William George Fairfax
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Sir William George Fairfax (8 March 1739 – 7 November 1813) was a vice-admiral in 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 ...
and the progenitor of the Fairfax Baronets. His most notable service was as Admiral Adam Duncan's flag captain on board HMS ''Venerable'' during the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October 1797.


Life

William was born in Bagshot, the eldest son of Joseph Fairfax of the Horse Guards and Mary Anne. He married firstly Hannah Spears (d.1770) in 1767, and secondly in 1772, Janet Margaret Charters. William was the father of eight children. His daughter, Mary Somerville was a noted
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and
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.


Career

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 1750 aboard HMS ''Centurion'', under Admiral First Lord Augustus Keppel, later moving to HMS ''Mars'', HMS ''Garland'' and HMS ''Duke''. He was commissioned a lieutenant on 20 December 1757, and later served on HMS ''Eurus'' off North America. He was in reserve between 1760 and 1766 and again between 1769 and 1776 with a brief break aboard HMS ''Greyhound'' and at the start of the
American Revolutionary War 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 ...
he returned to service but was captured by the French in August 1778 and spent the rest of the war (1775-1783) as a
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...
. In 1782 Fairfax was released as a
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 ...
and briefly commanded HMS ''Tartar''. In 1790 he took command of HMS ''Sheerness'' and in 1796 became flag captain of HMS ''Venerable'' under Admiral Adam Duncan and was heavily engaged at the Battle of Camperdown the following year. For his service in the battle, Fairfax was knighted and in 1797. He was subsequently made a rear-admiral but had made an enemy of Lord Spencer and was permanently placed in reserve. In 1810 he was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the Red and died in
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in 1813. His fourth son Henry Fairfax was made 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 ...
in 1836 in recognition of his father's service.


Family

In 1767 he married Hannah Spears (1740-1770) daughter of Rev Robert Spears minister of Burntisland in Fife.Fasti Ecclesistae Scotia p. 82


Promotions

* Commander, 13 May 1778 * Captain, 12 January 1782 * Rear-Admiral of the Blue, 1 January 1801 * Rear-Admiral of the White, 23 April 1804 * Rear-Admiral of the Red, 9 November 1805 * Vice-Admiral of the Blue, 13 December 1806 * Vice-Admiral of the White, 25 October 1809 * Vice-Admiral of the Red, 31 July 1810


Notes


References

* A. W. H. Pearsall, "Sir William George Fairfax" in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004) * David Syrett and R. L. DiNardo, eds., ''Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, 1660-1815'' (1994) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairfax, William George Royal Navy vice admirals Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Knights Bachelor 1739 births 1813 deaths William George