Admiral Sir John Poo Beresford, 1st Baronet, GCH

Royal Guelphic Order

The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...

 (1766 – 2 October 1844) was an officer in the 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...

 who rose to the rank of Second Sea 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...

. He was a Tory (subsequently Conservative

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

) politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in the United Kingdom

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...

.

Naval career

Beresford was an illegitimate son of George Beresford, 1st Marquess of Waterford

George Beresford, 1st Marquess of Waterford

George de la Poer Beresford, 1st Marquess of Waterford, KP, PC was an Irish politician, known as George Beresford, 2nd Earl of Tyrone from 1763 to 1789....

, and the brother of William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford

William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford

General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, GCB, GCH, GCTE, PC , was a British soldier and politician...

. He joined the Royal Navy in 1782. During the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, he served as captain of HMS Poictiers

HMS Poictiers

Two ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Poictiers. Poictiers is an alternative spelling for Poitiers, and in this instance commemorates the English victory there....

, during which time he ineffectually bombarded the town of Lewes

Lewes, Delaware

Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. More importantly, Poictiers participated in an action where, four hours after , commanded by Jacob Jones

Jacob Jones

Commodore Jacob Nicholas Jones was an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812.-Biography:...

, captured , Capt. Beresford hove in sight, captured Wasp and recaptured Frolic, and brought both to Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1830.

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,...

 (MP) for Coleraine

Coleraine (UK Parliament constituency)

Coleraine is a former United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland, returning one MP. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Boundaries:...

 (1809–1812 and 1814–1823), Berwick-upon-Tweed 1823–1826, Northallerton (1826–1832), and Chatham 1835–1837.

Beresford was knighted in 1812, and 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 1814, of Bagnall in the County of Staffordshire

Bagnall, Staffordshire

Bagnall is a village and civil parish in the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England, just to the north-east of the Stoke-on-Trent urban area...

, and on his death was succeeded to the title by his son from his first marriage to Mary Molloy, the daughter of Captain Anthony James Pye Molloy

Anthony James Pye Molloy

Anthony James Pye Molloy was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars....

. He married secondly to Harriet Elizabeth Peirse, who died on February 28, 1825, and had issue who later inherited the Baronetcy.

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