Captain Henry Priestman (ca. 1647 - 20 August 1712) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1695 to 1698.
Henry Priestman | |
|---|---|
 Priestman's monument in Westminster Abbey | |
| Born | c.1647 |
| Died | 20 August 1712 (aged 64–65) |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of England |
| Service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1672–1699 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands | HMS Antelope HMS Richmond HMS Lark HMS Swan HMS Reserve HMS Bonaventure Commander-in-Chief of ships in the Straits HMS Hampton Court |
Naval career
editPriestman joined the Royal Navy in 1672 and his first command was the fourth-rate HMS Antelope. In August 1673 he was promoted to the command of the sixth-rate HMS Richmond. In a time of relative peace he saw no action and went to the Mediterranean in 1675 in command of the sixth-rate HMS Lark. In January 1678 he was appointed to the fifth-rate HMS Swan, and later in the year returned to HMS Antelope. In 1681, he commanded the fourth-rate HMS Reserve, and in May 1683 was appointed to the fourth-rate HMS Bonaventure. Soon after he was appointed Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of ships in the Straits. In 1688, he was placed in command of the third-rate HMS Hampton Court and after the Glorious Revolution, to which he was sympathetic, he became Comptroller of the Storekeeper's Accounts in 1689.[1]
Priestman was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for New Shoreham in 1695 and held the seat until 1698.[2] He joined the Board of Admiralty led by the Earl of Pembroke in June 1690[3] and was advanced to First Naval Lord in January 1691.[4] Priestman left the Admiralty Board in May 1699, following the departure from office of his friend, the Earl of Orford, who was highly criticised for financial abuse.[5] Priestman died on 20 August 1712, aged 65; there is a monument to him in Westminster Abbey by the sculptor Francis Bird.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ "Story of Shoreham". Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 2)
- ^ "Sainty, JC, Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660-1870, Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660-1870 (1975), pp. 18–31". Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ Rodger, p. 34
- ^ Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis. R. Faulder. p. 402. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
Henry Priestman navy.
- ^ "Henry Priestman". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis
Sources
edit- Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd. ISBN 0900963948.