Peter Parker, 1st Baronet

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Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet (* 1721 in Ireland ; † December 21, 1811 in London ) was a British naval officer (most recently Admiral of the Fleet ).

Admiral Sir Peter Parker, painting by Lemuel Francis Abbott around 1799

Live and act

Parker became a lieutenant in the Royal Navy in 1743 and a captain in 1747 . In 1761 he was in command of HMS Buckingham in the capture of Belle-Île in the Seven Years' War against the French. After the end of the war in 1763 he was on half pay and was not activated again for service in the Royal Navy until 1772. On June 10 of the same year he was knighted as a Knight Bachelor .

During the American War of Independence he commanded the attack on Sullivan's Island (Fort Moultrie), which protected the entrance to Charleston (South Carolina) , as a Commodore on his flagship HMS Bristol on June 28, 1776 . Here led Henry Clinton to attack by land. He suffered heavy losses and damage to his ships, one of which he lost (HMS Actaeon), so that he had to call off the attack. He himself was wounded in the leg and the last South Carolina governor, Lord William Campbell, fell aboard his flagship. Then he was under Admiral Lord Howe (whose brother William Howe commanded the land forces) involved in the capture of New York and conquered Rhode Island in 1776 . He became Rear Admiral in 1777 and Vice Admiral in 1779 and was Commander-in-Chief of Jamaica Station from 1777 to 1782 . In England he acquired the manor house of Bassingbourne in Takeley ( Uttlesford District) in Essex , and in 1782 the hereditary title of Baronet , of Bassingbourne in the County of Essex. During this time, Horatio Nelson also served on his flagship, the HMS Bristol, and was patronized by Parker. He made him First Lieutenant on his flagship, soon entrusted him with the brig Badger and in 1779, after being appointed captain, the frigate Hinchinbrooke . Both became friends.

1784 to 1786 he was a Burgess for Seaford and 1787 to 1790 for Maldon member of the House of Commons . In 1787 he became Admiral of the White and from 1793 to 1799 he was Commander-in-Chief in Portsmouth . After Admiral Howe's death in 1799, he was succeeded Admiral of the Fleet .

In 1806 he was the main eulogy at Lord Nelson’s funeral.

He died in 1811 and was buried in St Margaret's Church in Westminster . He was married to Margaret Nugent (around 1742-1803) and had two daughters, Anne and Antoinette. His only son, Vice-Admiral Christopher Parker (1761-1804), had died before him, so that his eldest son, his grandson Captain Peter Parker (1786-1814), inherited the title of 2nd baronet.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 2, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 293.
  2. ↑ Baronetage: PARKER of Bassingbourn, Essex at Leigh Rayment's Peerage (English)
  3. ↑ Alphabetical index of MPs since 1660 at Leigh Rayment's Peerage (English)
predecessor title successor
New title created Baronet, of Bassingbourne
1782-1811 		Peter Parker
personal data
SURNAME Parker, Peter, 1st Baronet
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Parker, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British admiral
DATE OF BIRTH 1721
PLACE OF BIRTH Ireland
DATE OF DEATH December 21, 1811
Place of death London