Jump to content

Eliab Harvey

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Eliab Harvey
Sir Eliab Harvey
Born5 December 1758
Rolls Park,Chigwell,Essex
Died20 February 1830 (aged 71)
Rolls Park,Chigwell,Essex
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1771–1810
RankAdmiral
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War
French Revolutionary Wars
• Capture ofGuadeloupe&Martinique
Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Trafalgar
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Other workMember of ParliamentforMaldon(1780–1784) andEssex(1802–1812), (1820–1830)

AdmiralSir Eliab HarveyGCB(5 December 1758 – 20 February 1830) was an eccentric and hot-tempered officer of theRoyal Navyduring theFrench Revolutionaryand theNapoleonic Warswho was as distinguished for his gambling and dueling as for his military record. Although Harvey was a significant naval figure for over twenty years, his martial reputation was largely based on his experiences at theBattle of Trafalgar,when he took his shipHMSTemeraireinto the thick of the action. Harvey usedTemeraireto force the surrender of two Frenchships of the lineand later created his family motto from the names of his opponents in the engagement; "Redoutable et Fougueux".

In his civilian life, Harvey pursued political interests and spent three spells as aMember of ParliamentforMaldonand laterEssex.During this period he was alsoknighted.However, Harvey was not a peaceable man and his life both in and out of the Navy was frequently punctuated by disputes with fellow officers and politicians. One such dispute, a consequence of theBattle of Basque Roads,eventually cost Harvey his career; a bitter exchange withLord Gambierforcing Harvey into early retirement in 1809. Although reinstated a year later, Harvey was never again employed in an official capacity and further promotions were only bestowed as a matter of seniority.

Harvey was also notable in his time for his extravagant lifestyle. The deaths of his father and elder brother while he was still a young man provided Harvey with a considerable fortune, much of which he squandered gambling inLondon.Harvey's exploits at the gaming tables became legendary, one story claiming that he once bet £100,000 on a single game of chance and lost, only to win most of it back on the following throw. Despite his dissolute lifestyle, Harvey was married and had numerous children; he was survived by six daughters and had three sons who predeceased him.

Early life[edit]

Eliab Harvey was born inChigwell,Essexto William and Emma Harvey. His father William Harvey (1714-1763) was aMember of ParliamentforEssex,but died when Harvey was only five years old.[1]Eliab was named after his great grandfather, Eliab Harvey, brother to the most famousWilliam Harvey,who discovered the circulation of the blood.[2]

Until 1768, Harvey was raised at the family estate of Rolls Park in Chigwell, which had passed to his elder brother William on the death of their father. Harvey then attendedWestminster Schoolfor two years before moving toHarrow Schoolin 1770.[1]At the age of thirteen in 1771, Harvey was entered onto the books of the naval schooner HMSMary,although he did not actually serve aboard the ship. Utilising a standard legal fiction of the time, Harvey's name was entered on the ship's books without his actual presence, a ruse that would provide him with sufficient seniority to gain rapid promotion when he did enter the navy. In his summer holidays from school, Harvey served at sea, joiningHMSOrpheusin 1773.[1]

Entering the Navy fully in May 1774, Harvey became amidshipmanaboard thesloopHMSLynxand spent the next two years in theWest Indies.Briefly returning to Britain at the outbreak of theAmerican Revolutionary War,Harvey returned to the eastern seaboard of North America late in 1776 aboardHMSMermaid,before transferring to the flagship of the North America StationHMSEagle.From there Harvey joinedHMSLiverpoolon temporary assignment, only to be wrecked onLong Islandaboard thefrigatein 1778. Harvey rejoinedEagleafter the wreck and returned to Britain in her. He was promoted tolieutenanton 25 February 1779.[1]

Following his promotion, Harvey took a leave of absence from the Navy which would last three years. He took over the parliamentary seat forMaldoninEssexin 1780 on the death ofRichard Savage Nassau,and then won it again in the general election a few months later, holding the seat for the next four years. In 1781 Harvey briefly commandedHMSDolphin,but took leave once again four months later. In 1782 Harvey again returned to the Navy just as peace was agreed and was promoted tocommanderon 21 March 1782, briefly taking over the sloop HMSOtterbefore rapidly making the jump toPost Captainless than a year later, on 20 January 1783.[3]

Civilian life[edit]

Lady Louisa Harvey with two of her children (Thomas Lawrence)

With the peace of 1783, Harvey again took leave from the navy, seeing out his parliamentary term and continuing his notorious lifestyle of gambling and debauchery. The young death of Harvey's elder brotherWilliam Harvey, MPin April 1779 had provided Harvey with a substantial fortune, which he immediately began squandering in epic nights at London's fashionable drinking and gambling establishments. Harvey gained a reputation among this crowd for playing exceptionally high stakes; one often repeated story concerns his loss, on his 21st birthday in 1779, of over £100,000 in a single game ofhazardto a Mr O'Byrne. O'Byrne, recognising that such a sum would bankrupt his opponent, refused to take more than £10,000, insisting that they roll the dice again to determine the fate of the remaining £90,000. Harvey won and kept his fortune, but reportedly still failed to pay the £10,000.[1]

Despite this riotous lifestyle, Harvey married Lady Louisa Nugent in 1784. Louisa was a daughter ofRobert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugentand co-heir to his substantial wealth. The couple had nine children, eight of whom survived infancy and six of whom, all daughters, outlived their father. Harvey's eldest son waskilled in actionserving in theBritish Armyunder theMarquess of Wellingtonat thesiege of Burgosin 1812. Harvey remained in semi-retirement until 1790, dividing his time between London and Rolls Park.[1]

Return to service[edit]

In 1790, Harvey was recalled up to the Navy during the Spanish armament and commanded the frigateHMSHussarfor six months, until the Navy returned to its peacetime complement. Three years later, Harvey was once again recalled to the Navy with the outbreak of theFrench Revolutionary Wars.Harvey would remain in service for the next 16 years, only briefly taking leave in 1802 during thePeace of Amiens.In 1793, Harvey became captain of the frigateHMSSanta Margaritain the West Indies. There he participated in the successful campaigns against the French colonies ofGuadeloupeandMartiniqueunder AdmiralJohn Jervis.[4]In May 1794 Harvey returned to Britain and served in the squadron underSir John Borlase Warrenwhich raided the French coast with great success in 1794 and 1795.[5]

In August 1795, Harvey took command of theship of the lineHMSValiant,initially in theChannel Fleetand later in the West Indies underSir Hyde Parker.In 1797 Harvey returned to Britain due to ill-health, and was given command of the Essex sea fencibles during the next year.[3]In 1800 Harvey returned to sea in command ofHMSTriumph,which he retained until the Peace of Amiens. During the peace he again dabbled in politics, becoming MP forEssexin 1802.[6]Even after returning to the Navy in 1803 as captain of thesecond rateHMSTemeraire,Harvey remained in parliament, serving until 1812.[7]

Trafalgar[edit]

Temeraireat theBattle of Trafalgarfrom a painting byJ. M. W. Turner

With the resumption of the war against France,Temerairewas attached to the Channel Fleet and blockaded ports in eastern France until 1805, when Harvey was sent to joinHoratio Nelson'sblockade offCadiz.When theBattle of Trafalgarwas joined on 21 October, Harvey'sTemerairewas the second ship in Nelson's division and was a faster and more agile ship thanHMSVictory,Nelson's flagship. As a result,Temerairebegan to pull ahead ofVictoryas the division closed on the Franco-Spanish fleet and Harvey was consequently reprimanded by Nelson, who hailedTemeraire:"I will thank you Captain Harvey, to keep your proper station which is astern of theVictory".[8]

During the combat that followed, Harvey was heavily engaged with the enemy, passing behindBucentaureand astern ofRedoutable.[3]The broadside fired intoRedoutablereduced the French ship to a wreck and forced its surrender soon afterwards when it became tangled withVictoryandTemeraire.[9]The three ships then drifted into the following FrenchFougueux,British fire disabling her and giving cover to a boarding party led byTemeraire's first-lieutenant,Thomas Fortescue Kennedy,which forced the surrender ofFougueux's crew.[10]In later years Harvey would use this incident for his personal motto "Redoutable et Fougueux".[10]

Once the fleet had returned to port, controversy erupted concerning Harvey's role in the battle. Although his bravery and skill were not questioned, his prominence in the dispatch sent home byCuthbert Collingwoodwas. In the dispatch, Harvey was singled out over the other captains for his bravery, Collingwood writing: "I have not words in which I can sufficiently express my admiration of it". As a result of this special mention, Harvey was promoted torear-admiralon 9 November 1805,[11]and given the honour of being one of Nelson's pallbearers at the admiral's funeral despite their short acquaintance.[12]Harvey's new motto and his penchant for "bragging" further alienated him from his fellow officers.[1]

Retirement[edit]

Rolls Park, the Harvey family home, fromViews of the seats of noblemen and gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland,Second Series, Volume III, byJohn Preston Neale,1826.

Returning to naval service some months after the action, Harvey was given the 80-gunHMSTonnantas his first flagship, in which he remained until 1809. Serving underLord Gambierin the Channel Fleet, Harvey was outraged not to be given command of the British ships in action at theBattle of Basque Roads.Harvey expressed his disgust that command had been given to the more juniorLord Cochranein no uncertain terms to Gambier, and was dismissed from the admiral's council as a result.[1]When the operation was initially successful, Gambier refused to support Cochrane and as a result an opportunity to annihilate the French Atlantic Fleet was lost. The ensuing dispute lasted years andinvolved a court martialthat eventually acquitted Gambier, and only ended with Cochrane's dismissal from the service five years later.[1]

Harvey was not embroiled in the political arguments surrounding the action, as he had resigned his commission on 23 May 1809, before the attack went ahead, in protest at Cochrane's preferment. Returning to the Navy a year later on 21 March 1810, Harvey was never again called to active service, Gambier blocking his efforts to obtain gainful employment. Despite his failure to return to the sea, Harvey's seniority brought more promotions; he madevice-admiralin 1810 and finally became a full admiral in 1819.[13][14]He was also made aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bathin 1815 when the order was reformed,[15]becoming a Knight Grand Cross in 1825.[16]Harvey's retirement included a further period in politics, returning to his seat as MP for Essex between 1820 and 1830.[10]

Harvey died in 1830 at his family estate of Rolls Park and was buried in the Harvey family crypt at St Andrew's Church atHempstead, Essex,nearSaffron Walden,which contains the remains of over 50 family members, including his ancestor's brother, Dr.William Harvey.[1]His coffin is still in the crypt, and can be viewed on request.[8]On the wall of church is ahatchmentin his honour originally placed shortly after his death and restored in 1958 after it was destroyed in the partial collapse of the church in 1884. A large wall memorial to him is also visible in the church, which also commemorates his youngest son William, who died in 1823 aged 22.[17]

The crest of theHarvey Grammar SchoolofFolkestonebears Harvey's motto as well as his ship's name 'Temeraire'. The crest was designed by Eliab Harvey.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^abcdefghijHarvey, Sir Eliab,Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,J. K. Laughton,retrieved 15 February 2008
  2. ^Famous Fighters of the Fleet, Edward Fraser, 1904, p.218
  3. ^abcWhite, p. 76
  4. ^James, Vol. 1, p. 209
  5. ^James, Vol. 1, p. 217
  6. ^"No. 15498".The London Gazette.17 July 1802. p. 759.
  7. ^"No. 15974".The London Gazette.11 November 1806. p. 1479.
  8. ^abWhite, p. 77
  9. ^James, Vol. 4, p. 61
  10. ^abcWhite, p. 78
  11. ^"No. 15859".The London Gazette.5 November 1805. p. 1375.
  12. ^"No. 15881".The London Gazette.14 January 1806. p. 59.
  13. ^"No. 16391".The London Gazette.28 July 1810. p. 1118.
  14. ^"No. 17505".The London Gazette.12 August 1819. p. 1446.
  15. ^"No. 17005".The London Gazette.25 April 1815. p. 747.
  16. ^"No. 18133".The London Gazette.30 April 1825. p. 747.
  17. ^White, p. 79

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of ParliamentforMaldon
1780–1784
With:John Strutt
Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of ParliamentforEssex
1802–1812
With:Colonel John Bullock(1802–1809)
John Archer-Houblon(1810–1812)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of ParliamentforEssex
1820–1830
With:Charles Western
Succeeded by