Constantine John Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave (30 May 1744 – 10 October 1792) was an English explorer and officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

. He served during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

and the American War of Independence, seeing action in a number of battles and engagements. Inheriting a title, he also went on to have a successful career in Parliament and occupied a number of political offices during his later years.

Family and early life

Phipps was born on 30 May 1744, the eldest son of

Constantine Phipps, 1st Baron Mulgrave Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given nam ...

and his wife, Lepel Hervey, the eldest daughter of John 2nd Baron Hervey of Ickworth and Mary 'Molly' Lepel. Phipps attended

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

, where he befriended Joseph Banks, the English naturalist, botanist, and later patron of the natural sciences.

Seven Years' War

In January 1759, he joined the 70-gun as a cadet under his uncle Captain

Augustus Hervey Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

during Hervey's 21-week watch on the French fleet in 1759. Phipps remained with his uncle on the latter's appointment to the 74-gun in 1761, and was present at the

British expedition against Martinique The British expedition against Martinique was a military action that took place in January and February 1762. It was part of the Seven Years' War. Background After the surrender of Dominica to a British expeditionary force, the French in Mart ...

. His good service led to his promotion to lieutenant on 17 March 1762 by Sir

George Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at ...

, and Phipps went on to serve in the

siege of Havana The siege of Havana was a successful British siege against Spanish-ruled Havana that lasted from March to August 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War. After Spain abandoned its former policy of neutrality by signing the family compact with ...

. He was further promoted on 24 November 1763 to command the 12-gun sloop , moving to the 24-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 a ...

''Terpsichore'' on 20 June 1765. In 1766, he sailed to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

as lieutenant on under Captain Sir Thomas Adams. Joseph Banks accompanied him as ship's naturalist. From 1767 to 1768, Phipps commanded in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...

Political career and command

Phipps was elected to Parliament in the

1768 general election The 1768 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election took plac ...

as Member for the constituency of Lincoln. On 4 June 1773 Phipps set off from

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

on a voyage towards the North Pole. He had two ships, the and the . Phipps took with him Dr Charles Irving as naturalist and doctor accompanied by

Olaudah Equiano Olaudah Equiano (; c. 1745 – 31 March 1797), known for most of his life as Gustavus Vassa (), was a writer and abolitionist from, according to his memoir, the Eboe (Igbo) region of the Kingdom of Benin (today southern Nigeria). Enslaved as ...

, and

Israel Lyons Israel Lyons the Younger (1739–1775), mathematician and botanist, was born at Cambridge, the son of Israel Lyons the elder (died 1770). He was regarded as a prodigy, especially in mathematics, and Robert Smith, master of Trinity College, took ...

(1739–1775) as astronomer. The ''Carcass'' was commanded by Skeffington Lutwidge, while one of her midshipmen was a young

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 ...

. They sailed beyond Svalbard to the Seven Islands, but were forced back by the ice and returned to

Orford Ness Orford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Weir Point, opposite Shingle Street. It is divided from the ...

on 17 September. During the voyage Phipps was the first modern European to describe the polar bear and the

ivory gull The ivory gull (''Pagophila eburnea'') is a small gull, the only species in the genus ''Pagophila''. It breeds in the high Arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia. Taxonomy The ivory ...

, which were included in his ''A Voyage towards the North Pole undertaken ... 1773'' (1774). Constantine_John_Baron_Mulgrave

On 13 September 1775, he succeeded his father as Baron Mulgrave in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divi ...

. He became MP for

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

in 1777, and was also appointed as one of the

Lords of the Admiralty This is a list of Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (incomplete before the Restoration, 1660). The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of The Board of Admiralty, which exercised the office of Lord High Admiral when it was ...

. Continuing an active naval career, he commissioned the 74-gun in 1778, and played a leading role in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July that year. Phipps led the attack on the 90-gun , but the indecisive nature of the engagement meant that the French ship was able to escape. Phipps returned to Britain and gave evidence at the subsequent court-martial, his evidence favouring

Hugh Palliser Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet (26 February 1723 – 19 March 1796) was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of the 58-gun HMS ''Eagle'' he engaged and defeated the French 50-gun ''Duc d'Aquitain'' off Ushant in May 1757 during the Seven ...

. The ''Courageux'' remained under his command until 1781, with Phipps serving mostly in the Channel under Admirals

Charles Hardy Sir Charles Hardy (c. 1714 – 18 May 1780) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1764 and 1780. He served as colonial governor of New York from 1755 to 1757. Early career Born at Portsmouth, the ...

, Francis Geary,

George Darby Vice Admiral George Darby (c.1720 – 1790) was a Royal Navy officer. He commanded HMS ''Norwich'' at the capture of Martinique in 1762 during the Seven Years' War. He went on to command the Channel Fleet during the American Revolutionary ...

and

Richard Howe Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British naval officer. After serving throughout the War of the Austrian Succession, he g ...

. In the

action of 4 January 1781 The action of 4 January 1781 was a minor battle of the War of American Independence. A French frigate division, departing Brest, met two British 74-gun ships of the line. The frigates tried to flee their stronger opponents, which gave chase. One o ...

, he captured the 32-gun French frigate ''Minerve'' in heavy weather off Brest. The ''Courageux'' was paid off at the end of the American War of Independence, and Phipps went ashore, never to serve at sea again.

Later life

Phipps remained as MP for Huntingdon until 1784, when he became MP for Newark. In April that year he became

Paymaster of the Forces The Paymaster of the Forces was a position in the British government. The office was established in 1661, one year after the Restoration of the Monarchy to King Charles II, and was responsible for part of the financing of the British Army, in ...

and on 18 May he was appointed a commissioner for the affairs of India, and one of the

Lords of Trade and Plantations The Lords of Trade and Plantations was a permanent administrative body formed by Charles II in 1675 to provide consistent advice to the Privy Council regarding the management of the growing number of English colonies. It replaced a series of tempo ...

, until being forced to resign in 1791 due to ill health. In 1790 he was made Baron Mulgrave of Mulgrave in the County of York in the Peerage of Great Britain, thus entering the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

. He also was a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematic ...

and of the Society of Antiquaries. He once entertained his miners underground in the Blue John Caverns in Castleton,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

. The particular cavern where they all dined as his guests is now named after him. He died at Liège on 10 October 1792. The title of Baron Mulgrave in the British peerage then became extinct, though his brother

Henry Phipps Henry Phipps may refer to: * Henry Carnegie Phipps (1879–1953), sportsman and financier * Henry Phipps Jr. (1839–1930), entrepreneur and major philanthropist * Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave (1755–1831), soldier and politician See also ...

succeeded him in the Irish barony.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mulgrave, Constantine Phipps, 2nd Baron 1744 births 1792 deaths Barons in the Peerage of Great Britain Barons in the Peerage of Ireland British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 English explorers English ornithologists Fellows of the Royal Society Lords of the Admiralty Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Peers of Great Britain created by George III People educated at Eton College

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given nam ...

Politics of Lincoln, England Royal Navy officers People from Whitby