The Earl of Berkeley | |
|---|---|
 The 3rd Earl of Berkeley byGodfrey Kneller | |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | |
| In office 1717–1727 | |
| Monarch | George I |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Orford |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Torrington |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1679 |
| Died | 17 August 1736 |
| Nationality | British |
| Residence | Great Britain |
| Awards | Knight of the Garter |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Branch/service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1699 - 1727 |
| Rank | Vice-Admiral |
| Commands | HMSBoyne HMSSt George |
| Battles/wars | War of the Spanish Succession |
Vice-AdmiralJames Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley (c. 1679 – 17 August 1736) was an EnglishRoyal Navy officer and peer who served asFirst Lord of the Admiralty from 1717 to 1727. The son ofCharles Berkeley, 2nd Earl of Berkeley, he was known by thecourtesy title ofViscount Dursley prior to succeeding as Earl of Berkeley in 1710.
Viscount Dursley received his commission as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy on 10 March 1699[1] and was promoted to captain on 2 April 1701. He was also aMember of Parliament (MP) forGloucester 1701–1702.[1] He took part in the battle offMálaga underAdmiral Rooke, commandingHMSBoyne. He was summoned to Parliament bywrit of acceleration asBaron Berkeley on 5 March 1705,[1] and continued to rise in the Navy.
Dursley commandedHMSSt George in 1706,[1] and narrowly escaped theScilly naval disaster in whichSir Cloudesley Shovell inHMSAssociation was lost on 23 October 1707.[1] TheSt George ran aground on the same ledge as theAssociation, but was lifted off with the next wave. It is said that it was Dursley who gave his close friend Shovell the pricelessemerald ring which features prominently in some of thelegends still told about the disaster.[2] With the death of Sir Clowdisley Shovell, a promotion of flag-officers was made. Rear AdmiralRobert Fairfax, was to be commissioned as aVice Admiralof the Blue (it was signed by theLord High Admiral and gazetted) but was then cancelled, and Dursley, who was his junior and because of the political influence of his family, made Vice Admiral of the Blue in his stead with seniority of 10 January 1708. Dursley was then promoted to Vice Admiral of the White in late 1708. In April 1709 he recapturedHMSBristol, which had been taken by the French a short time earlier, but she sank shortly afterwards. Dursley was promoted to Vice Admiral of the Red in December 1709.[1][3]
With the death of his father on 24 September 1710, Dursley succeeded to his titles and became the 3rdEarl of Berkeley.[1] That year, he was also made High Steward of Gloucester, Warden of theForest of Dean,Constable of St. Briavel's Castle, andLord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, which he held until 1712, and then from 1714 to his death, andCustos Rotulorum of Surrey, which he held until his death. In 1714, besides his restoration to his offices in Gloucestershire, he was made aLord of the Bedchamber.
He marriedLady Louisa Lennox (24 December 1694 – 15 January 1716), daughter ofCharles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Anne Brudenell, on 13 February 1711. They had two children, his wife dying in childbirth:
On 16 May 1717, he was madeFirst Lord of the Admiralty,[1] He also becameVice-Admiral of Great Britain (a civil position with no executive command) and a member of thePrivy Council.[1] On 31 March 1718, he was created aKnight of the Garter.[1] He held the supreme post in the Admiralty Board for over a decade, before being dismissed as First Lord of the Admiralty on 2 August 1727, for opposing SirRobert Walpole, and also left his office as Lord of the Bedchamber at this time. In 1719 he was one of main subscribers in theRoyal Academy of Music (1719), a corporation that producedbaroque opera on stage.
He died on 17 August 1736 at theChâteau d'Aubigny [fr], nearCoincy, France, and was buried on 31 October 1736 atBerkeley, Gloucestershire. He was succeeded by his sonAugustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley. His daughter Elizabeth ran away at a very young age and marriedAnthony Henley in 1728.
Lord Hervey wrote "he was a man of great family and great quality, rough, proud, hard, and obstinate, with excellent good natural parts, but so uncultivated that he was totally ignorant of every branch of knowledge but his profession. He was haughty and tyrannical, but honourable, gallant, observant of his word; equally incapable of flattering a prince, bending to a minister, or lying to anybody he had to deal with."
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| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forGloucester 1701–1702 With:John Hanbury | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | First Lord of the Admiralty 1717–1727 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire 1710–1712 | Succeeded by |
| Custos Rotulorum of Surrey 1710–1736 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire 1714–1736 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire 1715–1736 | |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Berkeley 1710–1736 | Succeeded by |
| Baron Berkeley (writ of acceleration) 1705–1736 | ||
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