Evan Nepean
Encyclopedia
Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet PC
(9 July 1751 or 1753, St Stephens near Saltash
, Cornwall
– 2 October 1822) was a British
politician and colonial administrator.
on 28 December 1773, serving on as a clerk to Capt. Hartwell. He was promoted to purser in 1775. During the American Revolutionary War
he served as secretary to Admiral Molyneux Shuldham, in Boston
in 1776 and again at Plymouth
(1777-78). From 1780-1782 he was Purser on for Captain John Jervis
(later Lord St. Vincent).
On 3 March 1782 (aged only 29) he was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
. He served effectively there until December 1791, when he became Under-Secretary of State for War
in 1794, secretary to the Board of Admiralty
1795-1804, Chief Secretary for Ireland
1804-1805, Commissioner of the Admiralty, and then governor
of Bombay 1812-1819.
He was Member of Parliament
for Queenborough
from 1796 till 1802, then moving to Bridport
where he remained until 1812. He was made a baronet
in 1802 and was admitted to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
in 1804.
, he was the second of three sons of "Nicholas Nepean, Gent" and his wife, Margaret Jones. His father was Cornish
and his mother was from South Wales
. The name "Nepean" is thought to come from the village of Nanpean
(“the head of the valley”), in Cornwall.
Nepean married Margaret Skinner, the only daughter of Capt. William Skinner, on 6 June 1782 at the Garrison Church at Greenwich
. They had one daughter and four sons, including Sir Molyneux Hyde Nepean, 2nd Bt. and Maj.-Gen. William Nepean whose daughter Anna Maria Nepean married General Sir William Parke
.
Their youngest child, Rev. Canon Evan Nepean, became the Canon
of Westminster
and a Chaplain In Ordinary
to Queen Victoria
. His son, Charles
was a Middlesex
county cricketer who also played football, and was on the winning side in the 1874 FA Cup Final.
Canon Evan Nepean's son, Evan Colville Nepean (1836–1908) had several children, including a daughter, Emily Margaret (1867–1950). She married Felton George Randolph; their daughter, Margaret Isabel (1901–2001) married James Cassilis MacLean and in turn had a daughter, Fynvola Susan (b. 1933). Fynvola married James Murray Grant in 1957; their children included Hugh Grant
(b. 1960), the actor.
A descendant, the sixth and last baronet, Evan Yorke Nepean, was a well known amateur radio
operator and Army officer who served on a mission to Tibet in 1936. He also served in the Radio Security Service (RSS), known as MI8
, during World War II
and was once reported to the police by his suspicious landlady when she found his National HRO receiver, used by RSS operators to monitor radio transmissions for suspected enemy agent transmissions, and thought he might be a German spy.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(9 July 1751 or 1753, St Stephens near Saltash
Saltash
Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
– 2 October 1822) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician and colonial administrator.
Early career
Nepean entered the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
on 28 December 1773, serving on as a clerk to Capt. Hartwell. He was promoted to purser in 1775. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
he served as secretary to Admiral Molyneux Shuldham, in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1776 and again at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
(1777-78). From 1780-1782 he was Purser on for Captain John Jervis
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
(later Lord St. Vincent).
On 3 March 1782 (aged only 29) he was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
-Non-permanent and parliamentary under-secretaries, 1782-present:*April 1782: Evan Nepean*April 1782: Thomas Orde*July 1782: Henry Strachey*April 1783: George North*February 1784: Hon. John Townshend*June 1789: Scrope Bernard*July 1794: The Hon...
. He served effectively there until December 1791, when he became Under-Secretary of State for War
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean . In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies...
in 1794, secretary to the Board of Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
1795-1804, Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
1804-1805, Commissioner of the Admiralty, and then governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Bombay 1812-1819.
He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Queenborough
Queenborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Queenborough was a rotten borough situated on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.From 1572 until it was abolished by the great reform act of 1832, it returned two Members of Parliament. The franchise was vested in the freemen of the town, of whom there were more than 300. Its electorate was therefore one...
from 1796 till 1802, then moving to Bridport
Bridport (UK Parliament constituency)
Bridport was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-History:...
where he remained until 1812. He was made a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1802 and was admitted to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1804.
Family
The first of the Nepean BaronetsNepean Baronets
The Nepean Baronetcy, of Bothenhampton in the County of Dorset, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 16 July 1802 for the politician and colonial administrator Evan Nepean. He was Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1804 to 1885 and Governor of Bombay from 1812 to...
, he was the second of three sons of "Nicholas Nepean, Gent" and his wife, Margaret Jones. His father was Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
and his mother was from South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. The name "Nepean" is thought to come from the village of Nanpean
Nanpean
Nanpean is a village in the civil parish of St Stephen-in-Brannel in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the B3279 road approximately four miles northwest of St Austell in the heart of 'clay country', the china clay quarrying area of mid-Cornwall.Nanpean church was built in 1879...
(“the head of the valley”), in Cornwall.
Nepean married Margaret Skinner, the only daughter of Capt. William Skinner, on 6 June 1782 at the Garrison Church at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. They had one daughter and four sons, including Sir Molyneux Hyde Nepean, 2nd Bt. and Maj.-Gen. William Nepean whose daughter Anna Maria Nepean married General Sir William Parke
William Parke
General Sir William Parke was born on 17 May 1822 in London in England. He was the son of Charles Parke, a land owner, formerly H.B.M Commissioner to the kingdom of Mexico and Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset and Letitia Alcock, the sister of Thomas Alcock ....
.
Their youngest child, Rev. Canon Evan Nepean, became the Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Westminster
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
and a Chaplain In Ordinary
Ecclesiastical Household
The Ecclesiastical Household is a part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Reflecting the different constitutions of the Churches of England and of Scotland, there are separate Ecclesiastical Households in each nation.-England:...
to Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. His son, Charles
Charles Nepean
The Rev. Charles Edward Burroughs Nepean was an English amateur cricketer and footballer who later became a vicar in the Church of England...
was a Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
county cricketer who also played football, and was on the winning side in the 1874 FA Cup Final.
Canon Evan Nepean's son, Evan Colville Nepean (1836–1908) had several children, including a daughter, Emily Margaret (1867–1950). She married Felton George Randolph; their daughter, Margaret Isabel (1901–2001) married James Cassilis MacLean and in turn had a daughter, Fynvola Susan (b. 1933). Fynvola married James Murray Grant in 1957; their children included Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
(b. 1960), the actor.
A descendant, the sixth and last baronet, Evan Yorke Nepean, was a well known amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
operator and Army officer who served on a mission to Tibet in 1936. He also served in the Radio Security Service (RSS), known as MI8
MI8
MI8, or Military Intelligence, Section 8, was the cover designation for the Radio Security Service , a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was once reported to the police by his suspicious landlady when she found his National HRO receiver, used by RSS operators to monitor radio transmissions for suspected enemy agent transmissions, and thought he might be a German spy.
Legacy
Places named after Evan Nepean include:- The former city of Nepean, Ontario
Nepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-- now a part of the city of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
- The Nepean River
Nepean River
The Nepean River is a river in the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia.The headwaters of the Nepean River rise near Robertson, about 100 kilometres south of Sydney and about 15 kilometres from the coast. The river flows north in an unpopulated water catchment area into Nepean Dam, which...
, Emu Plains and Nepean District Hospital, Penrith, New South Wales
Penrith, New South Wales
Penrith is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Penrith is located west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Penrith...
, the Nepean Highway
Nepean Highway
Nepean Highway runs south from the centre of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia to Portsea, along the eastern shore of Port Phillip. It is the primary road route to central Melbourne from Melbourne's southern suburbs.- History :...
from Melbourne to Portsea (and nearby Point Nepean) in the south east of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and Nepean Bay where the South Australia Company
South Australia Company
The South Australian Company was formed in London on 9 October 1835 by George Fife Angas and other wealthy British merchants to develop a new settlement in South Australia; its purpose was to build a new colony...
came to Kingscote
Kingscote, South Australia
- Facilities :Kingscote has a school offering years 1 to 12, a hospital, supermarket, post office and Government offices. It is the administrative centre for the Kangaroo Island Council, whose offices have recently undergone a significant upgrade....
, Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
- The Nepean Road and Nepean Sea Road
Nepean Sea Road
Nepean Sea Road is an upmarket neighbourhood near Malabar Hill in South Mumbai. The area is named after Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet, a British politician and administrator, and the Governor of Bombay ....
in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
External links
- http://www.nepeanmuseum.on.ca/sir_evan_nepean.htmThe Nepean MuseumNepean MuseumThe Nepean Museum, located at 16 Rowley Avenue, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, is a museum that preserves and makes accessible evidence of the history of Nepean. Artifacts related to Nepean, from its beginnings to the 20th century, are restored and displayed in the museum galleries and grounds...
] - History of the Home Office 1782-1982