George Elliot (Royal Navy officer, born 1784) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir George Elliot
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait by George Hayter, 1834
|
|
| Born | 1 August 1784 |
| Died | 24 June 1863 (aged 78) Kensington, London |
| Buried |
Kensal Green Cemetery, London
|
| Allegiance |  Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1794–1863 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Nore Command East Indies and China Station Cape of Good Hope Station HMS Victory HMS Hussar HMS Modeste HMS Aurora HMS Combatant HMS Maidstone HMS Termagant |
| Battles/wars | French Revolutionary Wars
|
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
| Spouse(s) | Eliza Cecilia |
| Relations | Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto (father) Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto (brother) George Elliot (son) Charles Elliot (cousin) |
Admiral Sir George Elliot (born August 1, 1784 – died June 24, 1863) was a brave officer in the Royal Navy. He served in important wars like the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the First Opium War.
Elliot came from a powerful family with many politicians. He joined the navy when he was young. He fought in major battles during the French Revolutionary Wars. These included the battles of Genoa, Hyères, and Cape St Vincent. He also served under the famous Admiral Nelson at the Nile and Copenhagen.
By the time the Napoleonic Wars started, Elliot was leading his own ships. Nelson even called him one of the best officers! He served well in the Mediterranean Sea and the East Indies. There, he helped with the invasion of Java. After the wars with France ended, Elliot got involved in politics. He had support from King William IV and his family.
Elliot was briefly a Member of Parliament for Roxburghshire. He also worked as Secretary to the Admiralty and later as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty. He returned to active navy duty as a high-ranking officer. He commanded the naval station at the Cape of Good Hope. He then went to China during the First Opium War. However, his efforts there were not very successful.
When he returned to Britain, his family's political influence had lessened. He served in smaller navy roles after that. He did not return to government. Sir George Elliot died in 1863. He had become a full admiral and had a large family. Many of his children also became important military officers. He also helped shape naval policy during his time in politics.
Contents
George Elliot was born on August 1, 1784. He was the second son of Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto. His mother was Anna Maria. George's brother, Gilbert, later became the second Earl of Minto.
George joined the navy in 1794, when he was just 10 years old. This was soon after the French Revolutionary Wars began. He first served on the ship HMS St George. This ship was commanded by Captain Thomas Foley. The St George was the main ship for Sir Hyde Parker.
While on the St George, Elliot fought in two naval battles. These were the Battle of Genoa on March 14, 1795, and the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands on June 13, 1795.
Fighting in Major Battles
Elliot continued to serve under Captain Foley for several years. He moved to different ships with Foley. He was on HMS Britannia during the Battle of Cape St Vincent on February 14, 1797. Then he was on HMS Goliath for the famous Battle of the Nile from August 1-3, 1798. After that, he served on HMS Elephant.
After fighting in many important battles, Elliot was promoted. He became a lieutenant on August 12, 1800. In 1801, he served under admirals Sir Charles Pole and Horatio Nelson. He was first on HMS San Josef and then on HMS St George.
While on the St George, Elliot joined a fleet going to the Baltic. He took part in the fighting during the Battle of Copenhagen. He was promoted again to commander on April 14, 1802. In May 1803, he went to the Mediterranean with Nelson. He was a volunteer on Nelson's main ship, HMS Victory.
Leading His Own Ships
Nelson gave Elliot his first command on July 10, 1803. He was put in charge of the small ship HMS Termagant. His time on this ship was short. On August 1, he moved to the 32-gun ship HMS Maidstone.
Elliot was promoted to post-captain on January 2, 1804. He commanded the Maidstone during the blockade of Toulon. On July 11, 1804, boats from Maidstone and other ships helped destroy enemy vessels at Lavandou. He then briefly joined a group of ships blocking Cadiz. Around this time, Nelson called him "one of the best officers in the navy." Elliot spent the rest of the war serving in different areas. These included home waters, the Mediterranean, and the East Indies.
In March 1805, he became captain of HMS Combatant. In July 1805, he took command of the 22-gun HMS Aurora for service in the Mediterranean. In October 1806, he took command of the 36-gun HMS Modeste. He commanded the Modeste for six years. He sailed to the East Indies and China on February 15, 1807.
On October 8, 1808, he chased and captured the French ship Iéna in the Bay of Bengal. On July 15, 1809, boats from Modeste and HMS Barracouta captured the ship Tuijneelar in the Sunda Straits. Elliot then helped capture Java between August and September 1811.
In 1813, he took command of the 38-gun HMS Hussar. He helped stop pirates in Borneo in June. His actions in these campaigns got the attention of his superiors. He also helped Colonel McGregor put the Sultan of Palembang back in power.
After the Napoleonic Wars ended, he didn't have a command for a while. But he got a posting to command HMS Victory. This ship was a guardship at Portsmouth from May 1, 1827, to January 24, 1832. His service during this time earned him praise from the Duke of Clarence. The Duke later became King William IV.
In 1830, King William made Elliot a naval aide-de-camp. In September of that year, he was given the honor of Companion of the Bath. The King also asked him to be Secretary to the Admiralty starting November 29, 1830. He held this job until December 1834. He was also one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (the Third Naval Lord) from April 1835.
Elliot was a Whig Member of Parliament for Roxburghshire. He served from 1832 until he lost the election in 1835. In 1834, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
His brother, Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto, was the First Lord of the Admiralty from 1835 to 1841. George Elliot focused on ship design and building. He disagreed with Sir William Symonds, who was the main ship designer for the navy. Elliot and Sir Charles Adam pushed for money to be spent on fixing old ships instead of building new ones.
Elliot designed a small frigate (a type of warship). It was launched in 1843 as HMS Eurydice. Many people praised its design, especially its speed. For a time, his son, Captain George Elliot, commanded it. The ship later became a training ship. Sadly, it sank in a storm off the Isle of Wight on March 24, 1878, and many lives were lost.
Elliot was promoted to rear-admiral on January 10, 1837. In September of that year, he became commander-in-chief of the Cape of Good Hope Station. In February 1840, he was sent to China during the First Opium War. He was commander-in-chief of the East Indies and China Station. He also worked with his cousin, Captain Charles Elliot, as a special representative.
He oversaw operations from July to November. However, the foreign secretary, Lord Palmerston, thought his actions were not strong enough. Elliot himself admitted he was struggling. His health got worse, so he returned to Britain in November.
When he came back, the political situation had changed. His family's influence in the navy had decreased. George Elliot became a vice-admiral on May 13, 1847. He served as Commander-in-Chief, The Nore from 1848 to 1851. He reached the rank of full admiral on March 5, 1853. In 1855, he was put on the retired list. He was given the honor of Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in November 1862. He died on June 24, 1863, at his home in Kensington, London. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery.
Family Life
George Elliot married Eliza Cecilia in 1810. They had a large family together. Their oldest son, George Elliot, also joined the navy and became an admiral. Another son, Alexander Elliot, joined the Army and became a major-general.
Of his daughters, Georgiana Maria married William Carnegie, 8th Earl of Northesk. Eliza married William Compton, 4th Marquess of Northampton. Catherine Francis married James Robert Drummond.
