George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe

George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, by Joshua Reynolds
Born	3 March 1720
Died	4 February 1795
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Plymouth Command
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War

Admiral George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, PC (3 March 1720 – 4 February 1795) was a British peer, naval officer and politician.

Edgcumbe was the second surviving son of Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe and his wife Matilda, the only child of Sir Henry Furnese. He is thought to have been educated at Eton.

He was commissioned a lieutenant in the Royal Navy in 1739 and in 1742 was promoted to be commander of the Terrible bomb. In the course of 1743 he was appointed acting captain of the Kennington of 20 guns, and was officially confirmed on 19 August 1744. He commanded her in the Mediterranean till 1745, when he was advanced to the Salisbury of 50 guns. This ship, as part of the Western Fleet under Hawke and Boscawen, initially patrolled the Bay of Biscay during the War of Austrian Succession. Its ship's surgeon was James Lind, who conducted his experiments on scurvy during such a patrol in 1747. The war ended in 1748. About this time Edgcumbe was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds and the Salisbury appears in the background.

In 1746, Edgcumbe was returned as Member of Parliament for Fowey at a by-election, on his father's interest. He was considered a government Whig, but rarely attended Parliament as he was at sea. In 1747, he was appointed Clerk of the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1747, an office he retained until 1762.

In 1751 he went to the Mediterranean as senior officer in the Monmouth, and the following year in the Deptford of 50 guns. He was still in her and with his small squadron at Minorca, when the French invaded the island on 19 April 1756. He hastily landed the marines and as many of the seamen as could be spared, and sailed the next day for Gibraltar, before the French had taken any measures to block the harbour. At Gibraltar he was joined by Admiral John Byng, by whom he was ordered to move into the Lancaster of 66 guns. In The Battle of Minorca, on 20 May the Lancaster was one of the ships in the van, under Rear-admiral West, which did get into action, and being unsupported suffered severely. In 1758, still in the Lancaster, he was in the fleet under Boscawen at the reduction of Louisbourg. On his return to England, with the despatches announcing this success, he was appointed to the Hero of 74 guns, in which he took part in the blockade of Brest during the long summer of 1759, and in the crowning battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 Nov.

He continued in the Hero attached to the grand fleet under Hawke or Boscawen, till on the death of his brother Richard on 10 May 1761, when he inherited his brother's barony, and succeeded him as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall in June. He was promoted rear admiral on October 21, 1762.

He was appointed Treasurer of the Household in 1765, serving until 1766, and made a Privy Councillor on 26 July. He became Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth the same year, retaining the command until 1771. In 1770, he was promoted vice-admiral and was appointed joint Vice-Treasurer of Ireland. He remained Vice-Treasurer until 1772, when he was appointed Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners. Promoted admiral in 1778, he was created Viscount Mount Edgcumbe and Valletort in 1781, and remained Captain of the Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners until resigning in 1782, when he was appointed Vice-Admiral of Cornwall. In 1784, he was again appointed joint Vice-Treasurer of Ireland, holding office until 1793. In 1789, he was granted the further title of Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, and died in 1795. In 1784 he was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society

On 16 August 1761, he had married Emma Gilbert (the only daughter of John Gilbert, Archbishop of York) and they had one child, Richard who succeeded to his titles. In English folklore, Emma has been identified as the subject of the story of the "Lady with the Ring".

A manuscript journal, kept by Edgcumbe and Captain William Marsh, from 30 April 1742 to 1 June 1744, is in the Bodleian Library. A letter from Edgcumbe to Garrick is printed in the latter's ‘Private Correspondence,’.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:  Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. 

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Jonathan Rashleigh William Wardour	Member of Parliament for Fowey with Jonathan Rashleigh 1746–1761	Succeeded by Jonathan Rashleigh Hon. Robert Walsingham
Preceded by Richard Edgcumbe The Lord Sundon	Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle with Richard Edgcumbe 1747	Succeeded by William Baker George Treby
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Powis	Treasurer of the Household 1765–1766	Succeeded by John Shelley
Preceded by The Earl of Lichfield	Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners 1772–1782	Succeeded by The Lord Ferrers of Chartley
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Lord Edgcumbe	Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall 1761–1795	Succeeded by The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
Preceded by The Viscount Falmouth	Vice-Admiral of Cornwall 1782–1795
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation	Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 1789–1795	Succeeded by Richard Edgcumbe
	Viscount Mount Edgcumbe and Valletort 1781–1795
Preceded by Richard Edgcumbe	Baron Edgcumbe 1761–1795