George Young (Royal Navy officer)

Sir George Young (1732–1810) was an officer in the British Royal Navy who rose to the rank of admiral.[1]

engraving on paper

His portrait was painted by John Smart in 1805.[1][2] An engraving on paper was made of him in 1814.[3]

The Youngs River and Youngs Bay, which flow into the Columbia River at Astoria, Oregon were named for him.[4]

Biography

Sir George Young was born on 17th June 1732 as the eldest son of Rev. George Young of Bere Regis in Dorset, and Eleanor Young.

He first went to sea at the age of fourteen in 1746, and a year later joined the East India Company's marine. In 1757 he was discharged, joined the Royal Navy, and soon reached the rank of Midshipman. He commanded a ship during the Siege of Louisbourg (1758), incapacitating two enemy ships; the HMS Bienfaisant, and the Prudent. An oil painting of this night engagement was painted by Francis Swaine, based upon a sketch by George Young.

In 1759 he participated in the Battle of Quebec. In 1761 he was promoted to lieutenant of the HMS Orford, with captain Mariot Arbuthnot. In this capacity he participated in the Siege of Havana under Sir George Pocock, and continued to be stationed in Jamaica until the end of the war.

He was promoted to commander on 29 Sept 1768, serving for some time on the West African station, where he was an explorer. He explored ancient burying places on the canary islands, obtaining a mummy which was brought to the library of Trinity College.

In 1776 he went out to the East Indies in command of the Cormorant, from which he was posted to the HMS Rippon as flag captain to Sir Edward Vernon. In this post he was involved in the Siege of Pondicherry. Young was then sent home with despatches, and received the usual 500 shillings to buy a sword. He was appointed in March 1779 to the William and Mary yacht, taking the Prince of Wales to the Nore when the king visited the fleet under Sir Hyde Parker.

In 1781 he took part in the Battle of Dogger Bank, for which he was knighted. After this he moved to the Catherine yacht, and then in the fleet of 1791 commanded the HMS Zealous. In 1794 he was promoted to rear-admiral, vice-admiral on 1799, and to admiral of the white in 1804. During this time he saw no action.[5]

In 1784 Young (in conjunction with Lord Mansfield, Sir Joseph Banks, Thomas Rowcroft, James Matra, and others) successfully lobbied Pitt the Younger for the establishment of a colony in New South Wales. He wrote a paper containing a plan for this proposal, which was communicated to Lord Sydney by the Attorney-General Sir Pepper Arden in 1785. This then became the basis of the official scheme on which the expedition of Governor Arthur Phillip was put in place. Historical sources claim that the value of Young's paper was in its practical details. A reprint of this paper in a much shortened form, was in 1888 reproduced in facsimile at Sydney. In 1788 Young together with his connection John Call, applied to the colonial office for a grant of Norfolk Island, which had, however, been just taken up for settlement. In 1791 he was a promoter and one of the first proprietors of the Sierra Leone Company.

In 1792 he was examined before the bar of the House of Commons on the African slave trade, giving evidence on its evils; testimony which was valued for its temperate delivery. He served ten years as treasurer of the Thames Navigation Commission.

Young died at Formosa Place, Berkshire, on 28 June 1810. He was a member of the Royal Society, and the Society of Antiquaries, and regarded for his skills as a vocalist and amateur musician. His entry in the Dictionary of National Biography written by John Knox Laughton, describes him as 'remarkably handsome', a description apparently confirmed by his portraits.

Relationships & Children

His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of a distiller in Great Marlow; with whom he had two daughters and two sons. His elder son, Samuel, was created a baronet in November 1813. His second wife was Anne, daughter of Dr William Battie.[6]

Through his eldest son he is an ancestor of the former Conservative Whip and life peer George Young, Baron Young of Cookham.

References
  1. Frost, Alan. "Young, George". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. "Admiral Sir George Young". V & A Catalogue. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  3. "Sir George Young Kt, Admiral of the White Squadron, 1814". National Portrait Gallery collection. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  4. McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003). Oregon Geographic Names, Seventh Edition. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 1067–68. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  5. Laughton, John Knox, "Young George (1732-1810)", Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, 63, retrieved 2020-09-22
  6. "Sir George Young Kt, Admiral of the White Squadron, 1814". National Portrait Gallery collection. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
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