George Francis Seymour
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir George Francis Seymour, GCB
, GCH
, PC
(17 September 1787 – 20 January 1870) was a Royal Navy
officer.
(himself a son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford
) and Anna Horatia Waldegrave (a daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave
) and entered the Royal Navy
in 1797. Promoted to Captain
in 1806, he was given command of HMS Aurora.
He captained HMS Pallas
during the Battle of Basque Roads and HMS Fortunée and HMS Leonidas during the War of 1812
. For his part in the latter war, he was appointed a CB
in 1815 (alongside many other Captains) and a KCH
in 1831 (and later a GCH in 1834). In 1841 he was appointed Third Naval Lord
.
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief Pacific Station
in 1844, Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies Station in 1851 and Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
in 1856.
He was appointed a GCB
in 1860 and promoted to Admiral of the Fleet
in 1866.
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
Sir George Francis Seymour, GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, GCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, PC
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(17 September 1787 – 20 January 1870) was a 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.
Naval career
Seymour was the eldest son of Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh SeymourLord Hugh Seymour
Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour was a senior British Royal Navy officer of the late 18th century who was the fifth son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford and became known for being both a prominent society figure and a highly competent naval officer...
(himself a son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford KG, PC, PC was a British courtier and politician.He was born in Chelsea, London the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Lord Conway and Charlotte Shorter and died in Surrey, England...
) and Anna Horatia Waldegrave (a daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave
James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave
James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave KG PC FRS was a British statesman.The eldest son of the 1st Earl Waldegrave, Waldegrave was educated at Westminster and Eton and he inherited his father's titles in 1741...
) and entered the 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...
in 1797. Promoted to Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
in 1806, he was given command of HMS Aurora.
He captained HMS Pallas
HMS Pallas (1804)
HMS Pallas was a 32-gun fifth rate Thames-class frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1804 at Plymouth.-History:Pallas was one of the seven Thames class frigates ordered for the fleet in early 1804. Her keel was laid at Plymouth Dockyard in June 1804 and she was launched on the afternoon of 17...
during the Battle of Basque Roads and HMS Fortunée and HMS Leonidas during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. For his part in the latter war, he was appointed a CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1815 (alongside many other Captains) and a KCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
in 1831 (and later a GCH in 1834). In 1841 he was appointed Third Naval Lord
Third Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
.
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief Pacific Station
Pacific Station
The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...
in 1844, Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies Station in 1851 and 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:...
in 1856.
He was appointed a GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1860 and promoted to Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
in 1866.
Family
In 1811, Seymour had married Georgiana Mary Berkeley (a daughter of Sir George Berkeley) and they had eight children:- Francis George HughFrancis Seymour, 5th Marquess of HertfordFrancis George Hugh Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford GCB PC , known as Francis Seymour until 1870, was a British courtier and Conservative politician...
(1812–1884), succeeded cousin as Marquess of HertfordMarquess of HertfordThe titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the peerages of England and Great Britain.The third Earldom of Hertford was created in 1559 for Edward Seymour, who was simultaneously created Baron Beauchamp of Hache...
in 1870. - George HenryHenry Seymour (Royal Navy officer)Vice-Admiral Henry Seymour CB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Third Naval Lord.-Career:...
(1818–1869), Lord of the Admiralty. - Laura WilliaminaPrincess Victor of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrincess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was a British-born aristocrat whose marriage to a German prince naturalised in England made her a kinswoman of the British Royal Family and a member of the royal court.-Ancestry:Laura Williamina Seymour was a daughter of Admiral Sir George Seymour and his...
(1832–1912), married Queen Victoria's nephew Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrince Victor of Hohenlohe-LangenburgAdmiral Victor Ferdinand Franz Eugen Gustaf Adolf Constantin Friedrich of Hohenlohe-Langenburg GCB , also known as Count Gleichen, was an officer in the Royal Navy, and a sculptor.-Biography:...
(eventually becoming known as Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg). - William Frederick Ernest (1838–1915), MidshipmanMidshipmanA midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
- Georgina Isabella (d. 1848), married Charles Corkran of Long DittonLong DittonLong Ditton is a village in Surrey, England lying on the boundary with Greater London. Neighbouring settlements include Thames Ditton, Surbiton, Tolworth and Chessington.-History:...
. - Horatia Louisa (d. 1829), died unmarried.
- Emily Charlotte (d. 1892), married William Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron HarlechWilliam Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron HarlechWilliam Richard Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech was an Anglo-Irish peer and Member of Parliament.Ormsby-Gore was the younger son of William Ormsby-Gore and Mary Jane Ormsby. He was educated at Eton College and later purchased an Ensigncy in the 53rd Foot...
. - Matilda Horatia (d. 1916), married Lt-Col Cecil Rice.