John Forbes (Royal Navy officer) on:
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Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet John Forbes (17 July 1714 – 10 March 1796), styled The Honourable from 1734, was a Royal Navy officer. After taking part in an expedition to Lisbon to support the Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese in the face of a Enlightenment in Spain, Spanish threat, he saw action as captain of the third-rate HMS Norfolk (1693), HMS ''Norfolk'' at the Battle of Toulon (1744), Battle of Toulon during the War of the Austrian Succession. He was one of the few captains who really bore down on the enemy.
Forbes went on to serve as a List of Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty under successive governments. In that role, he was convinced of the illegality of the sentence of death on Vice-Admiral John Byng and refused to sign Byng's Execution warrant, death warrant. He also served as Member of Parliament for St Johnstown (County Longford) (Parliament of Ireland constituency), St Johnstown and then as Member of Parliament for Mullingar (Parliament of Ireland constituency), Mullingar in the Parliament of Ireland.
Norris promoted Forbes to commander on 7 March 1737 and appointed him commanding officer of the 32-gun fifth-rate HMS Poole (1696), HMS ''Poole''. Forbes returned to England with Norris, escorting HMS ''Britannia''. Promoted to Captain (Royal Navy), captain on 24 October 1737, Forbes became commanding officer of the 20-gun sixth-rate HMS Port Mahon (1711), HMS ''Port Mahon'' and was sent to serve on the Coast of Ireland Station in 1738. Forbes was appointed to command the fourth-rate HMS Severn (1693), HMS ''Severn'' at Plymouth in Summer 1739 and then moved to the fourth-rate HMS Tyger (1647), HMS ''Tyger'' on 30 June 1740. He transferred to the 50-gun fourth-rate HMS Guernsey (1696), HMS ''Guernsey'' on 10 August 1740, just before she was relaunched at Chatham Dockyard, Chatham, and sailed her to the Nore.
Forbes was given command the 80-gun third-rate HMS Norfolk (1693), HMS ''Norfolk'' in 1742 and saw action at the Battle of Toulon (1744), Battle of Toulon on 11 February 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession.Heathcote, p. 87 He followed the example of Admiral Thomas Mathews, who was aboard the second-rate HMS Namur (1697), HMS ''Namur'', and was one of the few captains who really bore down on the enemy. In Summer 1746 he was called upon to give evidence at the court-martial of Vice-Admiral Richard Lestock during the recriminations after the battle.
Promoted to rear-admiral on 15 July 1747, Forbes became second in command to Vice-Admiral John Byng in the Mediterranean and then took over command of the Mediterranean Fleet, Mediterranean Squadron in August 1748. He was elected to the Parliament of Ireland, as Member for St Johnstown (County Longford) (Parliament of Ireland constituency), St Johnstown in 1751. Suffering from poor health he rejected offers to take a command in the East Indies Station, East Indies and then a governorship in New York (state), New York in 1754. Promoted to vice-admiral on 6 February 1755, he was appointed a List of Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty on the Board of Admiralty led by Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, Earl Temple in December 1756. In March 1757 the execution of Vice-Admiral John Byng was held: Forbes was convinced of the illegality of the judgement and refused to sign the Execution warrant, death warrant, instead attaching to the warrant a document explaining his refusal. A copy of the document, believed to be Forbes' draft, on three sheets of paper, is in the archives of the Society of Genealogists. Another copy, signed "J.F. 16 February 1757", is in the Senate House Library at the University of London. It was also published as a Broadside (printing), broadside.
After the Pitt–Devonshire ministry fell in April 1757, Forbes left the Admiralty but returned when the Pitt–Newcastle ministry was formed in June 1757. Promoted to full admiral on 7 February 1758, he received the sinecure of general of Royal Marines, marines on 1 May 1758. From around 1760 he lived at No. 3 Savile Row in London. He served as First Sea Lord, Senior Naval Lord on the Admiralty Board from March 1761 to April 1763.
Forbes was elected as Member for Mullingar (Parliament of Ireland constituency), Mullingar in 1761 and became Commissioner of the Board of Longitude in 1768. His final promotion was to Admiral of the Fleet on 24 October 1781 following the death of Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, Lord Hawke. He died at his home in Savile Row on 10 March 1796 and was buried in the Essex family vault in the parish church of St. Mary's Church, Watford, St Mary's Watford next to his wife.
Forbes married Lady Mary Capell (1722–1782), the daughter of William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex, on 2 September 1758. The marriage produced twin daughters, Katherine Elizabeth and Maria Eleanor, on 23 January 1761.''The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James in the County of Middlesex Vol. V. 1761-1786''. 15 February 1761. Katherine Wellesley-Pole, Countess of Mornington, Katherine, married William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington, while Maria Villiers, Countess of Clarendon, Maria married John Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon.
Early career
Born the second son of George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard and Mary (the eldest daughter of William Stewart, 1st Viscount Mountjoy), Forbes joined the Royal Navy in the 70-gun third-rate HMS Burford (1722), HMS ''Burford'' on 31 May 1726. He served as a volunteer under the command of his maternal uncle, Charles Stewart (Royal Navy officer), the Honourable Charles Stewart. He served with HMS ''Burford'' in the Mediterranean, before moving with his uncle to the third-rate HMS Lion (1709), HMS ''Lion'', and the two sailed together to the West Indies in 1729. Stewart promoted Forbes to lieutenant, while serving there, on 16 March 1731.Heathcote, p. 86 Forbes became third lieutenant in the 60-gun fourth-rate HMS Kingston (1697), HMS ''Kingston'' on 13 January 1733. He became fourth lieutenant on the larger 70-gun third-rate HMS Warspite (1666), HMS ''Edinburgh'' early in 1734 and then joined the 100-gun first rate HMS Britannia (1682), HMS ''Britannia'' as sixth lieutenant on 21 July, rising to third lieutenant by May 1735. The ''Britannia'' was at this time the flagship of Admiral John Norris (Royal Navy officer), Sir John Norris, and Forbes sailed with him on an expedition to Lisbon to support the Portuguese in the face of a Spanish threat.
Norris promoted Forbes to commander on 7 March 1737 and appointed him commanding officer of the 32-gun fifth-rate HMS Poole (1696), HMS ''Poole''. Forbes returned to England with Norris, escorting HMS ''Britannia''. Promoted to Captain (Royal Navy), captain on 24 October 1737, Forbes became commanding officer of the 20-gun sixth-rate HMS Port Mahon (1711), HMS ''Port Mahon'' and was sent to serve on the Coast of Ireland Station in 1738. Forbes was appointed to command the fourth-rate HMS Severn (1693), HMS ''Severn'' at Plymouth in Summer 1739 and then moved to the fourth-rate HMS Tyger (1647), HMS ''Tyger'' on 30 June 1740. He transferred to the 50-gun fourth-rate HMS Guernsey (1696), HMS ''Guernsey'' on 10 August 1740, just before she was relaunched at Chatham Dockyard, Chatham, and sailed her to the Nore.
Forbes was given command the 80-gun third-rate HMS Norfolk (1693), HMS ''Norfolk'' in 1742 and saw action at the Battle of Toulon (1744), Battle of Toulon on 11 February 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession.Heathcote, p. 87 He followed the example of Admiral Thomas Mathews, who was aboard the second-rate HMS Namur (1697), HMS ''Namur'', and was one of the few captains who really bore down on the enemy. In Summer 1746 he was called upon to give evidence at the court-martial of Vice-Admiral Richard Lestock during the recriminations after the battle.
Senior command
Promoted to rear-admiral on 15 July 1747, Forbes became second in command to Vice-Admiral John Byng in the Mediterranean and then took over command of the Mediterranean Fleet, Mediterranean Squadron in August 1748. He was elected to the Parliament of Ireland, as Member for St Johnstown (County Longford) (Parliament of Ireland constituency), St Johnstown in 1751. Suffering from poor health he rejected offers to take a command in the East Indies Station, East Indies and then a governorship in New York (state), New York in 1754. Promoted to vice-admiral on 6 February 1755, he was appointed a List of Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty on the Board of Admiralty led by Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, Earl Temple in December 1756. In March 1757 the execution of Vice-Admiral John Byng was held: Forbes was convinced of the illegality of the judgement and refused to sign the Execution warrant, death warrant, instead attaching to the warrant a document explaining his refusal. A copy of the document, believed to be Forbes' draft, on three sheets of paper, is in the archives of the Society of Genealogists. Another copy, signed "J.F. 16 February 1757", is in the Senate House Library at the University of London. It was also published as a Broadside (printing), broadside.
After the Pitt–Devonshire ministry fell in April 1757, Forbes left the Admiralty but returned when the Pitt–Newcastle ministry was formed in June 1757. Promoted to full admiral on 7 February 1758, he received the sinecure of general of Royal Marines, marines on 1 May 1758. From around 1760 he lived at No. 3 Savile Row in London. He served as First Sea Lord, Senior Naval Lord on the Admiralty Board from March 1761 to April 1763.
Forbes was elected as Member for Mullingar (Parliament of Ireland constituency), Mullingar in 1761 and became Commissioner of the Board of Longitude in 1768. His final promotion was to Admiral of the Fleet on 24 October 1781 following the death of Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, Lord Hawke. He died at his home in Savile Row on 10 March 1796 and was buried in the Essex family vault in the parish church of St. Mary's Church, Watford, St Mary's Watford next to his wife.
Family
Forbes married Lady Mary Capell (1722–1782), the daughter of William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex, on 2 September 1758. The marriage produced twin daughters, Katherine Elizabeth and Maria Eleanor, on 23 January 1761.''The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James in the County of Middlesex Vol. V. 1761-1786''. 15 February 1761. Katherine Wellesley-Pole, Countess of Mornington, Katherine, married William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington, while Maria Villiers, Countess of Clarendon, Maria married John Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon.
References
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* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, John 1714 births 1796 deaths Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Irish MPs 1727–1760 Irish MPs 1761–1768 Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Younger sons of earls Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Longford constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Westmeath constituencies Lords of the Admiralty