
He was offered service in the West Indies, but turned it down by resigning his command.
Kingsmill took advantage of this break from active service to enter politics. He was elected as
Member of Parliament for
Yarmouth, on the
Isle of Wight, but only held the seat for a year.
His dabbling in politics brought him more enemies in high positions, and Kingsmill was destined to remain without a ship until April 1782, when he took over the newly refitted 74-gun
third rate .
Kingsmill was too late to join Admiral
Lord Howe's expedition to relieve Gibraltar, and was instead offered command of a reinforcement squadron that was being prepared to sail to the
East Indies
The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...
.
He accepted the appointment, which would see him command a squadron consisting of ''Elizabeth'', the 74-gun , the 64-gun and the 32-gun .
His force was finally ready to put to sea by 17 January 1783, but while sailing through the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
they encountered heavy gales, and were eventually forced back to
Spithead, having suffered considerable damage.
Before Kingsmill could attend to repairs he learnt that the
Treaty of Paris had been signed and that the war was over. There would be no reinforcement squadron for the East Indies.
''Elizabeth'' was to be retained in commission as a
guard ship
A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea.
Royal Navy
In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usua ...
however, and Kingsmill accepted the three-year posting as her commander.
He took this opportunity to resume his parliamentary career, being elected to the constituency of
Tregony
Tregony ( kw, Trerigoni), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village there is a post office (now ...
on 5 April 1784, holding the seat until 1790.
He does not appear to have ever spoken in parliament, but records show that he voted in favour of
William Pitt over his 1785 Reform Bill, against him during the Regency crises of 1788 and 1789, and against the
Duke of Richmond's fortification plans in 1786.
The
Nootka Crisis
The Nootka Crisis, also known as the Spanish Armament, was an international incident and political dispute between the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation, the Spanish Empire, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the fledgling United States of America triggered ...
in 1790 brought an end to his career in politics, as Kingsmill returned to active duty in command of the 90-gun .
The crisis passed without breaking into open war, and Kingsmill paid off ''Duke'' and once again entered semi-retirement.
In October 1790, he was selected to serve as a member of the panel of officers at the
court-martial concerning the
mutiny and loss of . As contemporaries in the service, Sir Robert and
Horatio Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
developed a close friendship that lasted until Nelson's death at
Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.
French Revolutionary Wars
The outbreak of war with revolutionary France led to a general promotion of Royal Navy officers on 1 February 1793.
Kingsmill was advanced to
Rear-Admiral of the White and placed in command of the Irish station, despite having comparatively little experience of command.
The forces at his disposal consisted of two ships of the line, seven frigates and four smaller vessels, which he quickly put to use combating the swarms of enemy cruisers that operated in these waters.
He was advanced to
Vice-Admiral of the White on 4 July 1794, and continued to grow rich off the spoils of captured privateers and French supply ships.
He was still on station in
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
in 1796 and played a role in the defeat of the French ''
Expédition d'Irlande
The French expedition to Ireland, known in French as the ''Expédition d'Irlande'' ("Expedition to Ireland"), was an unsuccessful attempt by the French Republic to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen, a popular rebel Irish republica ...
'' that year.
The main French force under Admiral
Morard de Galles sailed from
Brest, evading the blockading fleet under Admiral Sir
John Colpoys
Admiral Sir John Colpoys, (''c.'' 1742 – 4 April 1821) was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served in three wars but is most notable for being one of the catalysts of the Spithead Mutiny in 1797 after ordering his marines to fire ...
and headed for Ireland to land troops to support an anticipated rising of the
United Irishmen. Kingsmill knew his forces were too few to risk an open engagement, but shadowed the French fleet, which were eventually dispersed by gales, and was able to harry their retreat back to France.
The risk to Ireland and the importance of Kingsmill's squadron demonstrated, the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
hurried to increase his supplies and resources.
He was ready for the French when they made another attempt in May 1798, but the crushing of the main force by
Sir John Borlase Warren at the
Battle of Tory Island
The Battle of Tory Island (sometimes called the Battle of Donegal, Battle of Lough Swilly or Warren's Action) was a naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought on 12 October 1798 between French and British squadrons off the northwes ...
put a decisive end to the threat.
Kingsmill continued to run the station, being promoted to
Admiral of the Blue
The Admiral of the Blue was a senior rank of 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 mar ...
on 14 February 1799.
He had asked the
First Lord of the Admiralty
The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...
,
Earl Spencer as early as February 1798 for permission to retire, and this request was finally granted towards the end of 1800.
This was granted, and he duly stepped down, being succeeded by
Sir Alan Gardner.
Kingsmill was rewarded on 24 November 1800 with a
baronetcy
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 ...
as a gesture of appreciation from
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
for his long years of service.
He spent his last years in retirement, dying at
Sydmonton
Sydmonton is a small village and estate in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Newbury, which lies approximately north-west from the village.
Governance
The village is now part of the civil parish of ...
Court,
Kingsclere
Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in Hampshire, England.
Geography
Kingsclere is approximately equidistant ) from the towns of Basingstoke and Newbury on the A339 road.
History
Kingsclere can trace back its history to a p ...
,
Hampshire on 23 November 1805 at the age of 75.
By then he had served the Navy for nearly 60 years, in a career that spanned four major wars.
He died without issue, the baronetcy passing to his nephew,
Robert Kingsmill.
Notes
References
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online(subscription required).
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingsmill, Robert, 1st Baronet
1730 births
1805 deaths
Royal Navy admirals
Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain
Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War
Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War
Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
Members of Parliament for the Isle of Wight
British MPs 1774–1780
British MPs 1784–1790
Military personnel from Belfast
People from Kingsclere
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Tregony