The Lord Rodney | |
|---|---|
 1783 portrait of Rodney byThomas Gainsborough | |
| Born | 1718 |
| Died | 24 May 1792(1792-05-24) (aged 74) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1732–1792 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | Jamaica Station Leeward Islands Station |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight of the Order of the Bath |
AdmiralGeorge Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney,KB (1718 – 24 May 1792) was aRoyal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his service in theAmerican War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at theBattle of the Saintes in 1782. It has often been claimed that Rodney pioneered the tactic ofbreaking the line, though this is disputed.
Rodney went to sea at the age of 14, with his first major action being theSecond Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1747. He made a large amount ofprize money during the 1740s, allowing him to purchase a largecountry estate and a seat in theBritish House of Commons. During theSeven Years' War, Rodney was involved in a number of amphibious operations such as theRochefort andLe Havre raids andcapture of Louisbourg. He became well known for his role in thecapture of Martinique in 1762. Following the 1763Treaty of Paris, Rodney's financial situation stagnated. He spent large sums of money pursuing his political ambitions, and by 1774 had run up large debts and was forced to flee Britain to avoid his creditors. He was in a French jail whenwar broke out between Britain and France in 1778. Thanks to a French benefactor, Rodney was able to secure his release and return to Britain where he was appointed to a new command.
Rodney successfully relieved Gibraltar during theFranco-Spanish siege and defeated a Spanish fleet at the 1780Battle of Cape St. Vincent. He then was posted to theJamaica Station, where he led thecapture of Sint Eustatius of 1781. Later that year, Rodney briefly returned home as he suffering from ill health. Orders for his recall had been sent when Rodney won a decisive victory at the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782, ending Franco-Spanish plans to invadeJamaica. On his return to Britain, Rodney was made apeer and was awarded an annual pension of £2,000. He lived in retirement until his death in 1792.
George Brydges Rodney was born either inWalton-on-Thames[1] or in London, though the family seat wasRodney Stoke, Somerset. He was most likely born sometime in January 1718.[2] He was baptised inSt Giles-in-the-Fields on 13 February 1718.[3] He was the third of four surviving children ofHenry Rodney [d] and Mary (Newton) Rodney, daughter ofSir Henry Newton.[4] His father had served in Spain under theEarl of Peterborough during theWar of the Spanish Succession, and on leaving the army served as captain in a marine corps which was disbanded in 1713.[5] A major investment in theSouth Sea Company ruined Henry Rodney and impoverished the family.[3] In spite of their lack of money, the family was well-connected by marriage. It is sometimes claimed that Henry Rodney had served as commander of theRoyal Yacht ofGeorge I and it was after him that George was named,[6] but this had been discounted more recently.[3]
George was educated atHarrow School, and left as one of the lastKing's letter boys[7] to join theRoyal Navy, having been appointed, by warrant dated 21 June 1732, a junior officer on boardSunderland.[5]
After serving aboardSunderland, Rodney switched toDreadnought where he served from 1734 to 1737 under CaptainHenry Medley who acted as a mentor to him. Around this time he spent eighteen months stationed inLisbon, a city he would later return to several times. He then changed ships several times, taking part in the navy's annual trip to protect the British fishing fleet offNewfoundland in 1738.[8]
He rose swiftly through the ranks of the navy helped by a combination of his own talents and the patronage of theDuke of Chandos.[8]While serving on theMediterranean station he was made lieutenant inDolphin, his promotion dating 15 February 1739.[5] He then served onNamur, theflagship of the Commander-in-Chief SirThomas Mathews.
TheWar of the Austrian Succession had broken out by this point, and in August 1742, Rodney had his first taste of action when he was ordered by Matthews to take a smaller vessel and launch a raid onVentimiglia, where the Spanish army had stockpiled supplies and stores ready for a planned invasion of Britain's ally theRepublic of Genoa, which he successfully accomplished.[9] Shortly after this, he attained the rank ofpost-captain, having been appointed by Matthews toPlymouth on 9 November. He picked up several Britishmerchantmen in Lisbon to escort them home, but lost contact with them in heavy storms. Once he reached Britain his promotion was confirmed, making him one of the youngest Captains in the navy.[9]
After serving in home waters learning about convoy protection he was appointed to the newly builtLudlow Castle which he used toblockade the Scottish coast during theJacobite Rebellion in 1745. Two of Rodney's midshipman aboardLudlow Castle wereSamuel Hood, later to become a distinguished sailor, and Rodney's younger brother James Rodney.[10] In 1746 he obtained command of the 60-gunEagle. After some time spent blockading French-occupiedOstend and cruising around theWestern Approaches, where on 24 May he took his first prize a 16-gun Spanishprivateer,Eagle was sent to join theWestern Squadron.
The Western Squadron was a new strategy by Britain's naval planners to operate a more effective blockade system of France by stationing the Home Fleet in the Western Approaches, where they could guard both theEnglish Channel and the French Atlantic coast.
Eagle continued to take prizes while stationed with the Squadron being involved directly, or indirectly, in the capture of sixteen French ships. After taking one of the captured prizes toKinsale in Ireland,Eagle was not present at theFirst Battle of Cape Finisterre when the Western Squadron commanded byLord Anson won a significant victory over the French. While returning from Ireland,Eagle fell in with a small squadron under Commodore Thomas Fox which sighted a French merchant convoy heading for theBay of Biscay. In total around 48 merchantmen were taken by the squadron, although Rodney ignored an order of Fox by pursuing several ships which had broken away from the rest in an attempt to escape managing to capture six of them.[11] AfterwardsEagle rejoined the Western Squadron now under the command ofEdward Hawke.
On 14 October 1747 the ship took part in theSecond Battle of Cape Finisterre, a victory offUshant over the French fleet. The French were trying to escort an outgoing convoy from France to the West Indies and had eight largeships-of-the-line while the British had fourteen smaller ships. Rodney was at the rear of the British line, andEagle was one of the last British ships to come into action engaging the French shortly after noon. InitiallyEagle was engaged with two French ships, but one moved away. Rodney engaged the 70-gunNeptune for two hours until his steering wheel was struck by a lucky shot, and his ship became unmanageable. Rodney later complained that Thomas Fox inKent had failed to support him, and testified at Fox'scourt martial. The British took six of the eight French ships, but were unable to prevent most of the merchant convoy escaping, although much of it was later taken in the West Indies.
The two Battles of Cape Finisterre had proved a vindication of the Western Squadron strategy.[12] Rodney later often referred to "the good old discipline" of the Western Squadron, using it as an example for his own views on discipline.[13] For the remainder of the war Rodney took part in further cruises, and took several more prizes. Following theCongress of Breda, an agreement was signed at theTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ending the war. Rodney took his ship back toPlymouth where it wasdecommissioned on 13 August 1748. Rodney's total share ofprize money during his time withEagle was £15,000 giving him financial security for the first time in his life.[14]
On 9 May 1749 he was appointed governor andcommander-in-chief ofNewfoundland, with the rank ofCommodore, it being usual at that time to appoint a naval officer, chiefly on account of the fishery interests.[5] He was given command of HMS Rainbow and had two smaller ships under his overall command. It was extremely difficult for naval officers to secure commands in peacetime, and Rodney's appointment suggests that he was well regarded by his superiors. Rodney's role as Governor was rather limited. Each summer a large British fishing fleet sailed for Newfoundland, where it took part in the valuablecod trade. The fleet then returned home during the winter. Rodney oversaw three such trips to Newfoundland between 1749 and 1751.
Around this time Rodney began to harbour political ambitions and gained the support of the powerfulDuke of Bedford andLord Sandwich. He stood unsuccessfully in a 1750 by-election inLaunceston. He was elected MP forSaltash, a safe seat controlled by the Admiralty, in 1751.[15][16] After his third and final trip to Newfoundland in the summer of 1751, Rodney sailed home via Spain and Portugal, escorting some merchantmen. Once home he fell ill, and was then unemployed for around ten months. During this time he oversaw the development of an estate atOld Alresford in Hampshire, which he had bought with the proceeds of his prize money.
From 1753 Rodney commanded a series of Portsmouth guard ships without actually having to go to sea before the onset of theSeven Years' War.
The first fighting broke out in North America in 1754, with competingBritish and French forces clashing in theOhio Country. Despite this fighting formal war wasn't declared in Europe until 1756 and opened witha French attack on Minorca, the loss of which was blamed onAdmiral John Byng who was court-martialled and executed. He was shot on the quarterdeck ofMonarch, which until recently had been commanded by Rodney. Rodney excused himself from serving on the court martial by pleading illness. While Rodney disapproved of Byng's conduct, he thought the death sentence excessive and unsuccessfully worked for it to becommuted.[17]
Rodney had in 1755 and 1756, taken part in preventive cruises under Hawke andEdward Boscawen. In 1757, he took part in theexpedition against Rochefort, commanding the 74-gun ship of the lineDublin.[5] After an initial success, the expedition made no serious attempt onRochefort and sailed for home. Next year, in the same ship, he was ordered to serve under Boscawen as part of an attempt to capture the strategic French fortress ofLouisbourg in North America. He was given the task of carrying Major GeneralJeffery Amherst, the expedition's commander to Louisbourg. On the way Rodney captured a FrenchEast Indiamen, and took it intoVigo. This action saw the beginning of criticism of Rodney that he was obsessed with prize money ahead of strategic importance, with some claiming he spent two weeks or more in Vigo making sure of his prize money instead of carrying Amherst to Louisbourg. This appears to be untrue, as Rodney sailed within four days from Vigo.[18]
Rodney and his ship played a minor role in thetaking of Louisburg, which laid the way open for a British campaign up theSt Lawrence River the following year, and thefall of Quebec. In August 1758 Rodney sailed for home in charge of six warships and tentransports carrying the captured garrison of Louisbourg who were being taken to Britain asprisoners of war.[19]
On 19 May 1759, Rodney was promoted torear admiral and shortly afterwards he was given command of a smallsquadron.[20] The admiralty had received intelligence that the French had gathered atLe Havre, at the mouth of theRiver Seine, a large number offlat-bottomed boats and stores which were being collected there for aninvasion of the British Isles. After drawing up plans for an attack on Le Havre,Lord Anson briefed Rodney in person. The operation was intended to be a secret with it being implied that Rodney's actual destination wasGibraltar. This soon became impossible to maintain as Rodney tried to acquire pilots who knew theNormandy coast.[20]
Rodney received his final orders on 26 June, and by 4 July he was off Le Havre. His force included six bomb-vessels which could fire at a very high trajectory. In what become known as theLe Havre raid, he bombarded the town for two days and nights, and inflicted great loss of war-material on the French. The bomb ships fired continuously for fifty two hours, starting large fires. Rodney then withdrew toSpithead, leaving several ships to blockade the mouth of the Seine. Although the attack hadn't significantly affected French plans, it proved a morale boost in Britain. In August Rodney was again sent to Le Havre with similar orders but through a combination of weather and improved French defences he was unable to get his bomb-vessels into position, and the Admiralty accepted his judgement that a further attack was impossible. The invasion was ultimately cancelled because of French naval defeats at theBattle of Lagos andBattle of Quiberon Bay.
From 1759 and 1761 Rodney concentrated on his blockade of the French coast, particularly around Le Havre. In July 1760, with another small squadron, he succeeded in capturing several French flat-bottomed boats and in blockading France's coast as far asDieppe.[5]
Rodney was elected MP forPenryn in 1761.[21] Lord Anson then selected him to command the naval element of a planned amphibious attack on the lucrative and strategically important French colony ofMartinique in the West Indies, promoting him over the heads of a number of more senior officers. A previousBritish attack on Martinique had failed in 1759. The land forces for the attack on Martinique were to be a combination of troops from various locations including some sent out from Europe and reinforcements from New York City, who were available following theConquest of Canada which had been completed in 1760. During 1761 Martinique was blockaded bySir James Douglas to prevent reinforcements or supplies from reaching it.[22] In 1762 he was formally appointed commander-in-chief of theLeeward Islands Station.[23]
Within the first three months of 1762,Monckton and hecaptured the French colony of Martinique, while bothSaint Lucia andGrenada had surrendered to his squadron. During the siege ofFort Royal (later Fort de France) his seamen and marines rendered splendid service on shore.[5] Afterwards Rodney's squadron, amounting to eight ships of the line joined theBritish expedition to Cuba bringing the total number of ships of the line to 15 by the end of April 1762. However he was later criticised for moving his ships to protect Jamaica from attack by a large Franco-Spanish force that had gathered in the area, rather than waiting to support the expedition as he had been ordered.
Following theTreaty of Paris in 1763, Admiral Rodney returned home having been during his absence made Vice-Admiral of the Blue and having received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament.[5] In the peace terms Martinique was returned to France.
From 1765 to 1770, Rodney was governor ofGreenwich Hospital, and on the dissolution of parliament in 1768 he successfully contestedNorthampton and was elected to parliament, but at a ruinous cost. When appointed Commander-in-Chief of theJamaica Station in 1771,[24] he lost his Greenwich post, but a few months later received the office ofRear-Admiral of Great Britain. Until 1774, he held the Jamaica command, and during a period of quiet, was active in improving the naval yards on his station. Sir George struck his flag with a feeling of disappointment at not obtaining the governorship of Jamaica, and was shortly after forced to settle in Paris. Election expenses and losses at play in fashionable circles had shattered his fortune, and he could not secure payment of the salary as Rear-Admiral of Great Britain. In February 1778, having just been promoted Admiral of the White, he used every possible exertion to obtain a command to free himself from his money difficulties. By May, he had, through the splendid generosity of his Parisian friendMarshal Biron, effected the latter task, and accordingly he returned to London with his children. The debt was repaid out of the arrears due to him on his return. The story that he was offered a French command is fiction.[5]
In London, he suggested toLord George Germain thatGeorge Washington could "certainly be bought –honours will do it".[25]
Rodney was appointed once more commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands Station late in 1779.[26] His orders were to relieve Gibraltar on his way to the West Indies. Hecaptured a Spanish convoy of 22 vessels offCape Finisterre on 8 January 1780.[27] Eight days later at theBattle of Cape St. Vincent he defeated the Spanish AdmiralDon Juan de Lángara, taking or destroying seven ships.[5] He thenbrought some relief to Gibraltar by delivering reinforcements and supplies.
On 17 April he fought anaction off Martinique with the French AdmiralGuichen which, owing to the carelessness of some of Rodney's captains, was indecisive.[5]
Following the outbreak of theFourth Anglo-Dutch War between Britain and theDutch Republic Rodney, acting under orders from London, captured the valuable Dutch island ofSt Eustatius on 3 February 1781.[5] Rodney had already identified several individuals on the island who were aiding the Americans, such as "... Mr Smith at the House of Jones – they (the Jews of St. Eustatius, Caribbean Antilles)[28] cannot be too soon taken care of – they are notorious in the cause of America and France..." The island was also home to a Jewish community who were mainly merchants with significant international trading and maritime commercial ties. The Jews were estimated to have been at least 10% of the permanent population of St. Eustatius.[29]
Rodney immediately arrested and imprisoned 101 Jews in the warehouses of the lower city. He summarily deported 31 adult Jews to the island ofSaint Kitts. Rodney looted Jewish personal possessions and even tore out the linings of the clothes of his captives in search of hidden valuables; this alone yielded him 8,000 pounds.[30] When Rodney realised that the Jews might be hiding additional treasure, he dug up their local cemetery.[31]Even large quantities of non-military trading goods belonging to British merchants on the island were arbitrarily confiscated. This resulted in Rodney being entangled in a series of costly lawsuits for the rest of his life. Still, the wealth Rodney acquired on St. Eustatius exceeded his expectations.[32]
Rodney wrote to his family with promises of a new London home; to his daughter "the bestharpsichord money can purchase". He confidently wrote of a marriage settlement for one of his sons and a soon-to-be purchased commission in theFoot Guards for another son. Rodney also wrote of adowry for his daughter to marry theEarl of Oxford and noted he would have enough to pay off the young prospective bridegroom's debts.
Other Royal Navy officers scathingly criticised Rodney for his actions. In particular, ViscountSamuel Hood suggested that Rodney should have sailed to intercept a French fleet under Rear AdmiralFrancois Joseph Paul de Grasse, travelling to Martinique.[33] The French fleet instead turned north and headed for theChesapeake Bay ofVirginia andMaryland.
Rodney's delay at St. Eustatius was not the first time he had taken the opportunity to capture prizes over the immediate and expeditious fulfillment of his military duties. During the Seven Years' War Rodney had been ordered to Barbados to link up with Admiral Sir George Pocock and the Earl of Albemarle for an attack on Cuba. Instead, Rodney sent valuable ships off in search of prizes. In 1762, Rodney, after the fall of Martinique, quarreled with the army over prize money. During Rodney's command in Jamaica, 1771–1774, the Earl of Sandwich feared that Rodney might provoke a war with Spain to obtain prize money.[34]
Plundering the wealth of St. Eustatius and capturing many prizes over a number of months, Rodney further weakened his fleet by sending twoships-of-the-line to escort his treasure ships to England, though both were in need of major repair. Nevertheless, he is both blamed and defended for the subsequent disaster at Yorktown.[35] His orders as naval commander in chief in the eastern Caribbean were not only to watch de Grasse but also to protect the valuable sugar trade. Rodney had received intelligence earlier that de Grasse would send part of his fleet before the start of the hurricane season to relieve the French squadron at Newport and to co-operate with Washington, returning in the fall to the Caribbean. The other half of de Grasse's fleet, as usual, would escort the French merchantmen back across the Atlantic. Rodney accordingly made his dispositions in the light of this intelligence. Sixteen of his remaining twenty-one warships would go with Hood to reinforce the squadron at New York under Sir Thomas Graves, while Rodney, who was in ill health, returned to England with three other warships as merchant escorts, leaving two others in dock for repair. Hood was well satisfied with these arrangements, informing a colleague that his fleet was "fully equal to defeat any designs of the enemy." What Rodney and Hood could not know was that at the last moment de Grasse decided to take his entire fleet to North America, leaving the French merchantmen to the protection of the Spanish. The result was a decisive French superiority in warships during the subsequent naval campaign, when the combined fleets of Hood and Graves were unable to relieve the British army ofCharles Cornwallis, who was then establishing a base on the York River.[36] This left Cornwallis no option but to surrender, resulting a year later in British recognition of American Independence. Although Rodney's actions at St. Eustatius and afterwards contributed to the British naval inferiority in theBattle of the Chesapeake, the real reason for the disaster at Yorktown was the inability of Britain to match the resources of the other naval powers of Europe.[37]
After a few months in England, restoring his health and defending himself in Parliament, Sir George returned to his command in February 1782, and a running engagement with the French fleet on 9 April led up to his crowning victory at theBattle of the Saintes offDominica, when on 12 April with thirty-five sail of the line he defeated theComte de Grasse, who had thirty-three sail. The French inferiority in numbers was more than counterbalanced by the greater size and superior sailing qualities of their ships, yet four French ships of the line were captured (including theflagship) as well as one destroyed after eleven hours' fighting.[5]
This important battle savedJamaica and ruined French naval prestige, while it enabled Rodney to write: "Within two little years I have taken two Spanish, one French and one Dutch admirals." A long and wearisome controversy exists as to the originator of the manoeuvre of "breaking the line" in this battle, but the merits of the victory have never seriously been affected by any difference of opinion on the question. A shift of wind broke the French line of battle, and the British ships took advantage of this by crossing in two places;[5] many were taken prisoner including the Comte de Grasse.
From 29 April to 10 July he sat with his fleet atPort Royal, Jamaica while his fleet was repaired after the battle.[38]
In a 15 April letter toLord George Germain, who unknown to Rodney had recently lost his position, he wrote "Permit me most sincerely to congratulate you on the most important victory I believe ever gained against our perfidious enemies, the French".[39] The news of Rodney's victories reached England on 18 May 1782 via HMSAndromache and boosted national morale in Britain and strengthened the pro-war party, who wished to carry on the fight. George III observed to the new Prime MinisterLord Shelburne that he "must see that the great success of Lord Rodney's engagement has so far roused the nation, that the peace which would have been acquiesced in three months ago would now be a matter for complaint".[40]
Rodney was preparing to sail to meet the French offCape Haitien whenHMS Jupiter arrived from England, not only relieving him of duty, but also bringing his replacement:Admiral Hugh Pigot. This bizarre exchange was largely the result of changing politics in Britain: Rodney was a Tory placed in charge of the fleet by a Tory government... but the Whigs were now in power.[38] That said, at 64 years of age, he was perhaps due for retirement. However, Pigot and the command to retire was dispatched on 15 May, three days before the news of the victory at theBattle of the Saintes reached the Admiralty. A cutter sent by the Admiralty on 19 May failed to catch theJupiter so Rodney's fate was sealed.[41]
Rodney quietly quit his quarters on theFormidable and returned to England in more modest quarters onHMS Montagu.[42]
Rodney was unquestionably a most able officer, but he was also vain, selfish and unscrupulous,[43] both in seeking prize money, and in using his position to push the fortunes of his family, although such nepotism was common (not to say normal) at the time. He made his son a post-captain at fifteen, and his assiduous self-interest alienated his fellow officers and the Board of Admiralty alike. Naval historianNicholas A. M. Rodger describes Rodney as possessing weaknesses with respect to patronage "which destroyed the basis of trust upon which alone an officer can command."[44] It must be remembered that he was then prematurely old and racked by disease.[5]
Rodney arrived home in August to receive unbounded honour from his country. He had already been created Baron Rodney of Rodney Stoke, Somerset, by patent of 19 June 1782, and the House of Commons had voted him a pension of £2000 a year. From this time he led a quiet country life until his death in London. He was succeeded as 2nd Baron by his son,George (1753–1802).[5]
In 1782 Rodney was presented with the Freedom of theCity of Cork, Ireland. TheNational Maritime Museum,Greenwich, London, holds the gold presentation box that the City of Cork gave him on 16 September 1782.[45]
In 1753 Rodney married firstly Jane Compton (1730–1757), one of the sisters ofCharles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton. He had initially been undecided whether to marry Jane or her younger sister Kitty, whom he had met in Lisbon during his visits to the city, where their fatherCharles Compton (MP) [d] was consul. The marriage proved happy,[46] and they had two sons together before she died in January 1757:[47]
In 1764, Rodney was created abaronet, and the same year married secondly Henrietta, daughter of John Clies, a merchant ofLisbon. With her he had further two sons and three daughters:[47]
Rodney died in 1792 and was buried in the church of St Mary the Virgin,Old Alresford, Hampshire, which adjoins his family seat. There is also a memorial to him withinSt Paul's Cathedral.[50]
In February 1783, the government ofJamaica commissionedJohn Bacon, a renowned British sculptor, to create a statue of Admiral Lord Rodney, as an expression of their appreciation. The Assembly spent $5,200 on the statue alone and a reputed $31,000 on the entire project. Bacon sourced the finest marble from Italy to create theNeo-classical sculpture of the Admiral, dressed in a Roman robe and breastplate. On its completion, the statue was fronted with cannons taken from theFrench flagship, Ville de Paris, in the battle.[51] The truly huge monument, known as theRodney Temple stands inSpanish Town, Jamaica, next to the Governor's House.
In late 1782 and early 1783 a large number of existing taverns renamed themselves "The Admiral Rodney" in admiration of the victory.[42]Admiral Rodney's Pillar was constructed on the peak ofBreidden Hill to commemorate his victories.
InSt. Paul's Cathedral crypt, there is a memorial to Rodney designed byCharles Rossi.
At least four serving warships of the Royal Navy have been namedHMS Rodney in his honour.
Two Britishpublic schools,Churcher's College andEmanuel School, havehouses named after him.
Due to his popularity with citizens of Newfoundland as governor, small round-bottomed wooden boats, propelled by oars and/or sails, are often referred to as a"Rodney" up to the present day in Newfoundland.
In 1793, following Rodney's death, Scotland's Bard, the poetRobert Burns (1759–1796), published a poem "Lines On The Commemoration Of Rodney's Victory"[52] commemorating theBattle of the Saintes. The poem opens with the lines:
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rodney, George Brydges Rodney, Baron".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 447–448.{{cite encyclopedia}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Media related toGeorge Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney at Wikimedia Commons
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSaltash 1751–1754 With:Stamp Brooksbank | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forOkehampton 1759–1761 With:Robert Vyner | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forPenryn 1761–1768 With:Sir Edward Turner (1761–1766) Francis Basset (1761–1768) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNorthampton 1769–1774 With:Sir George Osborn, Bt (1768–1769) Hon. Thomas Howe (1769–1771) Wilbraham Tollemache (1771–1774) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWestminster 1780–1782 With:Rt. Hon. Charles James Fox | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Newfoundland 1749–1749 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Station 1762–1763 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica Station 1771–1774 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor, Greenwich Hospital 1765–1770 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Station 1780–1781 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Station 1782 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Rear-Admiral of Great Britain 1771–1781 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice-Admiral of Great Britain 1781–1792 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Baron Rodney 1782–1792 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of Great Britain | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Alresford) 1764–1792 | Succeeded by |
| Proprietary Governors (1610–1660) | |
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| French Governors of Plaisance (1655–1713) | |
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