George Nicholas Hardinge
Encyclopedia
George Nicholas Hardinge (11 April 1781 – 8 March 1808) was an officer of the Royal Navy
who served during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
. Possessing an ability to endear himself to senior officers through his intellect and good manners, he served under several important naval commanders, whose patronage allowed him to rise through the ranks. His own skill and bravery were also important factors in his promotion to his own command, a fact he demonstrated in 1804 when he led a daring cutting-out operation against two Dutch ships. Promotion to post captain left him temporarily without a command, and he was to be disappointed in a number of the ships he was offered when they turned out to be either unfit for service, or still under construction. Having ended up in the East Indies
he was forced to make do with an elderly frigate he had first served on as a midshipman much earlier in his career. While commanding this ship he fought an action with a superior French opponent, and after a gruelling three day battle the British were victorious and the French captain surrendered. Hardinge did not live to see the moment, having been killed by grapeshot
shortly before. He was buried with full military honours and monuments to his memory were erected in Bombay and St Paul's Cathedral
.
, Surrey
on 11 April 1781, the second son of Reverend Henry Hardinge, and his wife Frances. His education was taken in hand by his uncle, George Hardinge
, a judge, who sent him to Eton
to study law. George Nicholas did not do well at school, and instead asked to go to sea, perhaps influenced by his uncle, Sir Richard Hardinge, who was a captain of an East Indiaman. He consequently joined the Royal Navy in 1793 as a midshipman
aboard the 32-gun frigate
under Captain Charles Tyler
, and saw action at the Siege of Toulon
and the reduction of Corsica
. When Tyler moved to take command of the captured French frigate Minerve, which had been taken into Royal Navy service as , he took Midshipman Hardinge with him. This was the ship that Hardinge would die in command of 15 years later.
Hardinge continued to move ships to remain in Tyler's service, and both were present aboard at the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
on 13 July 1794. The pair saw continued service off the Italian coast during the following months, and it was during this time that Hardinge came to the attention of Sir William Hamilton
, the British envoy to the Kingdom of Naples
. Hamilton introduced Hardinge to the study of history and the arts. Hardinge returned to England for a brief period in 1798, but returned to sea aboard Tyler's new command, the 38-gun . The Aigle was wrecked off the African coast on 18 July, but Hardinge survived to be rescued, and duly came to the attention of Earl St Vincent
. Hardinge's talent for impressing senior officials with his intellect led to St Vincent appointing him to the 74-gun , under the command of Captain Ralph Willett Miller
. He was still aboard the Theseus when Miller was killed in an accidental explosion in May 1799, that left the ship severely damaged. Hardinge returned to Britain where he was transferred to the 80-gun as a supernumerary lieutenant under Captain Edward Berry
, and on returning to the Mediterranean he was involved in the battle which led to the capture of the 80-gun French ship Guillaume Tell on 30 March 1800. Hardinge remained in the Mediterranean after this, serving under Captain Sir Sidney Smith aboard the 80-gun . He was involved in the operations of the Egyptian Campaign, and was promoted to lieutenant on 15 October 1800, subsequently receiving the Turkish Gold Medal.
in March 1803. Serving in the English Channel
, initially under Captain Edward Owen
, and later Admiral James Saumarez
, he took part in the attack on Granville
. The Terror was heavily damaged in this operation, and Hardinge's next command was the 18-gun , which he commanded in the North Sea
. On 28 March 1804 he was sailing off the Vlie
when he discovered two Dutch brig-corvettes at anchor in the roads. Since the Scorpion was too large to risk navigating the passage, Hardinge decided to make an attack with his boats. While waiting for conditions that would allow an attack, he was joined by the 14-gun , and at 9.30 in the evening of 31 March two boats from Beaver and three from Scorpion altogether carrying 60 men, set off to attack the Dutch. They approached the nearest one, the Atalante and rushed her, Hardinge being the first to leap aboard. After some fierce fighting they subdued the Dutch crew, with Hardinge at one point fighting hand to hand with the Dutch captain. The Dutch captain was able to disarm Hardinge, but other members of the crew came to his aid. Seeing that his opponent was outnumbered Hardinge called upon the Dutch captain to surrender, but he refused and the British were forced to kill him. 'He fell covered with honourable wounds', as Hardinge later recounted. The British secured the Atalante, and attempted to attack the second Dutch ship, but found that she had moved out of range. Hardinge instead laboured to take the Atalante out to sea and though hampered by a gale, succeeded after three days.
Although he had been rewarded for his bravery with a promotion to post captain on 10 April 1804, and a sword worth 300 guineas from the Lloyd's Patriotic Fund, Hardinge found it difficult to return to active service. He was at first assigned to command the 24-gun and to escort a convoy to the West Indies, but was instead transferred to . The Valorous was found to be unfit for sea, but he was given the command of HMS Salsette
, a frigate then supposed to be fitting out at Bombay. He made his way to the East Indies, taking part in the Capture of the Cape
enroute, but on his arrival at Bombay he found that the Salsette had only just been laid down. He was promised her command when she was completed, but in the meantime had to make do with the old fifth rate HMS St Fiorenzo, a ship he had served as a midshipman on 15 years earlier.
Hardinge made a number of uneventful patrols in the Indian Ocean
, but on 6 March 1808 he came across three East Indiamen
being followed by the 40-gun French frigate Piémontaise
. He turned to confront the Frenchman, who attempted to escape. St Fiorenzo chased the Piémontaise for the next several days, with intermittent fighting as the French turned to engage their pursuer, before sailing away again. They were finally brought to a decisive battle on 8 March, where after an hour and twenty minutes of fierce fighting, they surrendered. French losses amounted to 48 dead and 112 wounded, while the British lost 13 dead and 25 wounded. Captain Hardinge was among the dead, killed by grapeshot shortly before the Piémontaise surrendered. He was buried at Colombo
with full military honours, and monuments to his memory were erected in Bombay and in St Paul's Cathedral
.
On 29 November 1809, His Majesty George III
granted to the Hardinge family an augmentation to their coat of arms commemorating both the victory over Piemontaise and Hardinge's earlier victory over Atalanta.
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...
who served during the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Possessing an ability to endear himself to senior officers through his intellect and good manners, he served under several important naval commanders, whose patronage allowed him to rise through the ranks. His own skill and bravery were also important factors in his promotion to his own command, a fact he demonstrated in 1804 when he led a daring cutting-out operation against two Dutch ships. Promotion to post captain left him temporarily without a command, and he was to be disappointed in a number of the ships he was offered when they turned out to be either unfit for service, or still under construction. Having ended up in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
he was forced to make do with an elderly frigate he had first served on as a midshipman much earlier in his career. While commanding this ship he fought an action with a superior French opponent, and after a gruelling three day battle the British were victorious and the French captain surrendered. Hardinge did not live to see the moment, having been killed by grapeshot
Grapeshot
In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of shot that is not a one solid element, but a mass of small metal balls or slugs packed tightly into a canvas bag. It was used both in land and naval warfare. When assembled, the balls resembled a cluster of grapes, hence the name...
shortly before. He was buried with full military honours and monuments to his memory were erected in Bombay and St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.
Family and early life
George Hardinge was born in Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
on 11 April 1781, the second son of Reverend Henry Hardinge, and his wife Frances. His education was taken in hand by his uncle, George Hardinge
George Hardinge
-Life:He was born on 22 June 1743 at Canbury, a manorhouse in Kingston upon Thames. He was the third but eldest surviving son of Nicholas Hardinge, by his wife Jane, daughter of Sir John Pratt. He was educated by Woodeson, a Kingston schoolmaster, and at Eton College under Edward Barnard.Hardinge...
, a judge, who sent him to Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
to study law. George Nicholas did not do well at school, and instead asked to go to sea, perhaps influenced by his uncle, Sir Richard Hardinge, who was a captain of an East Indiaman. He consequently joined the Royal Navy in 1793 as a midshipman
Midshipman
A 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...
aboard the 32-gun 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"...
under Captain Charles Tyler
Charles Tyler
Admiral Sir Charles Tyler, GCB was a British admiral who gained fame during the Napoleonic Wars as one of the Nelsonic Band of Brothers and a naval officer of great reputation and success who fought at the battles of Copenhagen and Trafalgar.-Early life:Tyler was born in 1760, the son of Captain...
, and saw action at the Siege of Toulon
Siege of Toulon
The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...
and the reduction of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. When Tyler moved to take command of the captured French frigate Minerve, which had been taken into Royal Navy service as , he took Midshipman Hardinge with him. This was the ship that Hardinge would die in command of 15 years later.
Hardinge continued to move ships to remain in Tyler's service, and both were present aboard at the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
The Naval Battle of Hyères Islands was fought on 13 July 1795 off the Hyères Islands, a group of islands off the French Mediterranean coast, about 25 km east of Toulon. The battle was fought between the van of a British fleet chasing the French squadron, and the French rear...
on 13 July 1794. The pair saw continued service off the Italian coast during the following months, and it was during this time that Hardinge came to the attention of Sir William Hamilton
William Hamilton (diplomat)
Sir William Hamilton KB, PC, FRS was a Scottish diplomat, antiquarian, archaeologist and vulcanologist. After a short period as a Member of Parliament, he served as British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples from 1764 to 1800...
, the British envoy to the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
. Hamilton introduced Hardinge to the study of history and the arts. Hardinge returned to England for a brief period in 1798, but returned to sea aboard Tyler's new command, the 38-gun . The Aigle was wrecked off the African coast on 18 July, but Hardinge survived to be rescued, and duly came to the attention of Earl St Vincent
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
. Hardinge's talent for impressing senior officials with his intellect led to St Vincent appointing him to the 74-gun , under the command of Captain Ralph Willett Miller
Ralph Willett Miller
Ralph Willett Miller was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American Revolutionary and the French Revolutionary Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Captain...
. He was still aboard the Theseus when Miller was killed in an accidental explosion in May 1799, that left the ship severely damaged. Hardinge returned to Britain where he was transferred to the 80-gun as a supernumerary lieutenant under Captain Edward Berry
Edward Berry
Rear Admiral Sir Edward Berry, 1st Baronet, KCB was an officer in Britain's Royal Navy primarily known for his role as flag captain of Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson's ship HMS Vanguard at the Battle of the Nile, prior to his knighthood in 1798...
, and on returning to the Mediterranean he was involved in the battle which led to the capture of the 80-gun French ship Guillaume Tell on 30 March 1800. Hardinge remained in the Mediterranean after this, serving under Captain Sir Sidney Smith aboard the 80-gun . He was involved in the operations of the Egyptian Campaign, and was promoted to lieutenant on 15 October 1800, subsequently receiving the Turkish Gold Medal.
Command
Hardinge's earlier patron, Earl St Vincent, had by now risen to the post of First Lord of the Admiralty, and he promoted Hardinge to the rank of commander on 29 April 1802. He had to wait nearly a year though before he obtained his first ship, the bomb vesselBomb vessel
A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannon —although bomb vessels carried a few cannon for self-defence—but rather mortars mounted forward near the bow and elevated to a high angle, and projecting their fire in a...
in March 1803. Serving in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, initially under Captain Edward Owen
Edward Owen (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Sir Edward William Campbell Rich Owen GCB GCH was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet. He was the son of Captain William Owen and elder brother of Vice-Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen....
, and later Admiral James Saumarez
James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez
Admiral James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez , GCB was an admiral of the British Royal Navy, notable for his victory at the Battle of Algeciras.-Early life:...
, he took part in the attack on Granville
Granville, Manche
-Sights:The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century...
. The Terror was heavily damaged in this operation, and Hardinge's next command was the 18-gun , which he commanded in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. On 28 March 1804 he was sailing off the Vlie
Vlie
The Vlie or Vliestroom is the seaway between the Dutch islands of Vlieland, to its southwest, and Terschelling, to its northeast. The Vlie was the estuary of the river IJssel in medieval times...
when he discovered two Dutch brig-corvettes at anchor in the roads. Since the Scorpion was too large to risk navigating the passage, Hardinge decided to make an attack with his boats. While waiting for conditions that would allow an attack, he was joined by the 14-gun , and at 9.30 in the evening of 31 March two boats from Beaver and three from Scorpion altogether carrying 60 men, set off to attack the Dutch. They approached the nearest one, the Atalante and rushed her, Hardinge being the first to leap aboard. After some fierce fighting they subdued the Dutch crew, with Hardinge at one point fighting hand to hand with the Dutch captain. The Dutch captain was able to disarm Hardinge, but other members of the crew came to his aid. Seeing that his opponent was outnumbered Hardinge called upon the Dutch captain to surrender, but he refused and the British were forced to kill him. 'He fell covered with honourable wounds', as Hardinge later recounted. The British secured the Atalante, and attempted to attack the second Dutch ship, but found that she had moved out of range. Hardinge instead laboured to take the Atalante out to sea and though hampered by a gale, succeeded after three days.
Although he had been rewarded for his bravery with a promotion to post captain on 10 April 1804, and a sword worth 300 guineas from the Lloyd's Patriotic Fund, Hardinge found it difficult to return to active service. He was at first assigned to command the 24-gun and to escort a convoy to the West Indies, but was instead transferred to . The Valorous was found to be unfit for sea, but he was given the command of HMS Salsette
HMS Doris (1808)
HMS Doris was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy that served between 1808 and 1829. She was the second ship of the Royal Navy to be named after the mythical Greek sea nymphe Doris....
, a frigate then supposed to be fitting out at Bombay. He made his way to the East Indies, taking part in the Capture of the Cape
Battle of Blaauwberg
The Battle of Blaauwberg, also known as the Battle of Cape Town, fought near Cape Town on 8 January 1806, was a small but significant military engagement. It established British rule in South Africa, which was to have many ramifications during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries...
enroute, but on his arrival at Bombay he found that the Salsette had only just been laid down. He was promised her command when she was completed, but in the meantime had to make do with the old fifth rate HMS St Fiorenzo, a ship he had served as a midshipman on 15 years earlier.
Death
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, but on 6 March 1808 he came across three East Indiamen
East Indiamen
An East Indiaman was a ship operating under charter or license to any of the East India Companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries...
being followed by the 40-gun French frigate Piémontaise
French frigate Piémontaise (1804)
The Piémontaise was a 40-gun Consolante-class frigate of the French Navy. She served as a commerce raider in the Indian Ocean until her capture in March 1808...
. He turned to confront the Frenchman, who attempted to escape. St Fiorenzo chased the Piémontaise for the next several days, with intermittent fighting as the French turned to engage their pursuer, before sailing away again. They were finally brought to a decisive battle on 8 March, where after an hour and twenty minutes of fierce fighting, they surrendered. French losses amounted to 48 dead and 112 wounded, while the British lost 13 dead and 25 wounded. Captain Hardinge was among the dead, killed by grapeshot shortly before the Piémontaise surrendered. He was buried at Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
with full military honours, and monuments to his memory were erected in Bombay and in St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.
On 29 November 1809, His Majesty George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
granted to the Hardinge family an augmentation to their coat of arms commemorating both the victory over Piemontaise and Hardinge's earlier victory over Atalanta.