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{{Short description|Royal Navy Admiral (1804-1878)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = Sir
|name= Sir Hastings Yelverton
| name = Hastings Yelverton
⚫
|birth_date=March 1808
⚫
| image = Hastings Yelverton Vanity Fair 23 June 1877.jpg
|death_date= 24 July 1878
⚫
| caption = As depicted by [[James Tissot]] in [[Vanity Fair (British magazine 1868-1914)|Vanity Fair]], June 1877. Caption read "Spanish Ironclads"
|birth_place=
⚫
| birth_date = 8 March 1808
⚫
|death_place=[[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Somerset]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|24 July 1878|8 March 1808|df=y}}
⚫
|image=Hastings Yelverton Vanity Fair 23 June 1877.jpg
| birth_place = [[Kildare]], Ireland
⚫
|caption= As depicted by [[James Tissot]] in [[Vanity Fair (British magazine 1868-1914)|Vanity Fair]], June 1877. Caption read "Spanish Ironclads"
⚫
| death_place = [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], Somerset
|nickname=
| nickname =
|allegiance= {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom]]
| birth_name = Hastings Reginald Henry
⚫
|serviceyears= 1823 - 1877
|rank= [[Admiral (United Kingdom)|Admiral]]
| allegiance = United Kingdom
|branch= [[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|23px]] [[Royal Navy]]
| branch = [[Royal Navy]]
⚫
| serviceyears = 1823–1877
|commands=[[HMS Queen (1839)|HMS ''Queen'']]<br>[[HMS Aigle (1801)|HMS ''Aigle'']]<br>[[HMS Arrogant (1848)|HMS ''Arrogant'']]<br>[[HMS Brunswick (1855)|HMS ''Brunswick'']]<br>[[HMS Conqueror (1855)|HMS ''Conqueror'']]<br>[[Channel Fleet|Channel Squadron]]<br>[[Mediterranean Fleet]]
| rank = [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]]
|unit=
| unit =
⚫
|battles= [[Liberal Wars|Portuguese Civil War]]<br>[[Crimean War]]<br>[[Cantonal Revolution ]]
| commands = [[First Sea Lord|First Naval Lord]]<br/>[[Mediterranean Fleet]]<br/>[[Channel Fleet|Channel Squadron]]<br/>{{HMS|Conqueror|1855|6}}<br/>{{HMS|Brunswick|1855|6}}<br/>{{HMS|Arrogant|1848|6}}<br/>{{HMS|Aigle|1801|6}}<br/>{{HMS|Queen|1839|6}}
⚫
|awards= [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
⚫
| battles = [[Liberal Wars|Portuguese Civil War]]<br/>[[Crimean War]]<br/>[[Cantonal Revolution]]
⚫
|laterwork=
⚫
| awards = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
⚫
| laterwork =
}}
}}
[[Admiral]] '''Sir Hastings Reginald Yelverton''', [[Order of the Bath|GCB]], born '''Hastings Reginald Henry''' (March 1808 – 24 July 1878) was a [[Royal Navy]] officer. As a junior officer he took part in a major action against pirates off [[Heraklion|Candia]] in June 1826 and was involved in protecting British interests during the [[Liberal Wars|Portuguese Civil War]] during the early 1830s. He saw action in the [[Crimean War]] as Captain of one of the two ships that captured a Russian [[barque]] beneath the batteries at [[Ekenäs, Finland|Ekenäs]] in [[Finland]] in May 1854. Then in July 1873 he took part in the suppression of the [[Cantonal Revolution]] in [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]]. He became [[First Sea Lord|First Naval Lord]] in September 1876 and in that role he implemented a series of economies demanded by the [[Conservative Government 1866–1868|Disraeli ministry]] but was also involved in ordering the small, cheap and thoroughly unsuccessful ironclad [[Ajax class battleship|''Ajax''-class battleships]].
[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] '''Sir Hastings Reginald Yelverton''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB}} (born '''Hastings Reginald Henry'''; 21 March 1808<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boase |first1=Frederic |title=Modern English Biography |date=1965 |publisher=Frank Cass |page=2132 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JO4pAQAAMAAJ|language=en}}</ref> – 24 July 1878) was a [[Royal Navy]] officer. As a junior officer he took part in a major action against pirates off [[Heraklion|Candia]] in June 1826 and was involved in protecting British interests during the [[Liberal Wars|Portuguese Civil War]] during the early 1830s. He saw action in the [[Crimean War]] as Captain of one of the two ships that captured a Russian [[barque]] beneath the batteries at [[Ekenäs, Finland|Ekenäs]] in Finland in May 1854. Then in July 1873 he took part in the suppression of the [[Cantonal Revolution]] in [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]]. He became [[First Sea Lord|First Naval Lord]] in September 1876 and in that role implemented a series of economies demanded by the [[Conservative Government 1866–1868|Disraeli ministry]] but was also involved in ordering the small, cheap and thoroughly unsuccessful ironclad [[Ajax-class ironclad|''Ajax''-class battleships]].


==Early career==
==Early career==
[[File:HMS Queen, by Robert Strickland Thomas.jpg|thumb|left|The [[first-rate]] [[HMS Queen (1839)|HMS ''Queen'']] which Yelverton commanded]]
Born the son of John Joseph Henry (of [[Straffan]]) and Lady Emily Elizabeth FitzGerald (daughter of [[William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster]]), Hastings Henry, as he then was, entered the [[Royal Navy]] as a first-class volunteer aboard the [[frigate]] [[French frigate Sibylle (1792)|HMS ''Sybulle'']] in the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] in 1823.<ref name=odnb>{{cite book | author=Andrew Lambert | chapter=Yelverton , Sir Hastings Reginald (1808–1878) | title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | publisher=Oxford University Press | month=September | year=2004 | chapterurl=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/50203 | accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> He took part in a major action against pirates off [[Heraklion|Candia]] in June 1826 and subsequently served as a [[midshipman]] and [[mate (naval officer)|mate]] in the [[brig]] [[HMS Columbine (1826)|HMS ''Columbine'']], the [[frigate]] [[HMS Undaunted (1807)|HMS ''Undaunted'']] and then the [[battleship]] [[HMS St Vincent (1815)|HMS ''St Vincent'']] in home waters.<ref name=odnb/>
Born the son of John Joseph Henry (of [[Straffan]]) and Lady Emily Elizabeth FitzGerald (daughter of [[William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster]]), Hastings Henry, as he then was, entered the [[Royal Navy]] as a first-class volunteer aboard the [[frigate]] [[French frigate Sibylle (1791)|HMS ''Sibylle'']] in the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] in 1823.<ref name=odnb>{{cite ODNB | author=Andrew Lambert | chapter=Yelverton , Sir Hastings Reginald (1808–1878) | title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |date=September 2004 | doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/50203 | chapter-url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/50203}}</ref> He took part in a major action against pirates off [[Heraklion|Candia]] in June 1826 and subsequently served as a [[midshipman]] and [[mate (naval officer)|mate]] in the [[brig]] [[HMS Columbine (1826)|HMS ''Columbine'']], the [[frigate]] [[HMS Undaunted (1807)|HMS ''Undaunted'']] and then the [[battleship]] [[HMS St Vincent (1815)|HMS ''St Vincent'']] in home waters.<ref name=odnb/>


Promoted [[lieutenant]] on 18 December 1830, Henry was posted to the [[second-rate]] [[HMS Asia (1824)|HMS ''Asia'']], flagship of [[Sir William Parker, 1st Baronet, of Shenstone|Sir William Parker]], in September 1831.<ref name=loney>{{cite web|url=http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=1167|title=William Loney RN|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> HMS ''Asia'' was then based at [[Lisbon]], protecting British interests during the [[Liberal Wars|Portuguese Civil War]].<ref>{{cite book | first=J. K. | last=Laughton | authorlink = | chapter=Parker, Sir William, first baronet (1781–1866) | editor=rev. Andrew Lambert | title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2004 | url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21348 | accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> He joined the [[sixth-rate]] [[HMS Rattlesnake (1822)|HMS ''Rattlesnake'']] on the [[East Indies Station]] in December 1834.<ref name=loney/> Promoted to [[commander]] on 28 June 1838, he joined the [[sloop]] [[HMS Styx (1841)|HMS ''Styx'']] at [[Sheerness]] in August 1841 and then took command of the sloop [[HMS Devastation (1841)|''Devastation'']] in the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] in September 1841.<ref name=loney/> He became acting captain of the [[first-rate]] [[HMS Queen (1839)|HMS ''Queen'']] in the Mediterranean Fleet in May 1842 and acting captain of the fifth-rate [[HMS Aigle (1801)|HMS ''Aigle'']] also in the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1843.<ref name=loney/> He was promoted to [[Captain (Royal Navy)|captain]] on 5 September 1843 and, following his marriage to [[Barbara Rawdon-Hastings, Marchioness of Hastings]] (born Barbara Yelverton), assumed the surname of Yelverton on 3 January 1849.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=20934 |date=9 January 1849|startpage=73|supp=|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref>
Promoted lieutenant on 18 December 1830, Henry was posted to the [[second-rate]] [[HMS Asia (1824)|HMS ''Asia'']], flagship of [[Sir William Parker, 1st Baronet, of Shenstone|Sir William Parker]], in September 1831.<ref name=loney>{{cite web|url=http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=1167|title=William Loney RN|access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref> HMS ''Asia'' was then based at [[Lisbon]], protecting British interests during the [[Liberal Wars|Portuguese Civil War]].<ref>{{cite ODNB | first=J. K. | last=Laughton | chapter=Parker, Sir William, first baronet (1781–1866) | editor=rev. Andrew Lambert | title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | year=2004 | doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/21348 | url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21348 }}</ref> He joined the [[sixth-rate]] [[HMS Rattlesnake (1822)|HMS ''Rattlesnake'']] on the [[East Indies Station]] in December 1834.<ref name=loney/> Promoted to [[commander]] on 28 June 1838, he joined the [[Sloop-of-war|sloop]] [[HMS Styx (1841)|HMS ''Styx'']] at [[Sheerness]] in August 1841 and then took command of the sloop [[HMS Devastation (1841)|''Devastation'']] in the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] in September 1841.<ref name=loney/> He became acting captain of the [[first-rate]] [[HMS Queen (1839)|HMS ''Queen'']] in the Mediterranean Fleet in May 1842 and acting captain of the fifth-rate [[HMS Aigle (1801)|HMS ''Aigle'']] also in the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1843.<ref name=loney/> He was promoted to [[Captain (Royal Navy)|captain]] on 5 September 1843 and, following his marriage to [[Barbara Rawdon-Hastings, Marchioness of Hastings]] (born Barbara Yelverton), assumed the surname of Yelverton on 3 January 1849.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=20934 |date=9 January 1849|page=73}}</ref>


==Crimean service==
==Crimean service==
Yelverton was given command of the steam screw frigate [[HMS Arrogant (1848)|HMS ''Arrogant'']] in October 1853 and saw service in the [[Crimean War]].<ref name=odnb/> In May 1854, HMS ''Arrogant'' and the steam screw frigate [[HMS Hecla (1839)|HMS ''Hecla'']] captured a Russian [[barque]] beneath the batteries at [[Ekenäs, Finland|Ekenäs]] in [[Finland]].<ref>{{cite book | first=Sir Charles|last=Napier|chapter=Chapter VI | title=The history of the Baltic campaign of 1854|year=1857 | place=London | publisher=Milner and Co | chapterurl=http://www.angelfire.com/bug/berberian12/crim/crim6.htm | isbn=978-1402185199|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> Throughout much on 1855, Yelverton operated independently destroying Russian installations along the Finnish coast, and was appointed a [[Order of the Bath|Companion of the Order of the Bath]] for his services on 5 July 1855.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=21743|date=10 July 1855|startpage=2654|supp=|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> In December 1856, he took command of the second-rate [[HMS Brunswick (1855)|HMS ''Brunswick'']] and a gunboat flotilla for further operations but the Crimean War ended before he saw any action.<ref name=odnb/> He went on to Captain of the first-rate [[HMS Conqueror (1855)|HMS ''Conqueror'']] in the Mediterranean Fleet in July 1856 and [[comptroller]]-general of the coastguard in July 1859.<ref name=loney/>
Yelverton was given command of the steam screw frigate [[HMS Arrogant (1848)|HMS ''Arrogant'']] in October 1853 and saw service in the [[Crimean War]].<ref name=odnb/> In May 1854, HMS ''Arrogant'' and the steam screw frigate [[HMS Hecla (1839)|HMS ''Hecla'']] captured a Russian [[barque]] beneath the batteries at [[Ekenäs, Finland|Ekenäs]] in Finland.<ref>{{cite book | first=Sir Charles|last=Napier|chapter=Chapter VI | title=The history of the Baltic campaign of 1854|year=1857 | place=London | publisher=Milner and Co | chapter-url=http://www.angelfire.com/bug/berberian12/crim/crim6.htm | isbn=978-1402185199}}</ref> Throughout much on 1855, Yelverton with [[HMS Arrogant (1848)|HMS ''Arrogant'']] and [[HMS Magicienne (1849)|HMS ''Magicienne'']] operated independently destroying [[Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress]] and [[Svartholm fortress]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofwaragai07nola/historyofwaragai07nola_djvu.txt |title=History of War against Russia|access-date=11 October 2014}}</ref> and was appointed a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] for his services on 5 July 1855.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=21743|date=10 July 1855|page=2654}}</ref> In December 1856, he took command of the second-rate [[HMS Brunswick (1855)|HMS ''Brunswick'']] and a gunboat flotilla for further operations but the Crimean War ended before he saw any action.<ref name=odnb/> He went on to be Captain of the first-rate [[HMS Conqueror (1855)|HMS ''Conqueror'']] in the Mediterranean Fleet in July 1856 and [[comptroller]]-general of the coastguard in July 1859.<ref name=loney/>


==Higher command==
==Higher command==
⚫
[[File:HMS Lord Warden (1865) from Army and Navy Illustrated.jpg|thumb|left|The armoured frigate [[HMS Lord Warden (1865)|HMS ''Lord Warden'']], flagship of the [[Mediterranean Fleet]], which Yelverton commanded in the early 1870s]]
⚫
Promoted [[rear admiral]] on 30 January 1863,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=22705 |date=6 February 1863|startpage=646|supp=|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> Yelverton became second-in-command of the Mediterranean Station, hoisting his flag in the second-rate [[HMS Revenge (1859)|HMS ''Revenge'']] in June 1863 and then, from May 1865, in the broadside ironclad [[HMS Caledonia (1862)|HMS ''Caledonia'']].<ref name=loney/> He went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the [[Channel Fleet|Channel Squadron]] in June 1866, and having been promoted to [[vice-admiral]] on 29 May 1869, he was appointed by [[Hugh Childers]], then [[Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty|First Lord of the Admiralty]], to a committee to consider the new turret ship design.<ref name=odnb/> He was advanced to [[Order of the Bath|Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] on 2 June 1869.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=23503|date=2 June 1869|startpage=3179|supp=|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> He was again given command of the Channel Squadron in July 1870 and then became [[Mediterranean Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet]], hoisting his flag in the battleship [[HMS Lord Warden (1865)|HMS ''Lord Warden'']], in October 1870.<ref name=loney/> In July 1873 he took part in the suppression of the [[Cantonal Revolution]] in [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]].<ref name=odnb/> He was advanced to [[Order of the Bath|Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] on 29 May 1875<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=24213 |date=29 May 1875|startpage=2851|supp=|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> and promoted to full [[admiral]] on 30 July 1875.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=24234 |date=6 August 1875|startpage=3914|supp=|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref>
Promoted [[rear admiral]] on 30 January 1863,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=22705 |date=6 February 1863|page=646}}</ref> Yelverton became second-in-command of the Mediterranean Station, hoisting his flag in the second-rate [[HMS Revenge (1859)|HMS ''Revenge'']] in June 1863 and then, from May 1865, in the broadside ironclad [[HMS Caledonia (1862)|HMS ''Caledonia'']].<ref name=loney/>


⚫
He went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the [[Channel Fleet|Channel Squadron]] in June 1866, and having been promoted to [[vice admiral]] on 29 May 1869, he was appointed by [[Hugh Childers]], then [[Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty|First Lord of the Admiralty]], to a committee to consider the new turret ship design.<ref name=odnb/> He was elevated to [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] on 2 June 1869.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=23503|date=2 June 1869|page=3179}}</ref> He was again given command of the Channel Squadron in July 1870 and then became [[Mediterranean Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet]], hoisting his flag in the battleship [[HMS Lord Warden (1865)|HMS ''Lord Warden'']], in October 1870.<ref name=loney/>
⚫
Yelverton, by now suffering from [[deaf]]ness, became [[First Sea Lord|First Naval Lord]] in September 1876 after [[Geoffrey Hornby|Sir Geoffrey Hornby]] refused the post.<ref name=odnb/> In that role Yelverton implemented a series of economies demanded by the [[Conservative Government 1866–1868|Disraeli ministry]] but was also involved in ordering the small, cheap and thoroughly unsuccessful ironclad [[Ajax class battleship|''Ajax''-class battleships]].<ref name=odnb/> Due to failing health, Yelverton resigned in November 1877 and died at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] on 24 July 1878.<ref name=loney/>

⚫
[[File:HMS Lord Warden (1865).jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[HMS Lord Warden (1865)|HMS ''Lord Warden'']], flagship of the [[Mediterranean Fleet]], which Yelverton commanded in the early 1870s]]
In July 1873, he took part in the suppression of the [[Cantonal Revolution]] in [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]].<ref name=odnb/> He was advanced to [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] on 29 May 1875<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=24213 |date=29 May 1875|page=2851}}</ref> and promoted to full [[admiral]] on 30 July 1875.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=24234 |date=6 August 1875|page=3914}}</ref>

⚫
Yelverton, by now suffering from [[deaf]]ness, became [[First Sea Lord|First Naval Lord]] in September 1876 after [[Geoffrey Hornby|Sir Geoffrey Hornby]] refused the post. In that role Yelverton implemented a series of economies demanded by the [[Conservative Government 1866–1868|Disraeli ministry]] but was also involved in ordering the small, cheap and thoroughly unsuccessful ironclad [[Ajax-class ironclad|''Ajax''-class battleships]].<ref name=odnb/> Due to failing health, Yelverton resigned in November 1877 and died at the Grand Pump Hotel in [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] on 24 July 1878.<ref name=loney/>


==Family==
==Family==
Yelverton married the widowed [[Barbara Rawdon-Hastings, Marchioness of Hastings]], ''suo jure'' [[Baron Grey of Ruthyn|Barbara Yelverton, 20th Baroness Grey de Ruthyn]] (d. 1858) on 9 April 1845; their only child was born shortly thereafter - Hon. Barbara Yelverton (12 January 1849 – 1 October 1924), who married the [[John Yarde-Buller, 2nd Baron Churston]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p1905.htm#i19047 | title=thePeerage.com | accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref>
Yelverton married the widowed [[Barbara Rawdon-Hastings, Marchioness of Hastings]], ''suo jure'' [[Baron Grey of Ruthyn|Barbara Yelverton, 20th Baroness Grey de Ruthyn]] (d. 1858) on 9 April 1845; their only child was born shortly thereafter - Hon. Barbara Yelverton (12 January 1849 – 1 October 1924), who married the [[John Yarde-Buller, 2nd Baron Churston]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p1905.htm#i19047 | title=thePeerage.com | access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{cite wikisource |first=William Richard |last=O'Byrne |chapter=Henry, Hastings Reginald |title=A Naval Biographical Dictionary |year=1849 |publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]]}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|30em}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
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{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box | title=[[Channel Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Channel Fleet]] | before=[[Sydney Dacres|Sir Sydney Dacres]] | after=[[Frederick Warden]]| years=1866&ndash;1867}}
{{succession box | title=[[Channel Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Channel Squadron]] | before=[[Sydney Dacres|Sir Sydney Dacres]] | after=[[Frederick Warden]]| years=1866&ndash;1867}}
|-
|-
{{succession box | title=[[Channel Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Channel Fleet]] | before=[[Thomas Symonds (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Thomas Symonds]] | after=[[George Wellesley|Sir George Wellesley]]| years=July 1870&ndash;October 1870}}
{{succession box | title=Commander-in-Chief, Channel Squadron | before=[[Thomas Symonds (Royal Navy officer, died 1894)|Sir Thomas Symonds]] | after=[[George Wellesley|Sir George Wellesley]]| years=July 1870&ndash;October 1870}}
|-
|-
{{succession box|title=[[Mediterranean Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet]]|before=[[Sir Alexander Milne, 1st Baronet|Sir Alexander Milne]]|after=[[James Robert Drummond|Sir James Drummond]]|years=1870&ndash;1874}}
{{succession box|title=[[Mediterranean Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet]]|before=[[Sir Alexander Milne, 1st Baronet|Sir Alexander Milne]]|after=[[James Robert Drummond|Sir James Drummond]]|years=1870&ndash;1874}}
|-
|-
{{succession box | title=[[First Sea Lord|First Naval Lord]] | before=[[Sir Alexander Milne, 1st Baronet|Sir Alexander Milne]] | after=[[George Wellesley|Sir George Wellesley]] | years=1876–1877}}
{{succession box | title=[[First Sea Lord|First Naval Lord]] | before=Sir Alexander Milne | after=Sir George Wellesley | years=1876–1877}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


{{First Sea Lord}}
{{First Sea Lord}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Yelverton, Hastings
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = First Sea Lord
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1808
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1877
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Somerset]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yelverton, Hastings}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yelverton, Hastings}}
[[Category:First Sea Lords]]
[[Category:First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff]]
[[Category:Lords of the Admiralty]]
[[Category:Lords of the Admiralty]]
[[Category:Royal Navy admirals]]
[[Category:Royal Navy admirals]]

Latest revision as of 15:16, 22 November 2023

Sir

Hastings Yelverton
As depicted by James Tissot in Vanity Fair, June 1877. Caption read "Spanish Ironclads"
Birth nameHastings Reginald Henry
Born8 March 1808
Kildare, Ireland
Died24 July 1878(1878-07-24) (aged 70)
Bath, Somerset
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1823–1877
RankAdmiral
Commands heldFirst Naval Lord
Mediterranean Fleet
Channel Squadron
HMS Conqueror
HMS Brunswick
HMS Arrogant
HMS Aigle
HMS Queen
Battles/warsPortuguese Civil War
Crimean War
Cantonal Revolution
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Admiral Sir Hastings Reginald Yelverton, GCB (born Hastings Reginald Henry; 21 March 1808[1] – 24 July 1878) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he took part in a major action against pirates off Candia in June 1826 and was involved in protecting British interests during the Portuguese Civil War during the early 1830s. He saw action in the Crimean War as Captain of one of the two ships that captured a Russian barque beneath the batteries at Ekenäs in Finland in May 1854. Then in July 1873 he took part in the suppression of the Cantonal Revolution in Cartagena. He became First Naval Lord in September 1876 and in that role implemented a series of economies demanded by the Disraeli ministry but was also involved in ordering the small, cheap and thoroughly unsuccessful ironclad Ajax-class battleships.

Early career[edit]

The first-rate HMS Queen which Yelverton commanded

Born the son of John Joseph Henry (of Straffan) and Lady Emily Elizabeth FitzGerald (daughter of William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster), Hastings Henry, as he then was, entered the Royal Navy as a first-class volunteer aboard the frigate HMS Sibylle in the Mediterranean Fleet in 1823.[2] He took part in a major action against pirates off Candia in June 1826 and subsequently served as a midshipman and mate in the brig HMS Columbine, the frigate HMS Undaunted and then the battleship HMS St Vincent in home waters.[2]

Promoted lieutenant on 18 December 1830, Henry was posted to the second-rate HMS Asia, flagship of Sir William Parker, in September 1831.[3] HMS Asia was then based at Lisbon, protecting British interests during the Portuguese Civil War.[4] He joined the sixth-rate HMS Rattlesnake on the East Indies Station in December 1834.[3] Promoted to commander on 28 June 1838, he joined the sloop HMS Styx at Sheerness in August 1841 and then took command of the sloop Devastation in the Mediterranean Fleet in September 1841.[3] He became acting captain of the first-rate HMS Queen in the Mediterranean Fleet in May 1842 and acting captain of the fifth-rate HMS Aigle also in the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1843.[3] He was promoted to captain on 5 September 1843 and, following his marriage to Barbara Rawdon-Hastings, Marchioness of Hastings (born Barbara Yelverton), assumed the surname of Yelverton on 3 January 1849.[5]

Crimean service[edit]

Yelverton was given command of the steam screw frigate HMS Arrogant in October 1853 and saw service in the Crimean War.[2] In May 1854, HMS Arrogant and the steam screw frigate HMS Hecla captured a Russian barque beneath the batteries at Ekenäs in Finland.[6] Throughout much on 1855, Yelverton with HMS Arrogant and HMS Magicienne operated independently destroying Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress and Svartholm fortress,[7] and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath for his services on 5 July 1855.[8] In December 1856, he took command of the second-rate HMS Brunswick and a gunboat flotilla for further operations but the Crimean War ended before he saw any action.[2] He went on to be Captain of the first-rate HMS Conqueror in the Mediterranean Fleet in July 1856 and comptroller-general of the coastguard in July 1859.[3]

Higher command[edit]

The armoured frigate HMS Lord Warden, flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, which Yelverton commanded in the early 1870s

Promoted rear admiral on 30 January 1863,[9] Yelverton became second-in-command of the Mediterranean Station, hoisting his flag in the second-rate HMS Revenge in June 1863 and then, from May 1865, in the broadside ironclad HMS Caledonia.[3]

He went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron in June 1866, and having been promoted to vice admiral on 29 May 1869, he was appointed by Hugh Childers, then First Lord of the Admiralty, to a committee to consider the new turret ship design.[2] He was elevated to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 2 June 1869.[10] He was again given command of the Channel Squadron in July 1870 and then became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, hoisting his flag in the battleship HMS Lord Warden, in October 1870.[3]

In July 1873, he took part in the suppression of the Cantonal Revolution in Cartagena.[2] He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 29 May 1875[11] and promoted to full admiral on 30 July 1875.[12]

Yelverton, by now suffering from deafness, became First Naval Lord in September 1876 after Sir Geoffrey Hornby refused the post. In that role Yelverton implemented a series of economies demanded by the Disraeli ministry but was also involved in ordering the small, cheap and thoroughly unsuccessful ironclad Ajax-class battleships.[2] Due to failing health, Yelverton resigned in November 1877 and died at the Grand Pump Hotel in Bath on 24 July 1878.[3]

Family[edit]

Yelverton married the widowed Barbara Rawdon-Hastings, Marchioness of Hastings, suo jure Barbara Yelverton, 20th Baroness Grey de Ruthyn (d. 1858) on 9 April 1845; their only child was born shortly thereafter - Hon. Barbara Yelverton (12 January 1849 – 1 October 1924), who married the John Yarde-Buller, 2nd Baron Churston.[13]

See also[edit]

  • O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). "Henry, Hastings Reginald" . A Naval Biographical Dictionary . John Murray – via Wikisource.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Boase, Frederic (1965). Modern English Biography. Frank Cass. p. 2132.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Andrew Lambert (September 2004). "Yelverton , Sir Hastings Reginald (1808–1878)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/50203. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "William Loney RN". Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  4. ^ Laughton, J. K. (2004). "Parker, Sir William, first baronet (1781–1866)". In rev. Andrew Lambert (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/21348. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ "No. 20934". The London Gazette. 9 January 1849. p. 73.
  6. ^ Napier, Sir Charles (1857). "Chapter VI". The history of the Baltic campaign of 1854. London: Milner and Co. ISBN 978-1402185199.
  7. ^ "History of War against Russia". Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  8. ^ "No. 21743". The London Gazette. 10 July 1855. p. 2654.
  9. ^ "No. 22705". The London Gazette. 6 February 1863. p. 646.
  10. ^ "No. 23503". The London Gazette. 2 June 1869. p. 3179.
  11. ^ "No. 24213". The London Gazette. 29 May 1875. p. 2851.
  12. ^ "No. 24234". The London Gazette. 6 August 1875. p. 3914.
  13. ^ "thePeerage.com". Retrieved 29 December 2012.

Sources[edit]

Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Channel Squadron
1866–1867 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Channel Squadron
July 1870–October 1870 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet
1870–1874 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Sir Alexander Milne
 First Naval Lord
1876–1877 		Succeeded by
Sir George Wellesley
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