Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale, GCB
(3 February 1803 – 1 September 1878) was a Royal Navy
officer and peer
.
) and his first wife, Mary, Maitland joined the navy in 1816. He was promoted to lieutenant
for service aboard HMS Euryalus
in 1823. In 1825, he was appointed to serve aboard HMS Superb
at Portsmouth
and to HMS Ganges
in 1826 on the South America
n station. Promoted to commander
in 1827, he commanded HMS Sparrowhawk from 1832 to 1833 in the West Indies, bringing home a treasure
of $
589,405 and 42 bales of cochineal
.
From 1835 to 1837, Maitland commanded HMS Tweed
on the north coast of Spain
during the Spanish Civil War
, for which he received the cross of the Order of Charles III. In 1837, he was promoted to captain
and took command of HMS Wellesley
on the East India
station and saw action off the Persian Gulf
in 1839 and during the First Opium War
from 1840 to 1841, for which he was appointed a CB
in 1841.
He was Captain of the Gunnery School at Portsmouth from 1854 to 1857. In 1857 he was promoted to Rear-Admiral and was Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station
from 1860 to 1862. He was appointed KCB in 1865, First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp from 1866 to 1873, GCB in 1873 and Admiral
in 1868. He retired in 1873 and became Admiral of the Fleet
in 1877.
Lord Lauderdale died in 1878 at the family home, Thirlestane Castle
in Berwickshire
.
(whilst posted in South America) and they had four children:
As his only son predeceased him, Maitland's titles and hereditary offices passed to his second cousin once removed
, Charles Barclay-Maitland.
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
Thomas Maitland, 11th Earl of Lauderdale, 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...
(3 February 1803 – 1 September 1878) 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 and peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Naval career
Born the only son of General The Hon. William Maitland (himself the fourth son of James Maitland, 7th Earl of LauderdaleJames Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale
James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale , and was one of the sixteen representative peers for Scotland in the House of Lords....
) and his first wife, Mary, Maitland joined the navy in 1816. He was promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
for service aboard HMS Euryalus
HMS Euryalus (1803)
HMS Euryalus was a Royal Navy Apollo Class frigate of 36 guns, which saw service in the Battle of Trafalgar and the War of 1812. During her career she was commanded by three prominent naval personalities of the Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic period, Henry Blackwood, George Heneage Dundas and...
in 1823. In 1825, he was appointed to serve aboard HMS Superb
HMS Superb (1798)
HMS Superb was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, and the fourth vessel to bear the name. She was launched on 19 March 1798 from Northfleet, and was eventually broken up in 1826. Superb is mostly associated with Richard Goodwin Keats who commanded her as captain from 1801 until...
at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and to HMS Ganges
HMS Ganges (1821)
HMS Ganges was an 84-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 10 November 1821 at Bombay Dockyard, constructed from teak...
in 1826 on the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n station. Promoted to commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in 1827, he commanded HMS Sparrowhawk from 1832 to 1833 in the West Indies, bringing home a treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
of $
Spanish dollar
The Spanish dollar is a silver coin, of approximately 38 mm diameter, worth eight reales, that was minted in the Spanish Empire after a Spanish currency reform in 1497. Its purpose was to correspond to the German thaler...
589,405 and 42 bales of cochineal
Cochineal
The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and...
.
From 1835 to 1837, Maitland commanded HMS Tweed
HMS Tweed
HMS Tweed may refer to several Royal Navy ships, including:*HMS Tweed *HMS Tweed was a 28-gun Sixth Rate frigate built in 1823 at Portsmouth and sold in 1852.*HMS Tweed , torpedo gunboat...
on the north coast of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, for which he received the cross of the Order of Charles III. In 1837, he was 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...
and took command of HMS Wellesley
HMS Wellesley
Two ships of the Royal Navy and one shore establishment have been named HMS Wellesley after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.-Ships:* HMS Wellesley was a Royal Navy school ship, formerly HMS Cornwall and renamed Wellesley in 1868....
on the East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
station and saw action off the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
in 1839 and during the First Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
from 1840 to 1841, for which 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 1841.
He was Captain of the Gunnery School at Portsmouth from 1854 to 1857. In 1857 he was promoted to Rear-Admiral and was 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...
from 1860 to 1862. He was appointed KCB in 1865, First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp from 1866 to 1873, GCB in 1873 and Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in 1868. He retired in 1873 and became Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
in 1877.
Lord Lauderdale died in 1878 at the family home, Thirlestane Castle
Thirlestane Castle
Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Water. The land has been in the ownership of the Maitland...
in Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
.
Family
On 7 February 1828, Maitland married Amelia Young at Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
(whilst posted in South America) and they had four children:
- Thomas Mordaunt (1838–1844)
- Isabel Anne (d. 1854)
- Lady Alice Charlotte Maitland (d. 1883)
- Lady Mary Jane (1847–1918), married Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of MeathReginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of MeathReginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath KP GCVO GBE PC was a British politician and philanthropist.The Honourable Reginald Brabazon was born in London, second son of Lord Brabazon. When his father succeeded as 11th Earl of Meath in 1851, Reginald, now heir , was styled Lord Brabazon...
.
As his only son predeceased him, Maitland's titles and hereditary offices passed to his second cousin once removed
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
, Charles Barclay-Maitland.