George Anson, 1st Baron Anson: Difference between revisions

Admiral of the Fleet The Right Honourable
The Lord Anson
PC, FRS, RN
Admiral of the Fleet The Right Honourable The Lord Anson PC, FRS, RN
	Portrait of Lord Anson by Thomas Hudson
First Lord of the Admiralty
	In office; 1757–1762
Prime Minister	The Duke of Newcastle; The Earl of Bute
Preceded by	The Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham
Succeeded by	The Earl of Halifax
	In office; 1751–1756
Prime Minister	Henry Pelham; The Duke of Newcastle
Preceded by	The Earl of Sandwich
Succeeded by	The Earl Temple
Personal details
Born	23 April 1697; Staffordshire, England
Died	6 June 1762 (aged 65); Moor Park, Hertfordshire, England
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Branch/service	Royal Navy
Years of service	1711–1762
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands	HMS Weazel; HMS Scarborough; HMS Garland; HMS Diamond; HMS Squirrel; HMS Centurion
Battles/wars	War of the Spanish Succession; War of the Quadruple Alliance; War of Jenkins' Ear; War of the Austrian Succession; Seven Years' War

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Admiral of the Fleet George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, PC, FRS (23 April 1697 – 6 June 1762) was a British Royal Navy officer, politician and peer from the Anson family.

He served as a junior officer during the War of the Spanish Succession and then saw active service against Spain at the Battle of Cape Passaro, off the south tip of Sicily, during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. He then undertook a circumnavigation of the globe during the War of Jenkins' Ear. Anson commanded the fleet that defeated the French Admiral de la Jonquière at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1747, during the War of the Austrian Succession.

Anson went on to be First Lord of the Admiralty during the Seven Years' War. Among his reforms were the removal of corrupt defence contractors, improved medical care, submitting a revision of the Articles of War to Parliament to tighten discipline throughout the Navy, uniforms for commissioned officers, the transfer of the Marines from Army to Navy authority, and a system for rating ships according to their number of guns.

Background

Family

Anson was the son of William Anson of Shugborough in Staffordshire and Isabella Carrier,^[2] whose brother-in-law was the Earl of Macclesfield and Lord Chancellor, a relationship that proved very useful to the future admiral. He was born on 23 April 1697,^[1]^[4] at Shugborough Manor.^[3] He was one of eight surviving children of the couple, and the younger brother of the politician Thomas Anson.^[5]

Early career

In February 1712, amid the War of the Spanish Succession, Anson entered the navy at the age of 15.^[3] He served as a volunteer aboard the fourth-rate HMS Ruby, before transferring to the third-rate HMS Monmouth.^[6]

Promoted to lieutenant on 17 March 1716, he was assigned to the fourth-rate HMS Hampshire in service as part of a Baltic Sea fleet commanded by Admiral John Norris.^[7] Anson transferred to the aging fourth-rate HMS Montagu in March 1718, and saw active service against Spain at the Battle of Cape Passaro in August 1718 during the War of the Quadruple Alliance.^[8] He then transferred to the second-rate HMS Barfleur, flagship of Admiral George Byng, in October 1719.^[7]

Anson was promoted to commander in June 1722 and given command of the small 8-gun HMS Weazel. Anson's orders were to suppress smuggling between Britain and Holland, a task he swiftly and effectively performed. In recognition of his efforts he was promoted to the rank of post-captain in February 1723 and given command of the 32-gun sixth-rate HMS Scarborough with orders to escort British merchant convoys from the Carolinas.^[8] (The Ansonborough district of Charleston, South Carolina, still commemorates his time there.)^[3]

He transferred to the command of the sixth-rate HMS Garland, still on the Carolinas station, in July 1728, then to the command of the fifth-rate HMS Diamond in the Channel Fleet in 1730, and to the command of the sixth-rate HMS Squirrel back on the Carolinas station in 1731.^[7] He was given command of the 60-gun third-rate HMS Centurion in the West Africa Squadron in 1737 and, having been promoted to commodore with his broad pennant in HMS Centurion, he took command of a squadron sent to attack Spanish possessions in South America at the outset of the War of Jenkins' Ear.^[9]

Voyage around the world

Anson's capture of the Manila galleon *Nuestra Señora de Covadonga*, painted by Samuel Scott.

After setting off later than planned, Anson's squadron encountered successive disasters. The lateness of the season forced him to round the Horn in very stormy weather, and the navigating instruments of the time did not allow for exact observations.^[1] Two of his vessels, the fifth-rate HMS Pearl and the fourth-rate HMS Severn, failed to round Cape Horn and returned home. Meanwhile, the sixth-rate HMS Wager was wrecked off the coast of Chile, where the crew subsequently mutinied.^[10]

By the time Anson reached the Juan Fernández Islands in June 1741, only three of his six ships remained (HMS Centurion, the fourth-rate HMS Gloucester, and the sloop HMS Tryall), while the strength of his crews had fallen from 961 to 335. In the absence of any effective Spanish force on the coast, he was able to harass the enemy and to sack the small port city of Paita in Peru in November 1741. The steady decrease of his crews by scurvy and the worn-out state of his remaining consorts compelled him to collect all the remaining survivors in Centurion.^[11] He rested at the island of Tinian, and then made his way to Macau in November 1742.^[1]^[9]

After considerable difficulties with the Chinese, he sailed again with his one remaining vessel to cruise in search of one of the Manila galleons that conducted the trade between Mexico and the Chinese merchants in the Philippines, where he captured the Nuestra Señora de Covadonga^[1] with 1,313,843 pieces of eight^[9] on board, which he had encountered off Cape Espiritu Santo on 20 June 1743. The charts captured with the ship added many islands (and phantom islands) to the British knowledge of the Pacific, including the so-called Anson Archipelago.^[12]^[13]

Anson took his prize back to Macau, sold her cargo to the Chinese, kept the specie, and sailed for England via the Cape of Good Hope. Passing by means of a thick fog a French fleet then patrolling the Channel, he reached England on 15 June 1744. The prize money earned from the capture of the galleon made Anson a rich man for life^[1] and bought him considerable political influence.^[9] He initially refused promotion to Rear-Admiral of the Blue^[3] however, out of anger that the Admiralty refused to sanction a captain's commission he had given one of his officers.^[14]

Naval command

Senior officer

Anson's victory at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 during the War of the Austrian Succession

Portrait of George Anson by Joshua Reynolds, 1755

Anson was elected Member of Parliament for Hedon in the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1744. He joined the Board of Admiralty led by the Duke of Bedford in December 1744.^[15] Promoted to Rear-Admiral of the White^[16] on 23 April 1745^[17] and to vice-admiral of the blue^[3] in July 1745, he took command of the Western Squadron, with his flag in the third-rate HMS Yarmouth, in July 1746.^[9]

"Sir, you have vanquished the Invincible and Glory follows with you."^[18]

—Admiral
de la Jonquière^[3]

Anson commanded the fleet that defeated the Marquis de la Jonquière at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 during the War of the Austrian Succession. His force captured the entire French squadron: four ships of the line, two frigates, and six merchantmen^[19] The treasure amounted to £300,000.^[20] He was elevated to the peerage as Baron Anson, of Soberton, in the County of Southampton, on 11 June 1747.^[21] In 1748, the memoir of Anson's circumnavigation—Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV^[22]—was published, having been edited from his notes and Richard Walter's journals by Benjamin Robins.^[3] It was a vast popular and commercial success.^[3] He was promoted to admiral of the blue on 12 May 1748^[3] and became Vice-Admiral of Great Britain on 4 July 1749.^[23] He was advanced to Senior Naval Lord on the Admiralty Board in November 1749.^[24]

First Lord of the Admiralty

Anson became First Lord of the Admiralty in the Broad Bottom Ministry in June 1751 and continued to serve during the first Newcastle ministry.^[15] Among his reforms was the removal of corrupt defence contractors, improved medical care, submitting a revision of the Articles of War to Parliament so tightening discipline throughout the Navy, uniforms for commissioned officers, the transfer of the Marines from Army to Navy authority and a system for rating ships according to their number of guns.^[19]

Anson oversaw the Navy for much of the Seven Years' War, and established a permanent squadron at Devonport which could patrol the western approaches to both Britain and France. He was particularly concerned at the prospect of a French invasion of the British Isles^[25] which led him to keep a large force in the English Channel. In 1756 he was criticised for not sending enough ships with Admiral Byng to relieve Minorca because he wanted to protect Britain from a threatened invasion, only to see Byng fail to save Minorca while no invasion attempt materialised. He left the Admiralty when the Newcastle ministry fell in November 1756 and then served again as First Lord when the Pitt–Newcastle ministry was created in June 1757.^[26]

In July 1758, after Edward Hawke had decided to strike his flag and return to port over a misunderstanding at which he took offence, Anson hoisted his own flag in the first-rate HMS Royal George and took over command of the Western Squadron again.^[19] Anson oversaw Britain's naval response to a more serious French invasion attempt in 1759. He instituted a close blockade of the French coast, which proved crippling to the French economy and ensured no invasion fleet could slip out undetected. The British victories at the Battle of Lagos in August 1759 and the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759 ended any realistic chance of a major invasion of the British Isles.^[27]

As well as securing home defence, Anson co-ordinated with William Pitt a series of British attacks on French colonies around the globe. By 1760 the British had captured Canada, Senegal and Guadeloupe from the French, and followed it up by capturing Belle Île and Dominica in 1761. In 1762 the entry of Spain into the war offered further chances for British expeditions. Anson was the architect of a plan to seize Manila in the Philippines and, using the idea and plans of Admiral Sir Charles Knowles^[28] to capture Havana. Anson had been concerned that the combined strength of the French and Spanish navies would overpower Britain, but he still threw himself into the task of directing these expeditions. The British also captured Martinique and Grenada in the French West Indies.^[29] Anson was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 30 July 1761.^[30] His last service was to convey Queen Charlotte to England.^[3]

Moor Park, Anson's home in Hertfordshire

Plaque to George Lord Anson, Colwich Church, Staffordshire

He died at Moor Park in Hertfordshire on 6 June 1762 and was buried at St Michael and All Angels’ Church in Colwich, Staffordshire.^[19] Places named after him include Anson County, North Carolina^[31] and Anson, Maine.^[32] Eight warships of the Royal Navy have also been named after him.^[33]

Anson was a prominent figure in Britain throughout his life, having earned nicknames such as "Father of the British Navy" and accomplishing a wide range of arduous tasks throughout his career, but in the last decades of his life, his fame waned.^[34]

Family

In April 1748, Anson married Lady Elizabeth Yorke, daughter of Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke; they had no children.^[19]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f EB (1911), p. 83.
^ Cokayne, p. 173
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k EB (1878).
^ The 9th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica gives the 22nd.^[3]
^ Baker, Andrew (2019). Thomas Anson of Shugborough and the Greek Revival (PDF). Unpublished. p. 16. Retrieved 15 April 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Anson 1912, p. 1
^ ^a ^b ^c Heathcote, p. 11
^ ^a ^b Anson 1912, pp. 2–3
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Heathcote, p. 12
^ Pack, S. W. C. (1964). The Wager Mutiny. A. Redman. p. 54. OCLC 5152716.
^ Price, Catherine (2017). "The Age of Scurvy". Distillations. 3 (2): 12–23. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
^ Stommel, Henry (1984). Lost Islands: The Story of Islands That Have Vanished from Nautical Charts. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. pp. xvii, 105ff. ISBN 0-7748-0210-3.
^ James Hingston Tuckey: Maritime Geography and Statistics. Black, Parry & Company, 1815
^ EB (1911), pp. 83–84.
^ ^a ^b "Sainty, JC, Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660–1870', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870". 1975. pp. 18–31. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
^ EB (1911), p. 84.
^ "No. 8426". The London Gazette. 23 April 1745. p. 2.
^ French: Monsieur, vous avez vaincu l'Invincible, et la Gloire vous suit.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Heathcote, p. 13
^ Household, H.W., ed. (1901), "Introduction", Anson's Voyage Round the World, the Text Reduced, London: Rivington's
^ "No. 8648". The London Gazette. 9 June 1747. p. 2.
^ Walter, Richard; Robins, Benjamin, eds. (1748), Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV by George Anson, Esq; Commander in Chief of a Squadron of His Majesty's Ships, sent upon an Expedition to the South-Seas, London: John and Paul Knapton for the author.
^ "No. 8863". The London Gazette. 1 July 1749. p. 4.
^ Rodger, pp. 51–52
^ Lambert p. 149
^ Lambert, pp. 143–145
^ Anderson, pp. 381–383
^ Battle for Empire The very first world war 1756–63 by Tom Pocock. Michael O’Mara Books Ltd. 1998. pp. 185, 199, 207.
^ Corbett pp. 209–227
^ "No. 10126". The London Gazette. 28 July 1761. p. 2.
^ Anson 1912, p. 3
^ "Anson". Skowhegan Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
^ "HMS Anson". Royal Navy. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
^ Grann, David (2023). The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (1st ed.). New York: Doubleday. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-385-53426-0.

Sources

Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), "George Lord Anson" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 93
Anderson, Fred (2001). Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0571205356.
Anson, Walter Vernon (1912). The Life of Admiral Lord Anson, the father of the British Navy 1697–1762. London, John Murray.
Cokayne, G. E. (2000). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14, 1910–1959; reprint in 6 volumes. Vol. I. Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-1145312296.
Corbett, Julian Stafford (1907). England in the Seven Years War: A study in combined operations, Volume II. London.
Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
Lambert, Andrew (2009). Admirals: The Naval Commanders Who Made Britain Great. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0571231577.
Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd. ISBN 0900963948.

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Hannay, David McDowall (1911), "Anson, George Anson, Baron", in Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 83–84

External links

Works by George Anson, 1st Baron Anson at Project Gutenberg
Anson's Voyage Round the World by Richard Walter, 1901, from Project Gutenberg
"Archival material relating to George Anson, 1st Baron Anson". UK National Archives.

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Earl of Mountrath George Berkeley	Member of Parliament for Hedon 1744–1747 With: George Berkeley 1742–1746 Samuel Gumley 1746 – Feb 1747 Luke Robinson from Feb 1747	Succeeded by Sir John Savile Luke Robinson
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Sandwich	First Lord of the Admiralty 1751–1756	Succeeded by The Earl Temple
Preceded by The Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham	First Lord of the Admiralty 1757–1762	Succeeded by The Earl of Halifax
Military offices
Preceded by Lord Vere Beauclerk	Senior Naval Lord 1749–1751	Succeeded by Sir William Rowley
Preceded by Sir George Clinton	Admiral of the Fleet 1761–1762	Succeeded by Sir William Rowley
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir John Norris	Vice-Admiral of Great Britain 1749–1762	Succeeded by Henry Osborn
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation	Baron Anson 1747–1762	Extinct

[FOOTNOTE''EB''191183-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f EB (1911), p. 83.

[cokayne-2] Cokayne, p. 173

[FOOTNOTE''EB''1878-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k EB (1878).

[4] The 9th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica gives the 22nd.^[3]

[5] Baker, Andrew (2019). Thomas Anson of Shugborough and the Greek Revival (PDF). Unpublished. p. 16. Retrieved 15 April 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}

[6] Anson 1912, p. 1

[heath11-7] Heathcote, p. 11

[Anson2-8] Anson 1912, pp. 2–3

[heath12-9] Heathcote, p. 12

[10] Pack, S. W. C. (1964). The Wager Mutiny. A. Redman. p. 54. OCLC 5152716.

[Distillations-11] Price, Catherine (2017). "The Age of Scurvy". Distillations. 3 (2): 12–23. Retrieved 17 April 2018.

[12] Stommel, Henry (1984). Lost Islands: The Story of Islands That Have Vanished from Nautical Charts. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. pp. xvii, 105ff. ISBN 0-7748-0210-3.

[13] James Hingston Tuckey: Maritime Geography and Statistics. Black, Parry & Company, 1815

[FOOTNOTE''EB''191183–84-14] EB (1911), pp. 83–84.

[sainty-15] "Sainty, JC, Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660–1870', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870". 1975. pp. 18–31. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.

[FOOTNOTE''EB''191184-16] EB (1911), p. 84.

[17] "No. 8426". The London Gazette. 23 April 1745. p. 2.

[18] French: Monsieur, vous avez vaincu l'Invincible, et la Gloire vous suit.

[heath13-19] Heathcote, p. 13

[20] Household, H.W., ed. (1901), "Introduction", Anson's Voyage Round the World, the Text Reduced, London: Rivington's

[21] "No. 8648". The London Gazette. 9 June 1747. p. 2.

[22] Walter, Richard; Robins, Benjamin, eds. (1748), Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV by George Anson, Esq; Commander in Chief of a Squadron of His Majesty's Ships, sent upon an Expedition to the South-Seas, London: John and Paul Knapton for the author.

[23] "No. 8863". The London Gazette. 1 July 1749. p. 4.

[24] Rodger, pp. 51–52

[25] Lambert p. 149

[26] Lambert, pp. 143–145

[27] Anderson, pp. 381–383

[28] Battle for Empire The very first world war 1756–63 by Tom Pocock. Michael O’Mara Books Ltd. 1998. pp. 185, 199, 207.

[29] Corbett pp. 209–227

[30] "No. 10126". The London Gazette. 28 July 1761. p. 2.

[31] Anson 1912, p. 3

[32] "Anson". Skowhegan Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2015.

[33] "HMS Anson". Royal Navy. Retrieved 20 July 2015.

[34] Grann, David (2023). The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (1st ed.). New York: Doubleday. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-385-53426-0.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|British Royal Navy officer and politician}}
+{{Short description|British navy officer and politician (1697–1762)}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
 {{Infobox officeholder
-|honorific-prefix   = [[The Right Honourable]]
+| honorific-prefix    = [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]] [[The Right Honourable]]
-|name               = The Lord Anson
+| name                = The Lord Anson
-|honorific-suffix   = [[Privy Council of Great Britain|PC]], [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]], [[Royal Navy|RN]]
+| honorific-suffix    = [[Privy Council of Great Britain|PC]], [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]], [[Royal Navy|RN]]
-|image              = 1stLordAnson.jpg
+| image               = 1stLordAnson.jpg
-|imagesize          =
+| imagesize           =
-|caption            = Portrait of Lord Anson by [[Thomas Hudson (painter)|Thomas Hudson]]
+| caption             = Portrait of Lord Anson by [[Thomas Hudson (painter)|Thomas Hudson]]
-|office             = [[British Admiralty|First Lord of the Admiralty]]
+| office              = [[British Admiralty|First Lord of the Admiralty]]
-|term_start2        = 1751
+| term_start2         = 1751
-|term_end2          = 1756
+| term_end2           = 1756
-|term_start1        = 1757
+| term_start1         = 1757
-|term_end1          = 1762
+| term_end1           = 1762
-|primeminister2     = [[Henry Pelham]]<br />The Duke of Newcastle
+| primeminister2      = [[Henry Pelham]]<br />The Duke of Newcastle
-|predecessor2       = [[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich|The Earl of Sandwich]]
+| predecessor2        = [[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich|The Earl of Sandwich]]
-|successor2         = [[Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple|The Earl Temple]]
+| successor2          = [[Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple|The Earl Temple]]
-|predecessor1       = [[Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea|The Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham]]
+| predecessor1        = [[Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea|The Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham]]
-|successor1         = [[George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax|The Earl of Halifax]]
+| successor1          = [[George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax|The Earl of Halifax]]
-|primeminister1     = [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle|The Duke of Newcastle]]<br />[[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|The Earl of Bute]]
+| primeminister1      = [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle|The Duke of Newcastle]]<br />[[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|The Earl of Bute]]
-|birth_date         = 23 April 1697{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=83}}
+| birth_date          = 23 April 1697{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=83}}
-|birth_place        = [[Staffordshire]], [[England]]
+| birth_place         = [[Staffordshire]], [[England]]
-|death_date         = {{death date and age|1762|6|6|1697|4|23|df=y}}
+| death_date          = {{death date and age|1762|6|6|1697|4|23|df=y}}
-|death_place        = [[Moor Park (house)|Moor Park]], [[Hertfordshire]], England
+| death_place         = [[Moor Park (house)|Moor Park]], [[Hertfordshire]], England
-|birthname          =
+| birthname           =
-|citizenship        =
+| citizenship         =
-|nationality        =
+| nationality         =
-|alma_mater         =
+| alma_mater          = <!--Military service-->
+| nickname            =
-<!--Military service-->
-|nickname           =
+| allegiance          = {{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
-|allegiance         = {{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
+| branch              = {{navy|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
+| serviceyears        = 1711–1762
-|branch             ={{navy|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
+| rank                = [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]]
-|serviceyears       = 1711–1762
-|rank               = [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]]
+| unit                =
+| commands            = HMS Weazel<br>{{HMS|Scarborough|1711|6}}<br>HMS Garland<br>HMS Diamond<br>{{HMS|Squirrel|1707|6}}<br>{{HMS|Centurion|1732|6}}
-|unit               =
+| battles             = [[War of the Spanish Succession]]<br/>[[War of the Quadruple Alliance]]<br/>[[War of Jenkins' Ear]]<br/>[[War of the Austrian Succession]]<br/>[[Seven Years' War]]
-|commands           = HMS Weazel<br>{{HMS|Scarborough|1711|6}}<br>HMS Garland<br>HMS Diamond<br>{{HMS|Squirrel|1707|6}}<br>{{HMS|Centurion|1732|6}}
+| awards              =
-|battles            = [[War of the Spanish Succession]]<br/>[[War of the Quadruple Alliance]]<br/>[[War of Jenkins' Ear]]<br/>[[War of the Austrian Succession]]<br/>[[Seven Years' War]]
-|awards             =
 }}
-[[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]] '''George Anson, 1st Baron Anson''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|PC|FRS}} (23 April 1697&nbsp;– 6 June 1762) was a British [[Royal Navy]] officer, politician and peer. Anson served as a junior officer during the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] and then saw active service against Spain at the [[Battle of Cape Passaro]], off the south tip of [[Sicily]], during the [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]]. He then undertook a [[circumnavigation]] of the globe during the [[War of Jenkins' Ear]]. Anson commanded the fleet that defeated the French [[Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière|Admiral de la Jonquière]] at the [[First Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747)|First Battle of Cape Finisterre]] in 1747, during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]].
+[[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]] '''George Anson, 1st Baron Anson''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|PC|FRS}} (23 April 1697&nbsp;– 6 June 1762) was a British [[Royal Navy]] officer, politician and peer from the [[Anson family]].
+He served as a junior officer during the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] and then saw active service against Spain at the [[Battle of Cape Passaro]], off the south tip of [[Sicily]], during the [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]]. He then undertook a [[circumnavigation]] of the globe during the [[War of Jenkins' Ear]]. Anson commanded the fleet that defeated the French [[Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière|Admiral de la Jonquière]] at the [[First Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747)|First Battle of Cape Finisterre]] in 1747, during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]].
 Anson went on to be [[First Lord of the Admiralty]] during the [[Seven Years' War]]. Among his reforms were the removal of corrupt defence contractors, improved medical care, submitting a revision of the [[Articles of War (Royal Navy)|Articles of War]] to Parliament to tighten discipline throughout the Navy, [[Military uniform|uniforms]] for commissioned [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]], the transfer of the [[Royal Marines|Marines]] from Army to Navy authority, and a system for rating ships according to their number of guns.
@@ Line 45: / Line 46: @@
 ==Background==
 === Family ===
-Anson was the son of William Anson of [[Shugborough]] in [[Staffordshire]] and Isabella Carrier,<ref name=cokayne>Cokayne, p. 173</ref> whose brother-in-law was the [[Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield|Earl of Macclesfield]] and [[Lord Chancellor]], a relationship that proved very useful to the future admiral. He was born on 23 April 1697,{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=83}}{{refn|The 9th edition of the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' gives the 22nd.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}}} at [[Shugborough Hall|Shugborough Manor]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} He was one of eight surviving children of the couple, and the younger brother of the politician [[Thomas Anson (politician, died 1773)|Thomas Anson]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=Andrew |title=Thomas Anson of Shugborough and the Greek Revival |date=2019 |publisher=Unpublished |page=16 |url=https://andrewbakercomposer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/TA-BOOK-ED-BY-ROMA-Master-23-NOV-19.pdf |access-date=15 April 2020}}</ref>
+Anson was the son of William Anson of [[Shugborough]] in [[Staffordshire]] and Isabella Carrier,<ref name=cokayne>Cokayne, p. 173</ref> whose brother-in-law was the [[Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield|Earl of Macclesfield]] and [[Lord Chancellor]], a relationship that proved very useful to the future admiral. He was born on 23 April 1697,{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=83}}{{refn|The 9th edition of the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' gives the 22nd.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}}} at [[Shugborough Hall|Shugborough Manor]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} He was one of eight surviving children of the couple, and the younger brother of the politician [[Thomas Anson (politician, died 1773)|Thomas Anson]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=Andrew |title=Thomas Anson of Shugborough and the Greek Revival |date=2019 |publisher=Unpublished |page=16 |url=https://andrewbakercomposer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/TA-BOOK-ED-BY-ROMA-Master-23-NOV-19.pdf |access-date=15 April 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
 === Early career ===
 In February 1712, amid the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], Anson entered the [[British Navy|navy]] at the age of 15.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} He served as a volunteer aboard the [[fourth-rate]] {{HMS|Ruby|1708|6}}, before transferring to the [[third-rate]] {{HMS|Monmouth|1667|6}}.<ref>Anson 1912, p. 1</ref>
-Promoted to [[lieutenant]] on 17 March 1716, he was assigned to the fourth-rate {{HMS|Hampshire|1698|6}} in service as part of a [[Baltic Sea]] fleet commanded by Admiral [[John Norris (Royal Navy officer)|John Norris]].<ref name=heath11>Heathcote, p. 11</ref> Anson transferred to the aging fourth-rate {{HMS|Montagu|1654|6}} in March 1718, and saw active service against Spain at the [[Battle of Cape Passaro]] in August 1718 during the [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]].<ref name="Anson2">Anson 1912, pp. 2-3</ref> He then transferred to the [[second-rate]] {{HMS|Barfleur|1697|6}}, flagship of Admiral [[George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington|George Byng]], in October 1719.<ref name=heath11/>
+Promoted to [[lieutenant]] on 17 March 1716, he was assigned to the fourth-rate {{HMS|Hampshire|1698|6}} in service as part of a [[Baltic Sea]] fleet commanded by Admiral [[John Norris (Royal Navy officer)|John Norris]].<ref name=heath11>Heathcote, p. 11</ref> Anson transferred to the aging fourth-rate {{HMS|Montagu|1654|6}} in March 1718, and saw active service against Spain at the [[Battle of Cape Passaro]] in August 1718 during the [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]].<ref name="Anson2">Anson 1912, pp. 2–3</ref> He then transferred to the [[second-rate]] {{HMS|Barfleur|1697|6}}, flagship of Admiral [[George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington|George Byng]], in October 1719.<ref name=heath11/>
 Anson was promoted to [[commander]] in June 1722 and given command of the small 8-gun HMS ''Weazel''. Anson's orders were to suppress [[smuggling]] between Britain and Holland, a task he swiftly and effectively performed. In recognition of his efforts he was promoted to the rank of [[post-captain]] in February 1723 and given command of the 32-gun [[sixth-rate]] HMS ''Scarborough'' with orders to escort British merchant convoys from the Carolinas.<ref name="Anson2"/> (The [[Ansonborough]] district of [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], [[South Carolina]], still commemorates his time there.){{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}
@@ Line 66: / Line 67: @@
 After considerable difficulties with the [[Qing Empire|Chinese]], he sailed again with his one remaining vessel to cruise in search of one of the [[Manila galleon]]s that conducted the trade between [[Mexico]] and the Chinese merchants in the [[Philippines]], where he captured the ''Nuestra Señora de Covadonga''{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=83}} with 1,313,843 [[Spanish dollar|pieces of eight]]<ref name=heath12/> on board, which he had encountered off [[Cape Espiritu Santo]] on 20 June 1743. The charts captured with the ship added many islands (and [[phantom island]]s) to the British knowledge of the Pacific, including the so-called [[Anson Archipelago]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Stommel | first = Henry | title = Lost Islands: The Story of Islands That Have Vanished from Nautical Charts | publisher = University of British Columbia Press | location = Vancouver | year = 1984 | isbn = 0-7748-0210-3 | pages = xvii, 105ff | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/lostislands00henr }}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FzhjAAAAMAAJ James Hingston Tuckey: Maritime Geography and Statistics. Black, Parry & Company, 1815]</ref>
-Anson took his prize back to Macau, sold her cargo to the Chinese, kept the [[Coin|specie]], and sailed for England via the [[Cape of Good Hope]]. Passing by means of a thick fog a French fleet then patrolling the Channel, he reached England on 15 June 1744. The [[prize money]] earned from the capture of the galleon made Anson a rich man for life{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=83}} and bought him considerable political influence.<ref name=heath12/> He initially refused promotion to [[Rear-Admiral of the Blue]]{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} however, out of anger that the admiralty refused to sanction a captain's commission he had given one of his officers.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|pp=83–84}}
+Anson took his prize back to Macau, sold her cargo to the Chinese, kept the [[Coin|specie]], and sailed for England via the [[Cape of Good Hope]]. Passing by means of a thick fog a French fleet then patrolling the Channel, he reached England on 15 June 1744. The [[prize money]] earned from the capture of the galleon made Anson a rich man for life{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=83}} and bought him considerable political influence.<ref name=heath12/> He initially refused promotion to [[Rear-Admiral of the Blue]]{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} however, out of anger that the Admiralty refused to sanction a captain's commission he had given one of his officers.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|pp=83–84}}
 ==Naval command==
@@ Line 72: / Line 73: @@
 [[File:Battle of Cape Finisterre, 1747.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|left|Anson's victory at the [[First Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747)|First Battle of Cape Finisterre]] in May 1747 during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]]]]
 [[File:George Anson, 1st Baron Anson by Sir Joshua Reynolds.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.15|Portrait of George Anson by [[Joshua Reynolds]], 1755]]
-Anson was elected [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Hedon (UK Parliament constituency)|Hedon]] in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]] in 1744. He joined the [[Board of Admiralty]] led by the [[John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford|Duke of Bedford]] in December 1744.<ref name=sainty>{{cite web|title=Sainty, JC, ''Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660-1870', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870'' (1975), pp. 18-31.|url=http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16652|access-date=2 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007025436/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16652|archive-date=7 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Promoted to [[Rear-Admiral of the White]]{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=84}} on 23 April 1745<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=8426 |date=23 April 1745|page=2}}</ref> and to [[Vice-Admiral (Royal Navy)|vice-admiral of the blue]]{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} in July 1745, he took command of the Western Squadron, with his flag in the third-rate {{HMS|Yarmouth|1745|6}}, in July 1746.<ref name=heath12/>
+Anson was elected [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Hedon (UK Parliament constituency)|Hedon]] in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]] in 1744. He joined the [[Board of Admiralty]] led by the [[John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford|Duke of Bedford]] in December 1744.<ref name=sainty>{{cite web|title=Sainty, JC, ''Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660–1870', Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870'' |date=1975|pages=18–31|url=http://british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16652|access-date=2 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007025436/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16652|archive-date=7 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Promoted to [[Rear-Admiral of the White]]{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=84}} on 23 April 1745<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=8426 |date=23 April 1745|page=2}}</ref> and to [[Vice-Admiral (Royal Navy)|vice-admiral of the blue]]{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} in July 1745, he took command of the Western Squadron, with his flag in the third-rate {{HMS|Yarmouth|1745|6}}, in July 1746.<ref name=heath12/>
 {{quote box |quote="Sir, you have vanquished the ''[[French ship Invincible (1744)|Invincible]]'' and ''Glory'' follows with you."{{refn|French: ''Monsieur, vous avez vaincu l'Invincible, et la Gloire vous suit''.}}|sstyle=text-align:right; |source={{nowrap|—[[Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière|Admiral<br>de la Jonquière]]{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}}} |align=right |width=25% }}
-Anson commanded the fleet that defeated the [[Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière|Marquis de la Jonquière]] at the [[First Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747)|First Battle of Cape Finisterre]] in May 1747 during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]]. His force captured the entire French squadron: four [[Ship of the line|ships of the line]], two [[frigate]]s, and six merchantmen<ref name=heath13>Heathcote, p. 13</ref> The treasure amounted to [[GBP|£]]300,000.<ref>{{citation |editor-last=Household |editor-first=H.W. |contribution-url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16611/16611-h/16611-h.htm |contribution=Introduction |title=Anson's Voyage Round the World, the Text Reduced |date=1901 |location=London |publisher=Rivington's }}</ref> He was elevated to the [[peerage]] as {{nowrap|'''Lord Anson''',}} Baron of [[Soberton]], in the [[English counties|County]] of [[Southampton]] on 11 June 1747.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=8648 |date=9 June 1747 |page=2}}</ref> In 1748, the memoir of Anson's circumnavigation—''Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV''<ref>{{citation |ref={{harvid|''Voyage''|1748}} |editor-last=Walter |editor-first=Richard |title=Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV by George Anson, Esq; Commander in Chief of a Squadron of His Majesty's Ships, sent upon an Expedition to the ''South-Seas'' |date=1748 |location=London |publisher=John and Paul Knapton for the author |editor2-last=Robins |editor2-first=Benjamin |editor2-link=Benjamin Robins }}.</ref>—was published, having been edited from his notes and Richard Walter's journals by [[Benjamin Robins]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} It was a vast popular and commercial success.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} He was promoted to [[admiral of the blue]] on 12 May 1748{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} and became [[Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom|Vice-Admiral of Great Britain]] on 4 July 1749.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=8863 |date=1 July 1749 |page=4}}</ref> He was advanced to [[First Sea Lord|Senior Naval Lord]] on the Admiralty Board in November 1749.<ref>Rodger, p. 51-52</ref>
+Anson commanded the fleet that defeated the [[Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière|Marquis de la Jonquière]] at the [[First Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747)|First Battle of Cape Finisterre]] in May 1747 during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]]. His force captured the entire French squadron: four [[Ship of the line|ships of the line]], two [[frigate]]s, and six merchantmen<ref name=heath13>Heathcote, p. 13</ref> The treasure amounted to [[GBP|£]]300,000.<ref>{{citation |editor-last=Household |editor-first=H.W. |contribution-url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16611/16611-h/16611-h.htm |contribution=Introduction |title=Anson's Voyage Round the World, the Text Reduced |date=1901 |location=London |publisher=Rivington's }}</ref> He was elevated to the [[peerage]] as '''''Baron Anson''''', ''of [[Soberton]], in the [[English counties|County]] of [[Southampton]]'', on 11 June 1747.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=8648 |date=9 June 1747 |page=2}}</ref> In 1748, the memoir of Anson's circumnavigation—''Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV''<ref>{{citation |ref={{harvid|''Voyage''|1748}} |editor-last=Walter |editor-first=Richard |title=Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV by George Anson, Esq; Commander in Chief of a Squadron of His Majesty's Ships, sent upon an Expedition to the ''South-Seas'' |date=1748 |location=London |publisher=John and Paul Knapton for the author |editor2-last=Robins |editor2-first=Benjamin |editor2-link=Benjamin Robins }}.</ref>—was published, having been edited from his notes and [[Richard Walter (chaplain)|Richard Walter]]'s journals by [[Benjamin Robins]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} It was a vast popular and commercial success.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} He was promoted to [[admiral of the blue]] on 12 May 1748{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} and became [[Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom|Vice-Admiral of Great Britain]] on 4 July 1749.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=8863 |date=1 July 1749 |page=4}}</ref> He was advanced to [[First Sea Lord|Senior Naval Lord]] on the Admiralty Board in November 1749.<ref>Rodger, pp. 51–52</ref>
 === First Lord of the Admiralty ===
-[[File:Moor Park Mansion.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Moor Park (house)|Moor Park]], Anson's home in Hertfordshire]]
-[[File:Plaque to George Lord Anson, Colwich Church - geograph.org.uk - 2538876.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Plaque to George Lord Anson, [[Colwich, Staffordshire|Colwich]] Church, Staffordshire]]
 Anson became [[First Lord of the Admiralty]] in the [[Broad Bottom Ministry]] in June 1751 and continued to serve during the [[first Newcastle ministry]].<ref name=sainty/> Among his reforms was the removal of corrupt defence contractors, improved medical care, submitting a revision of the [[Articles of War (Royal Navy)|Articles of War]] to Parliament so tightening discipline throughout the Navy, [[Military uniform|uniforms]] for commissioned [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]], the transfer of the [[Royal Marines|Marines]] from Army to Navy authority and a system for rating ships according to their number of guns.<ref name=heath13/>
-Anson oversaw the Navy for much of the [[Seven Years' War]], and established a permanent [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport]] which could patrol the western approaches to both Britain and France. He was particularly concerned at the prospect of a French invasion of the [[British Isles]]<ref>Lambert p. 149</ref> which led him to keep a large force in the [[English Channel]]. In 1756 he was criticised for not sending enough ships with [[John Byng|Admiral Byng]] to [[Siege of Fort St Philip (1756)|relieve Minorca]] because he wanted to protect Britain from a threatened invasion, only to see [[Battle of Minorca (1756)|Byng fail to save Minorca]] while no invasion attempt materialised. He left the Admiralty when the Newcastle ministry fell in November 1756 and then served again as First Lord when the [[Pitt–Newcastle ministry]] was created in June 1757.<ref>Lambert pp. 143-45</ref>
+Anson oversaw the Navy for much of the [[Seven Years' War]], and established a permanent [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport]] which could patrol the western approaches to both Britain and France. He was particularly concerned at the prospect of a French invasion of the [[British Isles]]<ref>Lambert p. 149</ref> which led him to keep a large force in the [[English Channel]]. In 1756 he was criticised for not sending enough ships with [[John Byng|Admiral Byng]] to [[Siege of Fort St Philip (1756)|relieve Minorca]] because he wanted to protect Britain from a threatened invasion, only to see [[Battle of Minorca (1756)|Byng fail to save Minorca]] while no invasion attempt materialised. He left the Admiralty when the Newcastle ministry fell in November 1756 and then served again as First Lord when the [[Pitt–Newcastle ministry]] was created in June 1757.<ref>Lambert, pp. 143–145</ref>
-In July 1758, after [[Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke|Edward Hawke]] had decided to strike his flag and return to port over a misunderstanding at which he took offence, Anson hoisted his own flag in the [[first-rate]] {{HMS|Royal George|1756|6}} and took over command of the Western Squadron again.<ref name=heath13/> Anson oversaw Britain's naval response to a more serious [[Planned French invasion of Britain (1759)|French invasion attempt]] in 1759. He instituted a close [[blockade]] of the French coast, which proved crippling to the French economy and ensured no invasion fleet could slip out undetected. The British victories at the [[Battle of Lagos]] in August 1759 and the [[Battle of Quiberon Bay]] in November 1759 ended any realistic chance of a major invasion of the British Isles.<ref>Anderson pp. 381-83</ref>
+In July 1758, after [[Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke|Edward Hawke]] had decided to strike his flag and return to port over a misunderstanding at which he took offence, Anson hoisted his own flag in the [[first-rate]] {{HMS|Royal George|1756|6}} and took over command of the Western Squadron again.<ref name=heath13/> Anson oversaw Britain's naval response to a more serious [[Planned French invasion of Britain (1759)|French invasion attempt]] in 1759. He instituted a close [[blockade]] of the French coast, which proved crippling to the French economy and ensured no invasion fleet could slip out undetected. The British victories at the [[Battle of Lagos]] in August 1759 and the [[Battle of Quiberon Bay]] in November 1759 ended any realistic chance of a major invasion of the British Isles.<ref>Anderson, pp. 381–383</ref>
-As well as securing home defence, Anson co-ordinated with [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt]] a series of British attacks on French colonies around the globe. By 1760 the British had captured [[Canada]], [[Senegal]] and [[Guadeloupe]] from the French, and followed it up by [[Capture of Belle Île|capturing Belle Île]] and Dominica in 1761. In 1762 the entry of Spain into the war offered further chances for British expeditions. Anson was the architect of a plan to [[Battle of Manila (1762)|seize Manila]] in the Philippines and, using the idea and plans of Admiral [[Sir Charles Knowles, 1st Baronet|Sir Charles Knowles]]<ref>Battle for Empire The very first world war 1756-63 by Tom Pocock. Michael O’Mara Books Ltd. 1998. pp.185, 199, 207.</ref> [[Battle of Havana (1762)|to capture Havana]]. Anson had been concerned that the combined strength of the French and Spanish navies would overpower Britain, but he still threw himself into the task of directing these expeditions. The British also [[Invasion of Martinique (1762)|captured Martinique]] and Grenada in the [[French West Indies]].<ref>Corbett p. 209-27</ref> Anson was promoted to [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]] on 30 July 1761.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=10126|date=28 July 1761|page=2}}</ref> His last service was to convey [[Queen Charlotte]] to England.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}
+As well as securing home defence, Anson co-ordinated with [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt]] a series of British attacks on French colonies around the globe. By 1760 the British had captured [[Canada]], [[Senegal]] and [[Guadeloupe]] from the French, and followed it up by [[Capture of Belle Île|capturing Belle Île]] and Dominica in 1761. In 1762 the entry of Spain into the war offered further chances for British expeditions. Anson was the architect of a plan to [[Battle of Manila (1762)|seize Manila]] in the Philippines and, using the idea and plans of Admiral [[Sir Charles Knowles, 1st Baronet|Sir Charles Knowles]]<ref>''Battle for Empire The very first world war 1756–63'' by Tom Pocock. Michael O’Mara Books Ltd. 1998. pp. 185, 199, 207.</ref> [[Battle of Havana (1762)|to capture Havana]]. Anson had been concerned that the combined strength of the French and Spanish navies would overpower Britain, but he still threw himself into the task of directing these expeditions. The British also [[Invasion of Martinique (1762)|captured Martinique]] and Grenada in the [[French West Indies]].<ref>Corbett pp. 209–227</ref> Anson was promoted to [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]] on 30 July 1761.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=10126|date=28 July 1761|page=2}}</ref> His last service was to convey [[Queen Charlotte]] to England.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}
+[[File:Moor Park Mansion.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Moor Park (house)|Moor Park]], Anson's home in Hertfordshire]]
-He died at [[Moor Park (house)|Moor Park]] in [[Hertfordshire]] on 6 June 1762 and was buried at St Michael and All Angels’ Church in [[Colwich, Staffordshire]].<ref name=heath13/> Places named after him include [[Anson County, North Carolina]]<ref>Anson 1912, p. 3</ref> and [[Anson, Maine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skowheganchamber.com/index.php/our-area/town-information/anson|title=Anson|publisher=Skowhegan Chamber of Commerce|access-date=2 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825231904/https://www.skowheganchamber.com/index.php/our-area/town-information/anson|archive-date=25 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Eight warships of the Royal Navy have also been named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organisation/the-fighting-arms/submarine-service/fleet-submarines/astute-class/hms-anson|title=HMS ''Anson''|publisher=Royal Navy|access-date=20 July 2015}}</ref>
+[[File:Plaque to George Lord Anson, Colwich Church - geograph.org.uk - 2538876.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Plaque to George Lord Anson, [[Colwich, Staffordshire|Colwich]] Church, Staffordshire]]
+He died at [[Moor Park (house)|Moor Park]] in [[Hertfordshire]] on 6 June 1762 and was buried at St Michael and All Angels’ Church in [[Colwich, Staffordshire]].<ref name=heath13/> Places named after him include [[Anson County, North Carolina]]<ref>Anson 1912, p. 3</ref> and [[Anson, Maine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skowheganchamber.com/index.php/our-area/town-information/anson|title=Anson|publisher=Skowhegan Chamber of Commerce|access-date=2 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825231904/https://www.skowheganchamber.com/index.php/our-area/town-information/anson|archive-date=25 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Eight warships of the Royal Navy have also been [[HMS Anson|named after him]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organisation/the-fighting-arms/submarine-service/fleet-submarines/astute-class/hms-anson|title=HMS ''Anson''|publisher=Royal Navy|access-date=20 July 2015}}</ref>
 Anson was a prominent figure in Britain throughout his life, having earned nicknames such as "Father of the British Navy" and accomplishing a wide range of arduous tasks throughout his career, but in the last decades of his life, his fame waned.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grann |first=David |title=The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder |title-link=The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-385-53426-0 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=255 |author-link=David Grann}}</ref>
@@ Line 94: / Line 95: @@
 ==Family==
 In April 1748, Anson married Lady Elizabeth Yorke, daughter of [[Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke]]; they had no children.<ref name=heath13/>
-==See also==
-* [[HMS Anson|Warships named after Lord Anson]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 103: / Line 101: @@
 ==Sources==
 * {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=George Lord Anson |volume=2  |ref={{harvid|EB|1878}} |page=93 }}
-*{{cite book|last=Anderson|first= Fred|title=Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766|publisher=Faber and Faber|year= 2001|isbn=978-0571205356}}
+*{{cite book|last=Anderson|first= Fred|title=Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766|publisher=Faber and Faber|year= 2001|isbn=978-0571205356}}
-*{{cite book|last=Anson|first= Walter Vernon|title=The Life of Admiral Lord Anson, the father of the British Navy 1697-1762|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924027914807|publisher=London, John Murray|year= 1912}}
+*{{cite book|last=Anson|first= Walter Vernon|title=The Life of Admiral Lord Anson, the father of the British Navy 1697–1762|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924027914807|publisher=London, John Murray|year= 1912}}
 *{{cite book|last=Cokayne|first=G. E.|title=The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14, 1910–1959; reprint in 6 volumes|publisher= Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing|year= 2000|volume= I|isbn=978-1145312296}}
 *{{cite book|last=Corbett|first= Julian Stafford|title=England in the Seven Years War: A study in combined operations, Volume II|publisher=London|year=1907}}

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v t e First Sea Lords of the Royal Navy
Senior Naval Lords (1689–1771)	Arthur Herbert Sir John Chicheley Edward Russell Henry Priestman Earl of Orford Sir George Rooke Sir John Leake Sir George Byng Sir John Leake Sir George Byng Matthew Aylmer Sir George Byng Sir John Jennings Sir John Norris Sir Charles Wager Lord Archibald Hamilton Lord Harry Powlett Lord Archibald Hamilton Lord Vere Beauclerk Lord Anson Sir William Rowley Edward Boscawen Sir William Rowley Edward Boscawen John Forbes Earl Howe Sir Charles Saunders Augustus Keppel Sir Peircy Brett Sir Francis Holburne
First Naval Lords (1771–1904)	Augustus Hervey Sir Hugh Palliser Robert Man George Darby Sir Robert Harland Sir Hugh Pigot John Leveson-Gower Lord Hood Sir Charles Middleton James Gambier Sir Thomas Troubridge James Gambier John Markham James Gambier Sir Richard Bickerton William Domett Sir Joseph Yorke Sir Graham Moore Sir William Johnstone Hope Sir George Cockburn Sir Thomas Hardy The Hon. George Dundas Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir William Parker Sir Charles Adam Sir James Dundas The Hon. Maurice Berkeley Hyde Parker The Hon. Maurice Berkeley The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas William Martin The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas The Hon. Sir Frederick Grey Sir Alexander Milne Sir Sydney Dacres Sir Alexander Milne Sir Hastings Yelverton Sir George Wellesley Sir Astley Key Sir Arthur Hood Lord John Hay Sir Arthur Hood Sir Richard Hamilton Sir Anthony Hoskins Sir Frederick Richards Lord Walter Kerr
First Sea Lords (1904–present)	Sir John Fisher Sir Arthur Wilson Sir Francis Bridgeman Prince Louis of Battenberg The Lord Fisher Sir Henry Jackson Sir John Jellicoe Sir Rosslyn Wemyss The Earl Beatty Sir Charles Madden, Bt Sir Frederick Field The Lord Chatfield Sir Roger Backhouse Sir Dudley Pound The Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope Sir John Cunningham The Lord Fraser of North Cape Sir Rhoderick McGrigor The Earl Mountbatten of Burma Sir Charles Lambe Sir Caspar John Sir David Luce Sir Varyl Begg Sir Michael Le Fanu Sir Peter Hill-Norton Sir Michael Pollock Sir Edward Ashmore Sir Terence Lewin Sir Henry Leach Sir John Fieldhouse Sir William Staveley Sir Julian Oswald Sir Benjamin Bathurst Sir Jock Slater Sir Michael Boyce Sir Nigel Essenhigh Sir Alan West Sir Jonathon Band Sir Mark Stanhope Sir George Zambellas Sir Philip Jones Sir Antony Radakin Sir Ben Key

v t e First Lords of the Admiralty
of England	The Earl of Portland The Earl of Lindsey William Juxon, Bishop of Lincoln The Earl of Northumberland The Lord Cottington Sir Henry Capell The Earl of Nottingham The Earl of Torrington The Earl of Pembroke The Lord Cornwallis The Viscount Falkland The Earl of Orford The Earl of Bridgewater The Earl of Pembroke
of Great Britain	The Earl of Orford Sir John Leake The Earl of Strafford The Earl of Orford The Earl of Berkeley The Viscount Torrington Sir Charles Wager The Earl of Winchilsea The Duke of Bedford The Earl of Sandwich The Lord Anson The Earl Temple The Earl of Winchilsea The Lord Anson The Earl of Halifax George Grenville The Earl of Sandwich The Earl of Egmont Sir Charles Saunders Sir Edward Hawke The Earl of Sandwich The Viscount Keppel The Viscount Howe The Viscount Keppel The Viscount Howe The Earl of Chatham The Earl Spencer
of the United Kingdom	The Earl of St Vincent The Viscount Melville The Lord Barham Viscount Howick Thomas Grenville The Lord Mulgrave Charles Philip Yorke The Viscount Melville The Duke of Clarence The Viscount Melville Sir James Graham, Bt The Lord Auckland The Earl de Grey The Lord Auckland The Earl of Minto The Earl of Haddington The Earl of Ellenborough The Earl of Auckland Sir Francis Baring, Bt The Duke of Northumberland Sir James Graham, Bt Sir Charles Wood, Bt Sir John Pakington, Bt The Duke of Somerset Sir John Pakington, Bt Henry Lowry-Corry Hugh Childers George Goschen George Ward Hunt William Henry Smith The Earl of Northbrook Lord George Hamilton The Marquess of Ripon Lord George Hamilton The Earl Spencer George Goschen The Earl of Selborne The Earl Cawdor The Lord Tweedmouth Reginald McKenna Winston Churchill Arthur Balfour Sir Edward Carson Sir Eric Geddes Walter Long The Viscount Lee of Fareham Wood Anderson Leo Amery The Viscount Chelmsford The Viscount Bridgeman A. V. Alexander Sir Austen Chamberlain The Viscount Monsell Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt Duff Cooper The Earl Stanhope Winston Churchill A. V. Alexander Brendan Bracken A. V. Alexander The Viscount Hall Lord Pakenham Viscount Cilcennin The Viscount Hailsham The Earl of Selkirk The Lord Carrington The Earl Jellicoe

Latest revision as of 22:00, 4 July 2024

Background

Family

Early career

Voyage around the world

Naval command

Senior officer

First Lord of the Admiralty

Family

References

Sources

Further reading

External links