George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington

George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington
George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington
	Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington by Jeremiah Davison in 1733
Born	27 January 1663; Wrotham, Kent
Died	17 January 1733 (aged 69); Southill, Bedfordshire
Buried	Church of All Saints, Southill, Bedfordshire
Allegiance	Kingdom of England (1678–1707); Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1733)
Service/branch	Royal Navy; Royal Navy
Years of service	1678–1733
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands held	HMS Constant Warwick; HMS Hope; HMS Duchess; HMS Royal Oak; HMS Britannia; HMS Nassau; Mediterranean Fleet
Battles/wars	Glorious Revolution; Nine Years' War Battle of Beachy Head; War of the Spanish Succession Battle of Vigo Bay; Battle of Málaga; Battle of Toulon; War of the Quadruple Alliance Battle of Cape Passaro;
Awards	Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath

Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, KB, PC (27 January 1663 – 17 January 1733) of Southill Park in Bedfordshire, was a Royal Navy officer and statesman. While still a lieutenant, he delivered a letter from various captains to Prince William of Orange, who had just landed at Torbay, assuring the Prince of the captains' support; the Prince gave Byng a response which ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688.

Arms of Byng: Quarterly sable and argent in the first quarter a lion rampant of the second

As a captain, Byng saw action at the Battle of Vigo Bay, when the French fleet were defeated, during the War of the Spanish Succession. As a flag officer, he led the bombardment squadron while serving under Admiral Sir George Rooke at the Capture of Gibraltar and then took part in the Battle of Málaga at a later stage in the same war.

Byng was sent to the Mediterranean to thwart any attempt by the Spanish to take Sicily. He encountered the Spanish fleet at Naples and, after pursuing it down the Strait of Messina, sent ahead his fastest ships causing the Spanish fleet to split in two. In the ensuing action, known as the Battle of Cape Passaro, the Spanish fleet was devastated: 10 ships of the line were captured, four ships of the line sunk or burnt and four frigates were captured at this early and critical stage of the War of the Quadruple Alliance. He went on to be First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II.

Early career

Born the son of John Byng and Philadelphia Byng (née Johnson), Byng joined the Royal Navy as a King's Letter Boy in May 1678.[1] He served initially in the fourth-rate HMS Swallow and then transferred to the fourth-rate HMS Reserve in November 1678 and to the fourth-rate HMS Mary Rose in June 1679.[1] He sailed with the fifth-rate HMS Phoenix to Tangier in Summer 1680 and, after a short period of military service with the 2nd Tangier Regiment, he rejoined the Royal Navy as a lieutenant on 23 February 1684 and assigned to the fourth-rate HMS Oxford before returning to HMS Phoenix in which he sailed to the East Indies on a mission to put down a rebellion in Bombay.[1] He transferred to the fourth-rate HMS Mordaunt in May 1688 and to the third-rate HMS Defiance in September 1688.[1]

The first-rate HMS Britannia which Byng commanded as flag captain to Admiral Edward Russell

In October 1688 Byng, still a lieutenant, delivered a letter from various captains to Prince William of Orange, who had just landed at Torbay, assuring the Prince of the captains' support; the Prince gave Byng a response which ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688.[1] Promoted to captain on 22 December 1688, he was given command of the fourth-rate HMS Constant Warwick before transferring to the command of the third-rate HMS Hope in May 1690 in which he saw action at the Battle of Beachy Head in July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. He transferred to the command of the second-rate HMS Duchess in September 1690 and to the third-rate HMS Royal Oak in January 1691 before becoming Flag Captain to Admiral Edward Russell in the first-rate HMS Britannia in December 1693.[1]

Byng was given command of the third-rate HMS Nassau in June 1702 and saw action at the Battle of Vigo Bay, when the French fleet were defeated, in October 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession.[1]

Senior command

Promoted to rear admiral on 1 March 1703, Byng became third-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet under Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell with his flag in the third-rate HMS Ranelagh later that month. He led the bombardment squadron while serving under Admiral Sir George Rooke at the Capture of Gibraltar in August 1704 and then took part in the Battle of Málaga in August 1704.[1] Knighted on 22 October 1704,[2] and promoted to vice admiral on 3 January 1705, he was elected Member of Parliament for Plymouth later that year.[3]

Byng became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, with his flag in the first-rate HMS Royal Anne, in late 1705 and then took part in the bombardment of Alicante in June 1706. After taking part in the British defeat at the Battle of Toulon in July 1707 and, while sailing aboard his flagship HMS Royal Anne, Byng was present during the great naval disaster off the Isles of Scilly in October 1707 when Shovell and four of his ships were lost, claiming the lives of nearly 2,000 sailors.[4]

Promoted to full admiral on 26 January 1708, Byng became Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in January 1709[5] and went on to join the Board of Admiralty led by the Earl of Orford in November 1709.[6] Byng was advanced to Senior Naval Lord on the Admiralty Board in October 1710.[7] He stood down from the Admiralty Board in January 1714 but was reappointed, as Senior Naval Lord again, on Orford's return to the Admiralty in October 1714.[6]

The Battle of Cape Passaro at which Byng commanded the British fleet

Byng took part in the suppression of the Jacobite rising by cutting off the Old Pretender's supplies in 1715 and for this he was created a baronet on 15 November 1715. He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 14 March 1718 and, with his flag in the second-rate HMS Barfleur, he was sent out as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet[8] to thwart any attempt by the Spanish to gain or to consolidate their position in Sicily. He encountered the Spanish fleet at Naples and, after pursuing it down the Strait of Messina, sent ahead his fastest ships causing the Spanish fleet to split in two.[9] In the ensuing action on 11 August 1718, known as the Battle of Cape Passaro, the Spanish fleet was devastated: 10 ships of the line were captured, 4 ships of the line sunk or burnt and 4 frigates were captured at this early and critical stage of the War of the Quadruple Alliance.[10]

George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington by Godfrey Kneller circa 1700

Byng was then given power to negotiate with the various princes and states of Italy on behalf of the English crown.[11] Following his return to England, Byng became both Treasurer of the Navy[12] and Rear-Admiral of Great Britain on 21 October 1720.[13] He was admitted to the Privy Council on 3 January 1721[14] and, having stepped down from the Admiralty Board in September 1721,[6] was created Baron Byng of Southill in the county of Bedford, and 1st Viscount Torrington in Devon on 21 September 1721.[15] He developed his estate at Southill Park in Bedfordshire in the 1720s.[16]

Byng was installed as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath on 17 June 1725 and appointed First Lord of the Admiralty during the Walpole–Townshend Ministry in August 1727; in this role he was instrumental in the establishment of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth.[17]

Marriage and progeny

Southill Park, Byng's country house in Bedfordshire

Byng was married at St Paul's, Covent Garden, on 6 March 1691 to Margaret Master, daughter of James Master of East Langdon in Kent.[18] Together the couple had fifteen children (eleven sons and four daughters) of whom six lived to survive him:[19][20]

Pattee Byng (1699–1747), 2nd Viscount Torrington, died without surviving progeny.
George Byng (1701–1750), 3rd Viscount Torrington
Robert Byng (1703–1740), Governor of Barbados (1739–1740), from whom the Earls of Strafford stem.
John Byng (1704–1757), Admiral controversially court-martialled and shot at the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in Europe.
Edward Byng (1706–1756)
Sarah Byng (1695–1775)

Death and burial

Byng died on 17 January 1733 and was eventually buried in a vault within the newly constructed Byng Mausoleum attached to the north side of the Church of All Saints in the parish of Southill, Bedfordshire,[21] in which parish was situated his residence of Southill Park. The mausoleum was constructed for his burial, with licence granted by the Bishop of Lincoln in 1733.[22] It is believed the architect was Isaac Ware, whom his 4th son Admiral John Byng employed in the building of Wrotham Park in Hertfordshire.[22]

gollark: Hopefully making the school slightly better.

gollark: Nobody knows.

gollark: Pastoral Something.

gollark: ...

gollark: Yes.

References

Citations

Hattendorf, John B. "Byng, George, first Viscount Torrington". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4262. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
"No. 4064". The London Gazette. 19 October 1704. p. 4.
Matthews, Shirley (1970). "Byng, Sir George". In Sedgwick, Romney (ed.). The House of Commons 1715-1754. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
Sobel, p. 6
Owen, John Hely (2010). War at Sea Under Queen Anne 1702–1708. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9781108013383.
Sainty, J. C. (1975). Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660–1870, Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870. pp. 18–31. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
Rodger, p. 51-52
Harrison, Simon (2010–2018). "George Byng (1663/64-1732/33)". threedecks.org. S. Harrison. Retrieved 7 January 2019.CS1 maint: date format (link)
"The Battles of George Byng". Retrieved 16 May 2015.
Bodart, p. 176
"No. 5882". The London Gazette. 30 August 1720. p. 1.
Sainty, J. C. "Navy Treasurer c. 1546–1836". Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
"No. 5896". The London Gazette. 18 October 1720. p. 1.
"No. 5917". The London Gazette. 31 December 1720. p. 1.
"No. 5988". The London Gazette. 5 September 1721. p. 1.
"Southill Park". Bedfordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Torrington, George Byng, Viscount" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Cokayne, George Edward (1896). The Complete Peerage. London: George Bell & Sons. p. 410.
Debrett, John (1840). Debrett's Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland. London: William Pickering. pp. 728–729. peerage.
"George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington". Cracrofts Peerage. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
"Byng vault". The Mausolea and Monuments Trust. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
dijit.net. "Byng Vault – Mausolea & Monuments Trust". Mmtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2018.

Sources

Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon, (1618–1905). Vienna.
Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd. ISBN 0900963948.
Sobel, Dava (1998). Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN 1-85702-571-7.
Laughton, John Knox (1886). "Byng, George" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 8. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Torrington, George Byng, Viscount" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington Three Decks

Parliament of England
Preceded by Charles Trelawny John Woolcombe	Member of Parliament for Plymouth 1705–1707 With: Charles Trelawny	Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Parliament of England	Member of Parliament for Plymouth 1707–1721 With: Charles Trelawny to 1713 Sir John Rogers 1713–1721	Succeeded by Sir John Rogers Pattee Byng
Military offices
Preceded by Sir John Leake	Senior Naval Lord 1710–1712	Succeeded by Sir John Leake
Preceded by Sir John Leake	Senior Naval Lord 1714–1717	Succeeded by Matthew Aylmer
Preceded by Matthew Aylmer	Senior Naval Lord 1718–1721	Succeeded by Sir John Jennings
Preceded by Sir Matthew Aylmer	Admiral of the Fleet 1718–1733	Succeeded by Sir John Norris
Political offices
Preceded by Richard Hampden	Treasurer of the Navy 1720–1724	Succeeded by Pattee Byng
Preceded by The Earl of Berkeley	First Lord of the Admiralty 1727–1733	Succeeded by Sir Charles Wager
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Aylmer	Rear-Admiral of Great Britain 1720–1733	Succeeded by Sir John Jennings
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by New Creation	Viscount Torrington 1721–1733	Succeeded by Pattee Byng

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[odnb-1] Hattendorf, John B. "Byng, George, first Viscount Torrington". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4262. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

[2] "No. 4064". The London Gazette. 19 October 1704. p. 4.

[parl-3] Matthews, Shirley (1970). "Byng, Sir George". In Sedgwick, Romney (ed.). The House of Commons 1715-1754. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 16 May 2015.

[4] Sobel, p. 6

[5] Owen, John Hely (2010). War at Sea Under Queen Anne 1702–1708. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9781108013383.

[sainty-6] Sainty, J. C. (1975). Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660–1870, Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660–1870. pp. 18–31. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2015.

[7] Rodger, p. 51-52

[8] Harrison, Simon (2010–2018). "George Byng (1663/64-1732/33)". threedecks.org. S. Harrison. Retrieved 7 January 2019.CS1 maint: date format (link)

[9] "The Battles of George Byng". Retrieved 16 May 2015.

[10] Bodart, p. 176

[11] "No. 5882". The London Gazette. 30 August 1720. p. 1.

[12] Sainty, J. C. "Navy Treasurer c. 1546–1836". Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 16 May 2015.

[13] "No. 5896". The London Gazette. 18 October 1720. p. 1.

[14] "No. 5917". The London Gazette. 31 December 1720. p. 1.

[15] "No. 5988". The London Gazette. 5 September 1721. p. 1.

[16] "Southill Park". Bedfordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2015.

[17] Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Torrington, George Byng, Viscount" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

[cok-18] Cokayne, George Edward (1896). The Complete Peerage. London: George Bell & Sons. p. 410.

[deb-19] Debrett, John (1840). Debrett's Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland. London: William Pickering. pp. 728–729. peerage.

[20] "George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington". Cracrofts Peerage. Retrieved 16 May 2015.

[21] "Byng vault". The Mausolea and Monuments Trust. Retrieved 16 May 2015.

[mmtrust1-22] t.net. "Byng Vault – Mausolea & Monuments Trust". Mmtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2018.

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 Tony Radakin

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 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

Cabinet of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole (1730–1742)
Southern Secretary	The Duke of Newcastle (1730–1742)
Northern Secretary	The Lord Harrington (1730–1742)
Lord Chancellor	The Lord King (1730–1733) The Lord Talbot (1733–1737) The Lord Hardwicke (1737–1742)
Lord President of the Council	The Lord Trevor (1730) The Earl of Wilmington (1730–1742)
Lord Privy Seal	The Earl of Wilmington (1730–1731) The Duke of Devonshire (1731–1733) The Viscount Lonsdale (1733–1735) The Earl of Godolphin (1735–1740) The Lord Hervey of Ickworth (1740–1742)
First Lord of the Admiralty	The Viscount Torrington (1730–1733) Sir Charles Wager (1733–1742)
Master-General of the Ordnance	The Duke of Argyll (1730–1740) The Duke of Montagu (1740–1742)
Paymaster of the Forces	Henry Pelham (1730–1742)
Lord Steward	The Earl of Chesterfield (1730–1733) The Duke of Devonshire (1733–1737) The Duke of Dorset (1737–1742)
Lord Chamberlain	The Duke of Grafton (1730–1742)

Cabinet of Sir Robert Walpole and The Viscount Townshend (1721–1730)
First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Leader of the House of Commons	Sir Robert Walpole (1721–1730)
Northern Secretary	The Viscount Townshend (1721–1730)
Southern Secretary	The Earl Granville (1721–1724) The Duke of Newcastle (1724–1730)
Lord Chancellor	The Earl of Macclesfield (1721–1725) The Lord King (1725–1730)
Lord President of the Council	The Duke of Kingston (1721–1726) The Lord Trevor (1726–1730)
Lord Privy Seal	The Viscount Townshend (1721) The Lord Carleton (1721–1725) The Duke of Devonshire (1725–1730) The Lord Trevor (1730)
First Lord of the Admiralty	The Earl of Berkeley (1721–1727) The Viscount Torrington (1727–1730)
Master-General of the Ordnance	The Duke of Marlborough (1721–1722) The Earl Cadogan (1722–1725) The Duke of Argyll (1725–1730)
Paymaster of the Forces	The Lord Cornwallis (1721–1722) The Earl of Wilmington (1722–1730)
Lord Steward	The Duke of Argyll (1721–1725) The Duke of Dorset (1725–1730)
Lord Chamberlain	The Duke of Newcastle (1721–1724) The Duke of Grafton (1724–1730)
Master of the Horse	The Earl of Scarbrough (1727–1730)