Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington
The Earl of Torrington | |
---|---|
![]() Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, portrait byJohn Closterman | |
Born | c.1648 |
Died | 13 April 1716 (aged 67–68)[1] |
Buried | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1663–1690 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held | HMSPembroke HMSConstant Warwick HMSDragon HMSDreadnought HMSCambridge HMSRupert |
Battles/wars | Second Anglo-Dutch War Franco-Dutch War Nine Years' War |
AdmiralArthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington(c. 1648– 13 April 1716) was an Anglo-WelshRoyal Navyofficer, peer and politician. Dismissed by KingJames II of Englandin 1688 for refusing to vote to repeal theTest Act,which prevented Roman Catholics from holding public office, he brought theInvitation to WilliamtoWilliam of OrangeatThe Hague,disguised as a simple sailor. As a reward he was made commander of William's invasion fleet which landed atTorbayin Devon on 5 November 1688, which initiated theGlorious Revolution.
Early life[edit]
Born the son ofSir Edward Herbertand Margaret Smith, daughter ofThomas Smith,Herbert joined theRoyal Navyin 1663.[2]He was appointed alieutenantin thethird-rateHMSDefianceand saw action at theSt. James's Day Battlein July 1666 during theSecond Anglo-Dutch War.[2]
Promoted topost-captainin 1666, he was given command of thefifth-rateHMSPembrokein April 1667, of thefourth-rateHMSConstant Warwickin September 1668 and of the fourth-rateHMSDragonin May 1672.[3]
He went on to captain the third-rateHMSDreadnoughtin spring 1672 and commanded her at theBattle of Solebayin May 1672 during theFranco-Dutch War.[2]After that he took command of the third-rateHMSCambridgein October 1673 and was severely injured while commanding her at theBattle of Schooneveldin June 1673.[3]He commissioned the third-rateHMSRupertin February 1678, and then commanded a squadron tasked with defendingTangierfrom theMoorsin December 1679.[2]
Flag officer[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Herbert_arms.svg/220px-Herbert_arms.svg.png)
Herbert was appointedRear-admiral of Englandin 1683 andMaster of the Robesin 1685.[2]These employments brought him in £4,000 a year.[2]However, whenKing James IIrequired him to promise that he would vote for the repeal of theTest Act,which prevented Roman Catholics from holding public office, his answer was "that his honour and conscience would not permit him to give any such pledge". The King replied: "Nobody doubts your honour, but a man who lives as you do ought not to talk about his conscience". To this reproach (which came from a bad grace from the lover ofCatherine Sedley) Herbert replied: "I have my faults, sir; but I could name people who talk much more about conscience than I am in the habit of doing, and yet lead lives as loose as mine."[4]The King immediately dismissed him from all his offices.[2]
Herbert went toHollandin June 1688, carrying theInvitation to William,and offered his services to thePrince of OrangeatThe Hague.The Prince appointed him commander-in-chief of the fleet which would take him to England.[2]Following theGlorious Revolution,Herbert becameLord High Admiraland then, when the post of Lord High Admiral had been put into commission, he becameFirst Lord of the AdmiraltyandSenior Naval Lord[5]on theBoard of Admiraltyin March 1689.[6]He was raised to the peerage by the new King William III asEarl of TorringtonandBaron Herbert of Torbayin May 1689,[7]following on his command of the English squadron at theBattle of Bantry Bay.He was credited with being the first to use the expression, "fleet in being".He proposed avoiding a set battle, except under very favourable conditions, until the arrival of reinforcements: by maintaining his fleet in being, he would force the French to remain in the area and prevent them from undertaking other operations.[8]
Herbert commanded theEnglishandDutchfleets at theBattle of Beachy Headin July 1690, a serious defeat for the allied fleet, in theNine Years' War.[2]He was imprisoned in theTower of Londonand was court-martialed for failing to support the Dutch van squadron against the French, but was acquitted. Nevertheless, he lost his position as First Lord of the Admiralty, and took no further part in public life. The stories that Torrington was not a popular commander, because of his reputation of being a drunk and his habit of taking several prostitutes with him to sea, have been discredited.[9][10]
In 1696, he acquiredOatlands Park,an estate forfeited by his brother,Sir Edward Herbert,who had followed King James II into exile.[11]He died on 13 April 1716 without children, rendering his titles extinct,[2]and was buried inWestminster Abbey.[12]
Marriages[edit]
Torrington married twice, but had no issue by either wife:[13]
- Firstly to Anne Hadley, from whom he later separated;
- Secondly to the twice widowed Anne (dowager Lady Crew), daughter and co-heiress ofSir William Armine, 2nd Baronet.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Edward Wedlake Brayley; Mantell (1850).A topographical history of Surrey: the geological section by Gedeon Mantell.G. Willis. p. 383.
- ^abcdefghijLaughton, John Knox (1891).Stephen, Leslie;Lee, Sidney(eds.).Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 26. London: Smith, Elder & Co. .In
- ^ab"Arthur Herbert".Three Decks.Retrieved5 August2017.
- ^Macaulay, Thomas Babington (1848).The History of England from the Accession of James the Second.Porter & Coates.
- ^Rodger, p. 34
- ^"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 fromthe originalon 7 October 2014.Retrieved4 September2009.
- ^"No. 2458".The London Gazette.3 June 1689. p. 2.
- ^Maltby, p. 160
- ^van Gent, p. 90
- ^Le Fevre, pp. 19–42
- ^"Herbert, Arthur (c.1648–1716), of Oatlands Park, Weybridge, Surrey".History of Parliament.Retrieved7 August2017.
- ^"Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington".Westminster Abbey.Retrieved7 August2017.
- ^"Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington".Cracroft's Peerage.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2018.Retrieved5 August2017.
Sources[edit]
- Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). .Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Hattendorf, John B. "Herbert, Arthur, earl of Torrington (1648–1716)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13017.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- Laughton, John Knox (1891).Stephen, Leslie;Lee, Sidney(eds.).Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 26. London: Smith, Elder & Co. .In
- Le Fevre, Peter (2000)."Arthur Herbert Earl of Torrington".Precursors of Nelson: British Admirals of the Eighteenth Century.Stackpole Books. pp. 19–42.ISBN978-0-8117-2901-7.
- Maltby, William S (1994). "The Origins of a global strategy: England from 1558 to 1713". In Williamson Murray; et al. (eds.).The making of strategy: rulers, states, and war.Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-56627-8.
- Rodger, N.A.M.(1979).The Admiralty. Offices of State.Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd.ISBN0900963948.
- van Gent, T. (2000).17 Zeventiende Eeuwse Admiralen en hun Zeeslagen(in Dutch). Den Haag: Koninklijke Vereniging van Marineofficieren. p. 90.ISBN9789090136585.
- Burke's Extinct Peerages:TORRINGTON, E
- 1640s births
- 1716 deaths
- 17th-century Royal Navy personnel
- Herbert family
- Earls in the Peerage of England
- Peers of England created by William III
- East Yorkshire Regiment officers
- Lords of the Admiralty
- Royal Navy admirals
- English MPs 1685–1687
- English MPs 1689–1690
- Members of the Parliament of England for Dover
- Members of the Parliament of England for Plymouth
- Lord High Admirals of England