Raby Vane (2 January 1736 – 23 October 1769) was a Royal Navy officer and Member of Parliament, a younger son of

Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (c. 1705 – 6 March 1758), known as Lord Barnard between 1753 and 1754, was a British politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons from 1726 to 1753 wh ...

. Vane was born on 2 January 1736, the third son of

and his wife Lady Grace Fitzroy. He was commissioned a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

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 ...

on 18 July 1757. Vane's family had a strong electoral interest in County Durham, and when his eldest brother Viscount Barnard succeeded to the peerage on their father's death in 1758, Raby succeeded to Barnard's seat there without a contest. He was promoted

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

on 14 January 1759 and appointed to command the

fireship A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...

. Vane was made post-

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 ...

and given command of the frigate , captured from the French that summer and purchased into the Royal Navy, on 4 September 1759. In addition, he was chosen Mayor of

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

this year. He commanded the ''Arethusa'', capturing several privateers, until she was placed

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair ...

service after the Treaty of Paris in February 1763. At the

1761 British general election The 1761 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. This was the first ...

, Vane accepted the offer of a seat at

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

from Sir James Lowther, whose sister had married Vane's eldest brother, now Earl of Darlington. He favored the peace preliminaries in December 1762. Vane continued to be employed as a naval officer after the peace. He was appointed captain of the

fourth-rate In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...

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 usual ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

, on 12 May 1763. He turned ''Achilles'' over to his fellow MP,

Lord William Campbell Lord William Campbell (11 July 1730 – 4 September 1778) was from a Scottish family loyal to the House of Hanover. His father was John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll. From 1752 to 1760, he served in the Royal Navy in India. In 1762, becau ...

, on taking command of the

third-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third ...

, guard ship at Chatham, on 19 March 1764. He turned over command to William Saltern Willett on 19 November; it was to be his last command afloat. Vane supported the Rockingham ministry in 1765, but had swung around to favor Lord Bute, Lowther's brother-in-law, by 1766.

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, in opposition in 1767, considered him a supporter of the

Chatham ministry The Chatham ministry was a British government led by William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham that ruled between 1766 and 1768. Because of Pitt's former prominence before his title, it is sometimes referred to as the Pitt ministry. Unusually for a pol ...

. He did not stand at the

1768 British 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 ...

and refused an offer to sit at

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a ...

by Sir Lawrence Dundas in May 1769. On 18 April 1768, Vane married Elizabeth Sayer, the daughter of George Sayer,

Archdeacon of Durham The Archdeacon of Durham is a senior ecclesiastical officer of the diocese of Durham (Church of England). They have, within the geographical area the ''archdeaconry of Durham'', pastoral oversight of clergy and care of church buildings (among other ...

. However, he died on 23 October 1769 without leaving children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vane, Raby 1736 births 1769 deaths Younger sons of earls Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Carlisle Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Royal Navy officers British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War Raby