Lord Adolphus FitzClarence
| Adolphus FitzClarence | |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 February 1802 Bushy House, Middlesex |
| Died |
17 May 1856 (aged 54) Newburgh Priory, North Yorkshire |
| Buried at | St. Michael's Church, Coxwold, North Yorkshire |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1813–1856 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held |
|
| Battles/wars | Napoleonic Wars |
Lord Adolphus FitzClarence, GCH, ADC (18 February 1802 – 17 May 1856) was a British naval officer.
Biography
FitzClarence was born at Bushy House,[1] Middlesex, and was an illegitimate child of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later William IV) and his mistress, Dorothy Jordan.[2] He attended a boarding school in Sunbury-on-Thames before being sent to sea at the age of eleven in 1813, aboard Impregnable. He subsequently served as a midshipman aboard Newcastle based in North America and then later in the Mediterranean Sea. On receiving his commission as lieutenant in April 1821, he transferred to Euryalus and after being promoted to the rank of commander in May 1823, he later served aboard Brisk and Redwing in the North Sea. When promoted to captain in December 1824, he commanded Ariadne in 1826, Challenger in 1827 and Pallas in 1828.
On the accession of FitzClarence's father as king in 1830, he took command of the Royal Yacht, Royal George. His father also granted him and his siblings the rank of a younger son/daughter of a marquess by Royal Warrant of Precedence in 1831, enabling him to prefix Lord before his name and he was knighted the following year.[2] He was also appointed Groom of the Robes in 1830 and a Lord of the Bedchamber in 1833.
On the death of his father and the accession of his cousin Victoria in 1837, FitzClarence retained command of the Royal Yacht (until he was promoted to a rear-admiral in 1853) and his allowance allowed to continue. The queen reported that he "burst into tears, and said it was unexpected, for they [the FitzClarences] did not dare to hope for anything" (as illegitimate children of a former monarch).[3] In 1848, he also became a naval aide-de-camp to the queen and retained the office until he died, unmarried, at Newburgh Priory in 1856.[2]
He was interred in the chancel of St. Michael's Church, Coxwold.[4]
Ancestry
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Notes
- ↑ "The Story of Bushy House" (PDF). National Physical Laboratory. 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- 1 2 3 Cokayne et al., The Complete Peerage, volume II, p.2035
- ↑ Viscount Esher, Queen Victoria: a selection from Her Majesty's diaries between the years 1832 and 1840, 2 volumes (1912)
- ↑ "Seventy Coxwold Sundays" (PDF). amkirby.co.uk. 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
References
- "FitzClarence, Lord Adolphus (1802–1856)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 2004. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
External links
- "Portrait of Rear-Admiral Lord Adolphus FitzClarence (1802–1856), GCH, ADC, RN, as a Young Naval Officer". bbc.co.uk.
| Court offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ? |
Groom of the Robes 1830–1833 |
Succeeded by Francis Seymour |
| Preceded by The Earl of Denbigh |
Lord of the Bedchamber 1833–1837 |
Succeeded by New court (death of William IV) |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Houston Stewart |
Rear-Admiral of the Blue 1853–1855 |
Succeeded by Peter Richards |