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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2019}}

[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] '''Sir Edward Southwell Sotheby''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KCB}} (14 May 1813 – 6 January 1902) was an English naval officer in the [[Royal Navy]].<ref name="odnb">{{cite ODNB |last1=Laughton |first1=L. G. C. |title=Sotheby, Sir Edward Southwell (1813–1902), naval officer |date=23 September 2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/36198|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-36198 |access-date=12 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="times">{{cite news |title= Admiral Sir Edward S. Sotheby, K.C.B.|work=[[The Times]] |date=8 January 1902 |page=4 }}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Sotheby was born at [[Clifton, Bristol]], the second son of [[Admiral of the Blue]] Thomas Sotheby (1759–1831), and his second wife, Lady Mary Anne (d. 1830), fourth daughter of [[Joseph Bourke, 3rd Earl of Mayo]] and Archbishop of Tuam. The poet [[William Sotheby]] (1757–1833) was his uncle and Rear-Admiral [[Charles Sotheby]] his cousin. He was from the southern branch of the famed [[Sotheby's|Sotheby]] family from Yorkshire, which found success as auctioneers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Leadman, F.S.A. |first1=Alex D. H. |title=Pocklington Church |journal=Yorkshire Archaeological Journal |date=1898 |volume=XIV |page=105 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mOUGAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA105 |publisher=Bradbury, Evans, and Company |language=en}}</ref> He attended the [[Royal Naval College, Portsmouth]],<ref name="odnb"/> entering the Royal Navy on 3 August 1826, aged 13.<ref name="nbd">{{cite wikisource|chapter=Sotheby, Edward Southwell|wslink=A Naval Biographical Dictionary|plaintitle=A Naval Biographical Dictionary|last=|first=|year= 1849 |publisher=|page=|wspage=|scan=}}</ref>

==Career==
Sotheby passed the Royal Navy examination in 1832 before going to sea. He was commissioned as a [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]], 3 October 1835.<ref name="nbd"/> He served on {{HMS|Dido|1836|6}} during the 1840 operations off the coast of [[Syria]] during the [[Egyptian–Ottoman War (1839–1841)#Naval intervention in Syria|Egyptian–Ottoman War]]. For his services during the conflict, he was promoted to [[Commander (Royal Navy)|commander]] on 30 October 1841.<ref name="times"/>

He saw conflict again on ''Dido'' in 1842 during the [[First Opium War]], when the British unleashed "[[gunboat diplomacy]]" to defeat the Chinese. In 1846–1847, he commanded {{HMS|Racehorse|1830|6}} against the [[Māori people|Māori]] in the [[New Zealand Wars]]. In 1850, he took command of {{HMS|Sealark|1843|6}} and exerted himself in the suppression of the slave trade along the west coast of Africa. He was promoted to [[Captain (Royal Navy)|captain]] in September 1852.<ref name="times"/>

From 1855 to 1858, Sotheby was captain of {{HMS|Pearl|1855|6}}, a 21-gun screw corvette which he commanded in the Pacific Ocean, China, and India. While on route to India for the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], ''Pearl'' rescued the crew of the wrecked transport HMS ''Transit'', which wrecked off [[Bangka Island]], [[Sumatra]]. Sotheby was called to shore and took command of the [[Pearl's Naval Brigade|''Pearl''{{'}}s Naval Brigade]] for 10 months. For his assistance in suppressing the Indian uprising, Sotheby received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, the Governor-General of India, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and the Naval and Military Commanders-in-Chief in India for services rendered.<ref name="times"/>

In 1860, Sotheby was captain of the battleship {{HMS|Conqueror|1855|6}}, a 101-gun {{sclass|Conqueror|ship of the line|0}} screw-propelled [[first-rate]] [[ship of the line]] of the Royal Navy. He served in the English Channel until late 1861, when ''Conqueror'' was despatched to carry troops supporting the [[Second French intervention in Mexico|French intervention in Mexico]]. On 29 December 1861, the ship was wrecked on the reefs of [[Rum Cay]], in [[the Bahamas]], without loss of life. It was determined the [[Master (naval)|master]] failed to allow for the local currents. When Sotheby was brought to [[court-martial]], he argued that the captain was not responsible for the navigation of the ship, which was the role of the master. The court accepted Sotheby's argument and admonished the master. However, Admiral of the Fleet [[Sir Alexander Milne, 1st Baronet]] disagreed with the outcome of the court-martial and successfully wrote a letter to the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]], in which he not only attributed the loss of ''Conqueror''  to carelessness, but blaming Sotheby personally for his failure to supervise the master. On 20 March 1862, the Admiralty reconsidered the court case and revised the regulations by placing the ultimate responsibility for a ship's safety on the captain. After the court case, Sotheby had no further commands in the Royal Navy. In 1863, he commanded the Portland coastguard division, his final command.<ref name="odnb"/>

Sotheby was made a [[Rear admiral (Royal Navy)|rear-admiral]] on 1 September 1867, a [[Vice admiral (Royal Navy)|vice-admiral]] on 25 August 1873, and an [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|admiral]] in June 1879. He retired from active service on 1 April 1870.<ref name="times"/>

After his retirement, Sir Edward devoted himself to his philanthropic work for the blind. For many years, he was chairman of the Blind Institute in [[Tottenham]]. In 1886, he was made a commissioner for investigating and reporting on the condition of the blind.<ref name="odnb"/>

==Honours==
For his role in suppressing the Indian uprising, Sotheby and his brigade were [[mentioned in dispatches]] 13 times. He was made a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] (CB) and an extra ''aide de camp'' to [[Queen Victoria]]  (1858–67). In the [[1875 Birthday Honours]], he was promoted to a [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] (KCB).<ref name="times"/>

==Personal life==
Sotheby married Lucy Elizabeth Adeane, third daughter of [[Henry John Adeane]] and granddaughter of [[John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley|Lord Stanley of Alderley]]. They had three sons: William Edward Southwell Sotheby, Alfred Frederick Sotheby, and Herbert George Sotheby.<ref name="odnb"/>

Sir Edward died at his home at 26 [[Green Street, Mayfair]], aged 88.<ref name="times"/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sotheby, Edward Southwell}}
[[Category:1813 births]]
[[Category:1902 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Clifton, Bristol]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:English philanthropists]]
[[Category:Royal Navy admirals]]
[[Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Egyptian–Ottoman War (1839–1841)]]
[[Category:Royal Navy personnel of the New Zealand Wars]]
[[Category:Royal Navy personnel of the First Opium War]]
[[Category:Sotheby family|Edward Southwell]]