George Ferguson (Royal Navy officer) facts for kids

George Ferguson (April 1788 – 15 March 1867) was a Scottish officer in the Royal Navy. He served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, becoming an admiral. He was also a Tory politician, serving in the House of Commons (the main part of the British Parliament) from 1832 to 1837. He was the fifth laird (a Scottish landowner) of Pitfour, a large estate in Scotland, from 1821 until his death.

Family Life and Inheritance

George Ferguson was the son of George Ferguson (1748–1820). His father was known as "the Governor" and owned a large estate called Pitfour in Scotland. He also had property in Trinidad and Tobago. When his father died, George Ferguson inherited a lot of money and land.

To tell them apart, people often called George Ferguson "the Sailor" or "the Admiral." This was because of his long career in the navy. He became the fifth laird of Pitfour in 1821 and held this title until he died in 1867. He enjoyed a very expensive lifestyle and spent a lot of his inherited money.

In 1812, he married Elizabeth Holcombe, who came from a wealthy family. She received money from her father. Sadly, Elizabeth died in early 1814, just a few weeks after giving birth to their only child, a daughter.

He married a second time on 7 April 1825 to Elizabeth Jane Rowley. She was the oldest daughter of Clotworthy Rowley, 1st Baron Langford and a niece of the famous Duke of Wellington. George and Elizabeth had five children together: four daughters (Frances Harriet, Georgina Harriet, Elizabeth Ann, and Emily Ann) and one son (George Arthur).

Naval Career

George Ferguson joined the navy in 1798 when he was just ten years old. This was a common age for boys to start their naval careers back then. He began as a midshipman, a junior officer, on ships like HMS Hussar and HMS Loire. By the age of 17, he was promoted to lieutenant. He continued to rise through the ranks until he left the navy in September 1815, when he was 27.

In November 1811, Ferguson was the commander of a small warship called HMS Pylades. One morning, while he was on shore, the Pylades broke free from its anchor and got stuck on rocks. Local people helped to save the ship by throwing guns overboard and cutting down the mast. This made the ship lighter and helped it float again. Ferguson wanted an official investigation to clear his name, but the Admiralty (the government department in charge of the navy) said no.

After his first wife died, Ferguson went back to sea in 1814, serving on HMS Spey. He continued to be promoted as he got older. He became a rear-admiral in 1849, a vice-admiral in 1856, and finally an admiral in February 1861, when he was 72 years old.

Political Life

In 1832, new laws changed how elections worked in Britain. George Ferguson decided to try and become a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Banffshire area in Scotland. He was elected in the 1832 general election. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the House of Commons, where laws are made. He held this position until 1837.

During this time, the British government was ending the practice of slavery in its colonies. In 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 was passed. This law ended slavery in most British territories. To compensate people who had owned enslaved individuals, the government paid them money. George Ferguson received a payment of £5,724 because he had owned 299 enslaved people in Tobago. This money was part of a larger loan that the British government took out and which was paid off by British taxpayers over many years.

Later Life and Legacy

George Ferguson died in March 1867 at his home in London. He had bought this large house from the Marquess of Bute some years before. He is buried in a family burial place at Kensal Green Cemetery in London. His second wife and two of his unmarried daughters are also buried there. After his death, his estate was passed on to his son, George Arthur.