Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge
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| Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge | |
|---|---|
| 1788 – 1867 | |
 Admiral Lord FitzHardinge |
|
| Place of death | Berkeley, Gloucestershire |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral of the White |
| Commands held | First Naval Lord of the Admiralty |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath(GCB) |
| Other work | Member of Parliament Privy Council |
Admiral Maurice Frederick FitzHardinge Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge of Bristol, GCB PC, DL (3 January 1788 – 17 October 1867) was a former Royal Navy First Sea Lord and former First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria.
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[edit] Family
Berkeley was born illegitimately on 3 January 1788. He was the son of Frederick Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley and Mary Cole. He married, firstly, Charlotte Lennox, sixth daughter of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond and his wife Lady Charlotte Gordon, on 4 December 1823. She died ten years later. His second marriage was to Lady Charlotte Reynolds-Moreton, third daughter of Thomas Reynolds-Moreton, 1st Earl of Ducie, on 30 September 1834. He died on 17 October 1867 at age 79 in Berkeley Castle, Berkeley, Gloucestershire.
[edit]
Berkeley entered the Royal Navy in 1802 and already one year later, he stood out in a naval action. During the Peninsular War, he operated with gunboats on the Tagus reinforcing the Lines of Torres Vedras, for which accomplishment he was thanked by Sir Arthur Wellesley.[1] Between 1828 and 1841 Maurice Berkeley commanded in succession HMS Semiramis and HMS Hercules. In the Oriental Crisis of 1840 he was involved with HMS Thunderer on the attack of Acre.[1] For this he was awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath and received the Naval Gold Medal.[1]
He held the office of Fourth Naval Lord, a Lord of the Admiralty, between 1833 and 1834. and once again between 1837 and 1839. He held the office of Naval Aide-de-Camp to HM Queen Victoria between 1846 and 1849 whilst also being the Third Naval Lord between 1846 and 1852 during which time he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral. He was the First Naval Lord for several different periods between 1852 and 1857. He reached the ranks of Vice-Admiral of the Red in 1856, Admiral of the Blue in 1862 and he reached the highest rank in the Royal Navy, Admiral of the White, in 1863.
[edit] Honours
Throughout his later life he rose in the ranks within the Order of the Bath as a Knight Commander (KCB) in 1855 and finally as a Knight Grand Cross (GCB) in 1861. On 26 February 1861 after inheriting his brother's estates, he unsuccessfully claimed the Barony of Berkeley as being one by tenure of Berkeley Castle. He was created Baron FitzHardinge, of Bristol, of the city and county of the city of Bristol [U.K.] on 5 August 1861.
[edit] Political office
He was elected several times as a Member of Parliament for Gloucester, but in three separate periods. His first spell in the House of Commons was for just one year as a Whig, between 1831 and 1832. His second was as a Liberal Member, between 1835 and 1837. In 1841, he returned to parliament again as a Liberal Member for Gloucester, remaining through two more general elections until 1857. He represented Sussex as a Deputy Lieutenant.[1]
He was appointed as a Privy Councillor in 1855.
[edit] References
- Service record
- Archival material relating to Maurice Berkeley, 1st Baron FitzHardinge listed at the UK National Register of Archives
- Lambert, Andrew (2004). "Berkeley, Sir Maurice Frederick Fitzhardinge, first Baron Fitzhardinge (1788–1867)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/2219. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
[edit] External links
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Philpotts Edward Webb |
Member of Parliament for Gloucester 1831 – 1833 With: Edward Webb 1831–1832 John Philpotts 1832–1833 |
Succeeded by John Philpotts Henry Thomas Hope |
| Preceded by John Philpotts Henry Thomas Hope |
Member of Parliament for Gloucester 1835 – 1837 With: Henry Thomas Hope |
Succeeded by John Philpotts Henry Thomas Hope |
| Preceded by John Philpotts Henry Thomas Hope |
Member of Parliament for Gloucester 1841 – 1857 With: John Philpotts 1841–1847 Henry Thomas Hope 1847–1852 William Philip Price 1852–1857 |
Succeeded by Sir Robert Carden William Philip Price |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir James Dundas |
First Naval Lord 1852 |
Succeeded by Hyde Parker |
| Preceded by Hyde Parker |
First Naval Lord 1854 – 1857 |
Succeeded by Sir Richard Dundas |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron FitzHardinge 1861 – 1867 |
Succeeded by Francis Berkeley |
