Vice-Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...
Sir John Lockhart-Ross, 6th Baronet (11 November 1721 – 9 June 1790), known as John Lockhart from 1721 to 1760, was an officer of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
who saw service during the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
,
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, and 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, and served for a time as a
Member of Parliament.
Lockhart was born into a gentry family in 1721 and embarked on a naval career. He served on a number of ships during the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
, seeing action at both the
First
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
and
Second Battles of Cape Finisterre, having by then risen to the rank of lieutenant. He had his own commands by the outbreak of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, and enjoyed particular success as a frigate captain, cruising against
privateer
A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
s while in command of . Further commands followed, including roles in detached squadrons at the
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as the ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' by the French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off ...
. Taking the additional name Ross after he inherited a deceased relative's estates, he served as a member of parliament and undertook land reforms and improvements during the years of peace before the outbreak of 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
.
Lockhart-Ross returned to sea on the outbreak of war, commanding a ship at the
Battle of Ushant, and later being promoted to
flag rank
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command.
Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways:
* ...
. He served in several actions as a junior commander of
Rodney's fleet, including the
capture of the Caracas convoy, the
Battle of Cape St. Vincent and the
relief of Gibraltar. He then retired ashore, devoting himself to his estates until his death in 1790. He was succeeded in the baronetcy he had inherited in 1778 by his son.
Family and early life
Lockhart was born on 11 November 1721 at Lockhart Hall,
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
, the fifth son of Sir James Lockhart, 2nd Baronet.
His mother, Grizel, was the third daughter of
William Ross, 12th Lord Ross
William Ross, 12th Lord Ross (c.1656 – 15 March 1738), was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician.
Origins
Ross was born in about 1656. He was the son and heir of George Ross, 11th Lord Ross, who died in 1682, by Grizel, daughter of W ...
. Lockhart joined the navy in September 1735, serving first aboard the 50-gun under Captain
Henry Osborne. He transferred to the 50-gun under Captain
Charles Knowles in the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
between 1737 and 1738, and went on to serve aboard the 54-gun under Captain
Henry Medley in 1739, and the 14-gun
sloop under Captain Frogmere in 1740.
[ Lockhart followed Frogmere to several of his ships, serving under him aboard the 20-gun and then the 54-gun . He passed his lieutenant's examination on 28 September 1743, and received his commission with a posting on 21 October that year to the 44-gun in the ]North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
, and afterwards on the coast of North America.[ While serving on the North American station he was moved into the 50-gun and returned to England with her in late 1746.][
Lockhart's next appointment was to the 66-gun in April 1747. ''Devonshire'' was the ]flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
of Rear-Admiral Peter Warren, under whom Lockhart saw action at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre on 3 May 1747. He was then appointed to his first command, that of the fireship
A fire ship or fireship is a large wooden vessel set on fire to be used against enemy ships during a ramming attack or similar maneuver. Fireships were used to great effect against wooden ships throughout naval military history up until the adv ...
, in which he saw action with Sir Edward Hawke's fleet at the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre
The second battle of Cape Finisterre was a naval battle, naval encounter fought during the War of the Austrian Succession on 25 October 1747 (N.S.). A Royal Navy, British fleet of fourteen ships of the line commanded by Rear admiral (Royal Navy ...
on 16 October 1747.[ One of the captains in the battle, Thomas Fox of the 64-gun , was later relieved of his command after controversy over his actions in the engagement, and Lockhart was given temporary command of ''Kent'' in his place.][ During 1748 Lockhart was first lieutenant of the ]Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
guardship
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 ...
, and for the next few years was on half pay in Scotland. In January 1755 he was appointed first lieutenant of the 90-gun with Captain Charles Saunders, and on 22 April 1755 he was promoted to command the 8-gun sloop , attached during the year to the western squadron cruising under the command of Sir Edward Hawke or Vice-Admiral John Byng
Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participate ...
.[
]
Command
On 23 March 1756 Lockhart was posted to the 28-gun , which he commanded for several cruises in the Channel, capturing several large privateer
A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
s of equal or superior force, among them the 22-gun ''Cerf'' with 211 men, the 26-gun ''Grand Gideon'' with 190 men, and the 20-gun ''Mont-Ozier'' of Rochelle with 170 men. Lockhart was severely wounded in the capture of the ''Mont-Ozier'' on 17 February 1757, and had to be invalided on shore for the next two months. He rejoined the ''Tartar'' and on 15 April, off Dunnose, Isle of Wight
Dunnose is a cape on the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. The headland is visible from well out to sea, and is used in navigation.
It has twice been used as the base point for a triangulation of Great Britain.
The line of accurately surve ...
, he captured the 26-gun ''Duc d'Aiguillon'' of St. Malo with 254 men; and on 2 November the 36-gun ''Melampe'' with 320 men. The latter ship was added to the navy as the 36-gun frigate .[
As a reward for Lockhart's services, the Admiralty offered him the command of the 50-gun , which was then nearing completion, and making several promotions from ''Tartar''s crew. He was also presented by the merchants of ]London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and of Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
with pieces of plate 'for his signal service in supporting the trade;’ and by the corporation of Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
with the freedom of the borough in a gold box.[ Lockhart spent the next few months recuperating at ]Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
and waiting for the ''Chatham'' to be launched. She was duly launched in April 1758 and Lockhart took command, taking many of his officers and men from ''Tartar'' to crew her, with the Admiralty's permission.[ Lockhart had her fitted for sea by May, and spent June to September cruising against privateers in the North Sea.][
''Chatham'' was then ordered into the Channel and later joined the fleet under Sir Edward Hawke.][ She spent the summer under Rear-Admiral ]George Brydges Rodney
Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularl ...
, taking part in the Raid on Le Havre before rejoining Hawke in October, and then being sent to join a squadron under Commodore Robert Duff, to watch the French in Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay (, ; ) is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.
Geography
The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the ...
. The squadron observed the French fleet sail out, and were chased by them as they rushed to report the news to Hawke. Hawke brought his fleet against them and decisively defeated them at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as the ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' by the French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off ...
on 20 November 1759.[ Four days later Hawke appointed Lockhart to command in the place of Captain John Campbell, who was sent home with the despatches. In the end of January 1760 the ''Royal George'' came to ]Spithead
Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...
, and a month later Lockhart was appointed to command the 64-gun , forming part of the fleet under Hawke or Edward Boscawen
Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC (19 August 171110 January 1761) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He is known principally for his various naval commands during the 18th century and the engagements ...
.[
]
Later naval and parliamentary career
With the death of his brother James in September 1760 Lockhart succeeded to the Ross estate of Balnagown
Balnagown Castle (also Balnagowan)(Ross Castle) is beside the village of Kildary in Easter Ross, part of the Highland area of Scotland.
There has been a castle on the site since the 14th century, although the present building was remodelled in ...
, the entail of which obliged him to take the name of Ross; this he formally did in the following spring, announcing the change to the admiralty on 31 March 1761.[ He was then at Lockhart Hall, where he seems to have passed the winter on leave, but afterwards rejoined the ''Bedford'' during the summer. In September he applied to be relieved from the command, and on 27 September was placed on half pay. In the previous June he had been elected member of parliament for Lanark Burghs, but it does not appear that he took any active interest in parliamentary business. He devoted himself principally to the improvement of his estates and the condition of the peasantry, and became known as 'the best farmer and the greatest planter in the country; his wheat and turnips showed the one, his plantation of a million of pines the other'.][ He was MP for Lanark Burghs from 1761 to 1768 and in 1762, he initiated land tenure reform which would later evolve into the ]Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances ( , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860.
The first phase resulted from Scottish Agricultural R ...
. He was MP for Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
from 1768 to 1774.
In 1777, when war with France appeared imminent, Ross returned to active service, and was appointed to the 74-gun , joining the fleet under Admiral Augustus Keppel in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778.[ On 13 August, by the successive deaths of his elder brothers without male issue, he succeeded to the ]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 ...
.[ On 19 March 1779 he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral, and during the summer, with his flag in the ''Royal George'', he was fourth in command in the Channel. In September he was sent with a small squadron into the North Sea to look out for ]John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
, but Jones, after capturing the ''Serapis'' in 1779, made good his escape. Continuing in the Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915.
History
Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history th ...
, Ross was with Rodney at the capture of the Caracas convoy, the Battle of Cape St. Vincent and the relief of Gibraltar in January 1780; with George Darby
Vice-Admiral George Darby ( 1720 – 1790) was an officer of the British Royal Navy. He commanded HMS ''Norwich'' at the capture of Martinique in 1762 during the Seven Years' War. He went on to command the Western Squadron during the Ameri ...
at the relief of Gibraltar in April 1781; and with Lord Howe during the early summer of 1782. On the return of the fleet to Spithead in August he resigned his command, and had no further employment afloat. He became a vice-admiral on 24 September 1787, and died at Balnagown Castle
Balnagown Castle (also Balnagowan)(Ross Castle) is beside the village of Kildary in Easter Ross, part of the Highland area of Scotland.
There has been a castle on the site since the 14th century, although the present building was remodelled in ...
in Ross-shire
Ross-shire (; ), or the County of Ross, was a county in the Scottish Highlands. It bordered Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire, a county consisting of numerous enc ...
on 9 June 1790.[ He married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Dundas of Arniston, the younger, in 1762 and had a number of children.][ Among them was his eldest son, Charles Lockhart-Ross, an army officer who inherited the baronetcy on his father's death, and George Ross, father of distinguished legal writer George Ross.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockhart-Ross, John
1721 births
1790 deaths
Nobility from South Lanarkshire
Royal Navy vice admirals
Highland Clearances
Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia
Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession
Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War
Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies
British MPs 1761–1768
British MPs 1768–1774