Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Philip Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke (April 2, 1799 – September 17, 1873), English admiral, was the eldest son of Admiral Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke (1768–1831), who was the second son of Charles Yorke, Lord Chancellor, by his second wife, Agneta Johnson. He was a nephew of the 3rd Earl.
Charles Philip was born at Sydney Lodge, near Southampton and was educated at Harrow and at the Royal Naval College, where he was awarded the second medal. He entered the Royal Navy in May 1815 as midshipman on HMS Prince, the flagship at Spithead. Later, he served in the Mediterranean, on the Sparowhawk (18) and the Leviathan (74) then subsequently the Queen Charlotte (100), the flagship of Lord Exmouth, by whom he was entrusted with the command of a gunboat at the bombardment of Algiers. He later joined the Leander (60) under the flag of Sir David Milne, on the North American station, where he was given the command of the Jane, a small vessel carrying dispatches between Halifax and Bermuda.
He was then appointed acting Lieutenant of the Grasshopper (18) and after a few months commissioned in the rank of Lieutenant in August 1819. The next October, he joined the frigate Phaeton on the Halifax station, until appointed to the command of the Alacrity in 1823 on the Mediterranian station, in this post he was employed, before and after he obtained the rank of Captain in 1825, in watching the movements of the Turco-Egyptian forces and in the suppression of piracy.
Between 1828 and 1831, he took command of the Alligator (28), on the same station and took an active part in the naval operation in connection with the struggle between Greece and Turkey. Lastly between 1844 and 1845, for short periods, he assumed command of the steam yacht Black Eagle and the St Vincent (120), in which he carried the then Emperor of Russia to England. He attained flag rank in 1838.
He represented Reigate (1831) and Cambridgeshire (1832–1834) in the House of Commons.
In 1834, on the death of his uncle, he became the 4th Earl of Hardwicke, and inherited the substantial Wimpole estate in Cambridgeshire.
In 1858 he retired from the active list with the rank of rear-admiral, becoming vice-admiral in the same year, and admiral in 1863 and retired from the Royal Navy in 1870. He was a member of Lord Derby's cabinet in 1852 as postmaster-general, and Lord Privy Seal in 1858. In August 1833 he married the Honourable Susan Liddell, sixth daughter of Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth, by whom he had five sons and three daughters.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- The Times 18th September 1873.
- Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth Earl of Hardwicke, Vice-Admiral R.N. — a Memoir by Lady Biddulph of Ledbury. Source:- http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7192
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke Joseph Yorke |
Member of Parliament for Reigate with Joseph Yorke 1831–1832 |
Succeeded by Viscount Eastnor |
| Preceded by Henry John Adeane Richard Greaves Townley |
Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire with Richard Greaves Townley John Walbanke Childers 1832–1834 |
Succeeded by Richard Greaves Townley Eliot Thomas Yorke Richard Jefferson Eaton |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl of Hardwicke |
Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire 1835–1873 |
Succeeded by Charles Watson Townley |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by The Marquess of Clanricarde |
Postmaster General 1852 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Canning |
| Preceded by The Marquess of Clanricarde |
Lord Privy Seal 1858–1859 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Argyll |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Philip Yorke |
Earl of Hardwicke 1834–1873 |
Succeeded by Charles Philip Yorke |
