James Whitley Deans Dundas
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir James Whitley Deans Dundas GCB
(4 December 1785 – 3 October 1862) was a Royal Navy
officer and a First Sea Lord
.
in 1799. In 1802 he saw action in combat with the French ship Duguay Trouin and was also involved with the capture of La Vautour. For a few weeks in 1806 he was flag-lieutenant to the Hon. George Cranfield Berkeley. Later that year he was given command of HMS Rosmond and was then injured while putting out a fire at Copenhagen
Dockyard shortly after its capture. Deans changed his name to "James Whitley Deans Dundas", following his marriage, in 1808.
He was given command of HMS Stately, flagship of Rear Admiral Thomas Bertie, in 1809 and HMS Venerable and then HMS Pyramus in 1812. It was in the latter ship that he captured several privateers. Then in 1815 he took command of HMS Tagus in the Mediterranean.
He appointed flag captain
to Sir William Parker in HMS Prince Regent
in 1830 and flag captain to Sir Philip Durham
on HMS Britannia
in 1836.
In 1846 he joined the Board of the Admiralty (first as Fourth Naval Lord
, then as Second Naval Lord
and finally First Naval Lord
).
In 1852 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean
and led all naval operations in the Black Sea
when the Crimean War
broke out two years later. He returned to England in January 1855.
. His first wife died in April 1846 and, in August 1847, he married Lady Emily Moreton, fourth daughter of the first Earl of Ducie By his first wife, he had a life interest in large estates in Flintshire
and Berkshire
— centred on Barton Court in Kintbury — which, at his death, passed to his grandson, Mr. Charles Amesbury Deans Dundas. (Dundas' elder son, Charles Whitley Deans Dundas, predeceased him in 1856.) On the passing of the Reform Bill, he was elected member for Greenwich
and represented that borough in several subsequent parliaments After being appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean fleet, resigned
from the House of Commons on 29 January 1852, by appointment as Steward of the Manor of Hempholme.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(4 December 1785 – 3 October 1862) was a Royal Navy
Royal 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...
officer and a First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
.
Naval career
Born "James Deans", he joined 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...
in 1799. In 1802 he saw action in combat with the French ship Duguay Trouin and was also involved with the capture of La Vautour. For a few weeks in 1806 he was flag-lieutenant to the Hon. George Cranfield Berkeley. Later that year he was given command of HMS Rosmond and was then injured while putting out a fire at Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
Dockyard shortly after its capture. Deans changed his name to "James Whitley Deans Dundas", following his marriage, in 1808.
He was given command of HMS Stately, flagship of Rear Admiral Thomas Bertie, in 1809 and HMS Venerable and then HMS Pyramus in 1812. It was in the latter ship that he captured several privateers. Then in 1815 he took command of HMS Tagus in the Mediterranean.
He appointed flag captain
Flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
to Sir William Parker in HMS Prince Regent
HMS Prince Regent (1823)
HMS Prince Regent was a 120-gun first rate three-decker ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 12 April 1823 at Chatham.She was converted into a screw ship in 1861, and was broken up in 1873....
in 1830 and flag captain to Sir Philip Durham
Philip Charles Durham
Admiral Sir Philip Charles Calderwood Henderson Durham, GCB was a Royal Navy officer whose service in the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars was lengthy, distinguished and at times controversial.-Biography:Destined to be one of the luckiest men in the...
on HMS Britannia
HMS Britannia (1820)
HMS Britannia was a 120-gun first-rate ship-of-the-line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1813 and launched on 20 October 1820.Commissioned in 1823, she saw service in the Mediterranean from 1830-1 and in 1841...
in 1836.
In 1846 he joined the Board of the Admiralty (first as Fourth Naval Lord
Fourth Sea Lord
The Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty which controlled the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, then as Second Naval Lord
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
and finally First Naval Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
).
In 1852 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
and led all naval operations in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
when the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
broke out two years later. He returned to England in January 1855.
Family
On 2 April 1808, he married his first cousin, Janet, only daughter and heiress of Charles Dundas, later Lord AmesburyCharles Dundas, 1st Baron Amesbury
Charles Dundas, 1st Baron Amesbury was a British politician.-Background and education:Charles was a younger son of Thomas Dundas of Fingask, MP for Orkney and Shetland and a commissioner of police in Scotland , who died on 10 April 1786...
. His first wife died in April 1846 and, in August 1847, he married Lady Emily Moreton, fourth daughter of the first Earl of Ducie By his first wife, he had a life interest in large estates in Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
and Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
— centred on Barton Court in Kintbury — which, at his death, passed to his grandson, Mr. Charles Amesbury Deans Dundas. (Dundas' elder son, Charles Whitley Deans Dundas, predeceased him in 1856.) On the passing of the Reform Bill, he was elected member for Greenwich
Greenwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Greenwich was a parliamentary constituency in South-East London, which returned Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1997 by the first past the post system.-History:...
and represented that borough in several subsequent parliaments After being appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean fleet, resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
from the House of Commons on 29 January 1852, by appointment as Steward of the Manor of Hempholme.