Admiral of the FleetGeorge Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, KB,PC (27 January 1663 – 17 January 1733), of Southill Park in Bedfordshire, was a Royal Navy officer and statesman. While still a lieutenant, he delivered a letter from various captains to Prince William of Orange, who had just landed at Torbay, assuring the Prince of the captains' support; the Prince gave Byng a response which ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688.
Byng was sent to the Mediterranean to thwart any attempt by the Spanish to take Sicily. He encountered the Spanish fleet at Naples and, after pursuing it down the Strait of Messina, sent ahead his fastest ships causing the Spanish fleet to split in two. In the ensuing action, known as the Battle of Cape Passaro, the Spanish fleet was devastated: 10 ships of the line were captured, four ships of the line sunk or burnt and four frigates were captured at this early and critical stage of the War of the Quadruple Alliance. He went on to be First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II.
Born the son of John Byng and Philadelphia Byng (née Johnson), Byng joined the Royal Navy as a King's Letter Boy in May 1678.[1] He served initially in the fourth-rateHMS Swallow and then transferred to the fourth-rate HMS Reserve in November 1678 and to the fourth-rate HMS Mary Rose in June 1679.[1] He sailed with the fifth-rate HMS Phoenix to Tangier in Summer 1680 and, after a short period of military service with the 2nd Tangier Regiment, he rejoined the Royal Navy as a lieutenant on 23 February 1684 and assigned to the fourth-rate HMS Oxford before returning to HMS Phoenix in which he sailed to the East Indies on a mission to put down a rebellion in Bombay.[1] He transferred to the fourth-rate HMS Mordaunt in May 1688 and to the third-rateHMS Defiance in September 1688.[1]
In October 1688 Byng, still a lieutenant, delivered a letter from various captains to Prince William of Orange, who had just landed at Torbay, assuring the Prince of the captains' support; the Prince gave Byng a response which ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688.[1] Promoted to captain on 22 December 1688, he was given command of the fourth-rate HMS Constant Warwick before transferring to the command of the third-rate HMS Hope in May 1690 in which he saw action at the Battle of Beachy Head in July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. He transferred to the command of the second-rateHMS Duchess in September 1690 and to the third-rate HMS Royal Oak in January 1691 before becoming Flag Captain to Admiral Edward Russell in the first-rateHMS Britannia in December 1693.[1]
Byng became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, with his flag in the first-rate HMS Royal Anne, in late 1705 and then took part in the bombardment of Alicante in June 1706. After taking part in the British defeat at the Battle of Toulon in July 1707 and, while sailing aboard his flagship HMS Royal Anne, Byng was present during the great naval disaster off the Isles of Scilly in October 1707 when Shovell and four of his ships were lost, claiming the lives of nearly 2,000 sailors.[4]
Promoted to full admiral on 26 January 1708, Byng became Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in January 1709[5] and went on to join the Board of Admiralty led by the Earl of Orford in November 1709.[6] Byng was advanced to Senior Naval Lord on the Admiralty Board in October 1710.[7] He stood down from the Admiralty Board in January 1714 but was reappointed, as Senior Naval Lord again, on Orford's return to the Admiralty in October 1714.[6]
Byng took part in the suppression of the Jacobite rising by cutting off the Old Pretender's supplies in 1715 and for this he was created a baronet on 15 November 1715. In 1717 he was commanding the British fleet in the Baltic with full cooperation from Denmark's admiral Peter Raben.[8]
He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 14 March 1718 and, with his flag in the second-rate HMS Barfleur, he was sent out as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet[9] to thwart any attempt by the Spanish to gain or to consolidate their position in Sicily. He encountered the Spanish fleet at Naples and, after pursuing it down the Strait of Messina, sent ahead his fastest ships causing the Spanish fleet to split in two.[10] In the ensuing action on 11 August 1718, known as the Battle of Cape Passaro, the Spanish fleet was devastated: 10 ships of the line were captured, 4 ships of the line sunk or burnt and 4 frigates were captured at this early and critical stage of the War of the Quadruple Alliance.[11]
George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington by Godfrey Kneller circa 1700
Byng was married at St Paul's, Covent Garden, on 6 March 1691 to Margaret Master, daughter of James Master of East Langdon in Kent.[19] Together the couple had fifteen children (eleven sons and four daughters) of whom six lived to survive him:[20][21]
Pattee Byng (1699–1747), 2nd Viscount Torrington, died without surviving progeny.
Byng died on 17 January 1733 and was eventually buried in a vault within the newly constructed Byng Mausoleum attached to the north side of the Church of All Saints in the parish of Southill, Bedfordshire,[22] in which parish was situated his residence of Southill Park. The mausoleum was constructed for his burial, with licence granted by the Bishop of Lincoln in 1733.[23]
References
Citations
^ abcdefghHattendorf, John B. "Byng, George, first Viscount Torrington". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4262. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^Matthews, Shirley (1970). "Byng, Sir George". In Sedgwick, Romney (ed.). The House of Commons 1715-1754. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
george, byng, viscount, torrington, admiral, fleet, january, 1663, january, 1733, southill, park, bedfordshire, royal, navy, officer, statesman, while, still, lieutenant, delivered, letter, from, various, captains, prince, william, orange, just, landed, torbay. Admiral of the Fleet George Byng 1st Viscount Torrington KB PC 27 January 1663 17 January 1733 of Southill Park in Bedfordshire was a Royal Navy officer and statesman While still a lieutenant he delivered a letter from various captains to Prince William of Orange who had just landed at Torbay assuring the Prince of the captains support the Prince gave Byng a response which ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688 The Right HonourableThe Viscount TorringtonAdmiral of the Fleet George Byng 1st Viscount Torrington by Jeremiah Davison in 1733Born 1663 01 27 27 January 1663Wrotham KentDied17 January 1733 1733 01 17 aged 69 Southill BedfordshireBuriedChurch of All Saints Southill BedfordshireAllegiance Kingdom of England 1678 1707 Kingdom of Great Britain 1707 1733 Service wbr branch Royal Navy Royal NavyYears of service1678 1733RankAdmiral of the FleetCommands heldHMS Constant WarwickHMS HopeHMS DuchessHMS Royal OakHMS BritanniaHMS NassauMediterranean FleetBattles warsGlorious RevolutionNine Years War Battle of Beachy HeadWar of the Spanish Succession Battle of Vigo Bay Battle of Malaga Battle of ToulonWar of the Quadruple Alliance Battle of Cape PassaroAwardsKnight Companion of the Order of the BathArms of Byng Quarterly sable and argent in the first quarter a lion rampant of the second As a captain Byng saw action at the Battle of Vigo Bay when the French fleet were defeated during the War of the Spanish Succession As a flag officer he led the bombardment squadron while serving under Admiral Sir George Rooke at the Capture of Gibraltar and then took part in the Battle of Malaga at a later stage in the same war Byng was sent to the Mediterranean to thwart any attempt by the Spanish to take Sicily He encountered the Spanish fleet at Naples and after pursuing it down the Strait of Messina sent ahead his fastest ships causing the Spanish fleet to split in two In the ensuing action known as the Battle of Cape Passaro the Spanish fleet was devastated 10 ships of the line were captured four ships of the line sunk or burnt and four frigates were captured at this early and critical stage of the War of the Quadruple Alliance He went on to be First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II Contents 1 Early career 2 Senior command 3 Marriage and progeny 4 Death and burial 5 References 5 1 Citations 5 2 Sources 6 Further reading 7 External linksEarly career EditBorn the son of John Byng and Philadelphia Byng nee Johnson Byng joined the Royal Navy as a King s Letter Boy in May 1678 1 He served initially in the fourth rate HMS Swallow and then transferred to the fourth rate HMS Reserve in November 1678 and to the fourth rate HMS Mary Rose in June 1679 1 He sailed with the fifth rate HMS Phoenix to Tangier in Summer 1680 and after a short period of military service with the 2nd Tangier Regiment he rejoined the Royal Navy as a lieutenant on 23 February 1684 and assigned to the fourth rate HMS Oxford before returning to HMS Phoenix in which he sailed to the East Indies on a mission to put down a rebellion in Bombay 1 He transferred to the fourth rate HMS Mordaunt in May 1688 and to the third rate HMS Defiance in September 1688 1 The first rate HMS Britannia which Byng commanded as flag captain to Admiral Edward Russell In October 1688 Byng still a lieutenant delivered a letter from various captains to Prince William of Orange who had just landed at Torbay assuring the Prince of the captains support the Prince gave Byng a response which ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688 1 Promoted to captain on 22 December 1688 he was given command of the fourth rate HMS Constant Warwick before transferring to the command of the third rate HMS Hope in May 1690 in which he saw action at the Battle of Beachy Head in July 1690 during the Nine Years War He transferred to the command of the second rate HMS Duchess in September 1690 and to the third rate HMS Royal Oak in January 1691 before becoming Flag Captain to Admiral Edward Russell in the first rate HMS Britannia in December 1693 1 Byng was given command of the third rate HMS Nassau in June 1702 and saw action at the Battle of Vigo Bay when the French fleet were defeated in October 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession 1 Senior command EditPromoted to rear admiral on 1 March 1703 Byng became third in command of the Mediterranean Fleet under Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell with his flag in the third rate HMS Ranelagh later that month He led the bombardment squadron while serving under Admiral Sir George Rooke at the Capture of Gibraltar in August 1704 and then took part in the Battle of Malaga in August 1704 1 Knighted on 22 October 1704 2 and promoted to vice admiral on 3 January 1705 he was elected Member of Parliament for Plymouth later that year 3 Byng became Commander in Chief Portsmouth with his flag in the first rate HMS Royal Anne in late 1705 and then took part in the bombardment of Alicante in June 1706 After taking part in the British defeat at the Battle of Toulon in July 1707 and while sailing aboard his flagship HMS Royal Anne Byng was present during the great naval disaster off the Isles of Scilly in October 1707 when Shovell and four of his ships were lost claiming the lives of nearly 2 000 sailors 4 Promoted to full admiral on 26 January 1708 Byng became Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in January 1709 5 and went on to join the Board of Admiralty led by the Earl of Orford in November 1709 6 Byng was advanced to Senior Naval Lord on the Admiralty Board in October 1710 7 He stood down from the Admiralty Board in January 1714 but was reappointed as Senior Naval Lord again on Orford s return to the Admiralty in October 1714 6 The Battle of Cape Passaro at which Byng commanded the British fleet Byng took part in the suppression of the Jacobite rising by cutting off the Old Pretender s supplies in 1715 and for this he was created a baronet on 15 November 1715 In 1717 he was commanding the British fleet in the Baltic with full cooperation from Denmark s admiral Peter Raben 8 He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 14 March 1718 and with his flag in the second rate HMS Barfleur he was sent out as Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet 9 to thwart any attempt by the Spanish to gain or to consolidate their position in Sicily He encountered the Spanish fleet at Naples and after pursuing it down the Strait of Messina sent ahead his fastest ships causing the Spanish fleet to split in two 10 In the ensuing action on 11 August 1718 known as the Battle of Cape Passaro the Spanish fleet was devastated 10 ships of the line were captured 4 ships of the line sunk or burnt and 4 frigates were captured at this early and critical stage of the War of the Quadruple Alliance 11 George Byng 1st Viscount Torrington by Godfrey Kneller circa 1700 Byng was then given power to negotiate with the various princes and states of Italy on behalf of the English crown 12 Following his return to England Byng became both Treasurer of the Navy 13 and Rear Admiral of Great Britain on 21 October 1720 14 He was admitted to the Privy Council on 3 January 1721 15 and having stepped down from the Admiralty Board in September 1721 6 was created Baron Byng of Southill in the county of Bedford and 1st Viscount Torrington in Devon on 21 September 1721 16 He developed his estate at Southill Park in Bedfordshire in the 1720s 17 Byng was installed as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath on 17 June 1725 and appointed First Lord of the Admiralty during the Walpole Townshend Ministry in August 1727 in this role he was instrumental in the establishment of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth 18 Marriage and progeny Edit Southill Park Byng s country house in Bedfordshire Byng was married at St Paul s Covent Garden on 6 March 1691 to Margaret Master daughter of James Master of East Langdon in Kent 19 Together the couple had fifteen children eleven sons and four daughters of whom six lived to survive him 20 21 Pattee Byng 1699 1747 2nd Viscount Torrington died without surviving progeny George Byng 1701 1750 3rd Viscount Torrington Robert Byng 1703 1740 Governor of Barbados 1739 1740 from whom the Earls of Strafford stem John Byng 1704 1757 Admiral controversially court martialled and shot at the outbreak of the Seven Years War in Europe Edward Byng 1706 1756 Sarah Byng 1695 1775 Death and burial EditByng died on 17 January 1733 and was eventually buried in a vault within the newly constructed Byng Mausoleum attached to the north side of the Church of All Saints in the parish of Southill Bedfordshire 22 in which parish was situated his residence of Southill Park The mausoleum was constructed for his burial with licence granted by the Bishop of Lincoln in 1733 23 References EditCitations Edit a b c d e f g h Hattendorf John B Byng George first Viscount Torrington Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 4262 Subscription or UK public library membership required No 4064 The London Gazette 19 October 1704 p 4 Matthews Shirley 1970 Byng Sir George In Sedgwick Romney ed The House of Commons 1715 1754 The History of Parliament Trust Retrieved 16 May 2015 Sobel p 6 Owen John Hely 2010 War at Sea Under Queen Anne 1702 1708 Cambridge England Cambridge University Press p 100 ISBN 9781108013383 a b c Sainty J C 1975 Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660 1870 Office Holders in Modern Britain Volume 4 Admiralty Officials 1660 1870 pp 18 31 Archived from the original on 7 October 2014 Retrieved 16 May 2015 Rodger pp 51 52 Topsoe Jensen Vol 2 p 344 Harrison Simon 2010 2018 George Byng 1663 64 1732 33 threedecks org S Harrison Retrieved 7 January 2019 The Battles of George Byng Retrieved 16 May 2015 Bodart p 176 No 5882 The London Gazette 30 August 1720 p 1 Sainty J C Navy Treasurer c 1546 1836 Institute of Historical Research Retrieved 16 May 2015 No 5896 The London Gazette 18 October 1720 p 1 No 5917 The London Gazette 31 December 1720 p 1 No 5988 The London Gazette 5 September 1721 p 1 Southill Park Bedfordshire County Council Archived from the original on 2 May 2015 Retrieved 16 May 2015 Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Torrington George Byng Viscount Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 27 11th ed Cambridge University Press Cokayne George Edward 1896 The Complete Peerage London George Bell amp Sons p 410 Debrett John 1840 Debrett s Peerage of England Scotland and Ireland London William Pickering pp 728 729 peerage George Byng 1st Viscount Torrington Cracrofts Peerage Retrieved 16 May 2015 Byng vault The Mausolea and Monuments Trust Retrieved 16 May 2015 dijit net Byng Vault Mausolea amp Monuments Trust Mmtrust org uk Retrieved 17 April 2018 Sources Edit Bodart Gaston 1908 Militar historisches Kriegs Lexikon 1618 1905 Vienna Rodger N A M 1979 The Admiralty Offices of State Lavenham T Dalton Ltd ISBN 0900963948 Sobel Dava 1998 Longitude The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time London Fourth Estate ISBN 1 85702 571 7 Laughton John Knox 1886 Byng George In Stephen Leslie ed Dictionary of National Biography Vol 8 London Smith Elder amp Co Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Torrington George Byng Viscount Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 27 11th ed Cambridge University Press Further reading EditByng George Sir 1739 Account of the Expedition of the British Fleet to Sicily In the Years 1718 1719 and 1720 J and R Tonson External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Byng 1st Viscount Torrington George Byng 1663 64 1732 33 Three Decks Hutchinson John 1892 George Byng Men of Kent and Kentishmen Subscription ed Canterbury Cross amp Jackman p 28 Parliament of EnglandPreceded byCharles TrelawnyJohn Woolcombe Member of Parliament for Plymouth1705 1707 With Charles Trelawny Succeeded byParliament of Great BritainParliament of Great BritainPreceded byParliament of England Member of Parliament for Plymouth1707 1721 With Charles Trelawny to 1713Sir John Rogers 1713 1721 Succeeded bySir John RogersPattee ByngMilitary officesPreceded bySir John Leake Senior Naval Lord1710 1712 Succeeded bySir John LeakePreceded bySir John Leake Senior Naval Lord1714 1717 Succeeded byMatthew AylmerPreceded byMatthew Aylmer Senior Naval Lord1718 1721 Succeeded bySir John JenningsPreceded bySir Matthew Aylmer Admiral of the Fleet1718 1733 Succeeded bySir John NorrisPolitical officesPreceded byRichard Hampden Treasurer of the Navy1720 1724 Succeeded byPattee ByngPreceded byThe Earl of Berkeley First Lord of the Admiralty1727 1733 Succeeded bySir Charles WagerHonorary titlesPreceded byLord Aylmer Rear Admiral of Great Britain1720 1733 Succeeded bySir John JenningsPeerage of Great BritainNew creation Viscount Torrington1721 1733 Succeeded byPattee ByngBaronetage of Great BritainNew creation Baronet of Southill 1715 1733 Succeeded byPattee Byng Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title George Byng 1st Viscount Torrington amp oldid 1138157992, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
