Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner
Encyclopedia
Admiral Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner (12 February 1742 – 1 January 1809) was a British
Royal Navy
officer and peer of the realm. He became one of the Georgian era
's most dashing frigate captains and, ultimately, a respected senior admiral.
in 1755. Promoted to Captain in 1766, his first command was the fireship . He commanded a number of frigate
s before being promoted to a ship of the line
.
In 1782 he commanded a ship at the Battle of the Saintes
and in 1786, as Commodore of the American Squadron (consisting of HMS Europa
and ), he suppressed smuggling in the Gulf of Mexico
and ordered detailed hydrographic surveys of Caribbean locations of interest to the Navy. During this time, he commanded and probably mentored future famous officers such as George Vancouver
, Peter Puget
and Joseph Whidbey
.
He was a Member of the Board of Admiralty from 1790 to 1795 and was then promoted to full Admiral in 1795. During the Mutiny at Spithead
in 1797, Gardner negotiated directly with the mutineers until he lost his temper, seized a mutineer by the throat, and threatened to hang the lot. This nearly lead to his own demise at the hands of the mutineers, but cooler heads prevailed.
In 1800 he became Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Station. That year he was also created Baron Gardner, of Uttoxeter
, in the Peerage of Ireland
and in 1806 the title of Baron Gardner
in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
was created for him. He was Member of Parliament for Plymouth
and, later, Westminster
. He was briefly Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
from March to June 1803. In 1807 he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet
and he died in office the following year.
. He married Susannah Hyde Gale (?? - 20 April 1823) on 20 May 1769. They had two sons. The older son, Alan Hyde Gardner, 2nd Baron Gardner
, and their nephew, Robert Barrie
, became Admirals in the Royal Navy.
in Australia, the Gardner Channel in Canada, and Port Gardner Bay
in Puget Sound
. Also in Puget Sound, Port Susan
is named for his wife, Susannah.
An East Indiaman was named after Admiral Gardner;
it was wrecked on the Goodwin Sands
, 24 Jan 1809. It was carrying a large number of copper 10 and 20 cash
coins minted by the East India Company
for circulation in the Madras Presidency
. Preserved in tightly sealed barrels, large numbers were retrieved around 1986. They are frequently packaged and sold as very inexpensive "shipwreck coins."
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer and peer of the realm. He became one of the Georgian era
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
's most dashing frigate captains and, ultimately, a respected senior admiral.
Naval career
Gardner joined the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1755. Promoted to Captain in 1766, his first command was the fireship . He commanded a number of frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s before being promoted to a ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
.
In 1782 he commanded a ship at the Battle of the Saintes
Battle of the Saintes
The Battle of the Saintes took place over 4 days, 9 April 1782 – 12 April 1782, during the American War of Independence, and was a victory of a British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney over a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned...
and in 1786, as Commodore of the American Squadron (consisting of HMS Europa
HMS Europa (1765)
HMS Europa was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 21 April 1765 at Lepe, Hampshire. She was renamed HMS Europe in 1778, and spent the rest of her career under this name....
and ), he suppressed smuggling in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and ordered detailed hydrographic surveys of Caribbean locations of interest to the Navy. During this time, he commanded and probably mentored future famous officers such as George Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
, Peter Puget
Peter Puget
Peter Puget was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of Puget Sound.-Mr. Midshipman Puget:Puget's ancestors had fled France for Britain during Louis XIV's persecution of the Huguenots. His father, John, was a successful merchant and banker, but died in 1767, leaving Puget's...
and Joseph Whidbey
Joseph Whidbey
Joseph Whidbey was a member of the Royal Navy who served on the Vancouver Expedition 1791–1795, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer. He is notable for having been the first European to discover and chart Admiralty Island in the Alexander Archipelago in 1794.Little is recorded of...
.
He was a Member of the Board of Admiralty from 1790 to 1795 and was then promoted to full Admiral in 1795. During the Mutiny at Spithead
Spithead and Nore mutinies
The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. There were also discontent and minor incidents on ships in other locations in the same year. They were not violent insurrections, being more in the nature of strikes, demanding better pay and conditions...
in 1797, Gardner negotiated directly with the mutineers until he lost his temper, seized a mutineer by the throat, and threatened to hang the lot. This nearly lead to his own demise at the hands of the mutineers, but cooler heads prevailed.
In 1800 he became Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Station. That year he was also created Baron Gardner, of Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
, in the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
and in 1806 the title of Baron Gardner
Baron Gardner
Baron Gardner, of Uttoxeter, is a dormant title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Sir Alan Gardner, an Admiral of the Blue and former Member of Parliament for Plymouth and Westminster. In 1806 he was also created Baron Gardner, of Uttoxeter in the County of Stafford, in the...
in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
was created for him. He was Member of Parliament for Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and, later, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. He was briefly Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
from March to June 1803. In 1807 he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
and he died in office the following year.
Family
Gardner was born in UttoxeterUttoxeter
Uttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
. He married Susannah Hyde Gale (?? - 20 April 1823) on 20 May 1769. They had two sons. The older son, Alan Hyde Gardner, 2nd Baron Gardner
Alan Hyde Gardner, 2nd Baron Gardner
Alan Hyde Gardner, KCB, 2nd Baron Gardner was the son of Admiral Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner, and followed his father into the Royal Navy. In 1796 he was captain of the frigate , and in 1805 of the 74 gun - in the latter he was present at the action off Ferrol in 1805 and led the vanguard...
, and their nephew, Robert Barrie
Robert Barrie
Sir Robert Barrie KCB, KCH was a British officer of the Royal Navy noted for his service in the War of 1812....
, became Admirals in the Royal Navy.
Legacy
Vancouver named several locations after Gardner: Mount GardnerMount Gardner
Mount Gardner is a mountain standing 1.5 nautical miles west of Mount Tyree in the W-central part of the Sentinel Range, Ellsworth Mountains. Discovered by the Marie Byrd Land Traverse party, 1957–58, under C.R. Bentley. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Lieutenant Harvey L....
in Australia, the Gardner Channel in Canada, and Port Gardner Bay
Port Gardner Bay
Port Gardner is an inlet of Possession Sound on which the city of Everett, Washington is located. The Snohomish River flows into the bay.It was named by George Vancouver for his patron and former commander, Alan Gardner. Vancouver meant the name to apply to all of Saratoga Passage, but over time it...
in Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. Also in Puget Sound, Port Susan
Port Susan
Port Susan is a bay and strait located in the U.S. state of Washington. Part of the Whidbey Island Basin of Puget Sound, Port Susan is bounded by Camano Island to the west and the mainland to the east. The Stillaguamish River empties into the northern end of Port Susan. To the south, Port Susan...
is named for his wife, Susannah.
An East Indiaman was named after Admiral Gardner;
it was wrecked on the Goodwin Sands
Goodwin Sands
The Goodwin Sands is a 10-mile-long sand bank in the English Channel, lying six miles east off Deal in Kent, England. The Brake Bank lying shorewards is part of the same geological unit. As the shoals lie close to major shipping channels, more than 2,000 ships are believed to have been wrecked...
, 24 Jan 1809. It was carrying a large number of copper 10 and 20 cash
Cash
In common language cash refers to money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.In bookkeeping and finance, cash refers to current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-immediately...
coins minted by the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
for circulation in the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
. Preserved in tightly sealed barrels, large numbers were retrieved around 1986. They are frequently packaged and sold as very inexpensive "shipwreck coins."
External links
- Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner, illustrations in the National Maritime Museum
- Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner, illustrations in the National Portrait Gallery
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