Admiral Rt. Hon. George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington

From Darryl Lundy's Peerage page on George Byng:

http://www.thepeerage.com/p17484.htm#i174839

Admiral Rt. Hon. George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington [1]

• M, #174839,
• b. 27 January 1663/64,
• d. 17 January 1732/33
• Last Edited=14 Aug 2011

Admiral Rt. Hon. George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington was born on 27 January 1663/64 at Wrotham, Kent, England.[1],[4] He was the son of John Byng and Philadelphia Johnson.[3]

He married Margaret Master, daughter of James Master and Joyce Turnor, on 5 March 1690/91 at St. Paul's Church, Covent Gardens, London, England.

He died on 17 January 1732/33 at age 68.[1]

Career:

• He gained the rank of Captain in 1688 in the service of the Royal Navy.[4] He gained the rank of Rear-Admiral in 1703.[4]
• He fought in the Battle of Malaga.[4] He fought in the Battle of Gibraltar in 1704.[4]
• He was invested as a Knight on 22 October 1704.[4]
• He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Plymouth between 1705 and 1721.[4]
• He gained the rank of Admiral of the Blue in 1708.[4] He held the office of Lord of the Admiralty between 1709 and 1721.[4] He gained the rank of Admiral of the White in 1711.[4]
• He was created 1st Baronet Byng, of Southhill, co. Bedford [Great Britain] on 15 November 1715.[4]
• He held the office of Commander-in-Chief in the Baltic in 1717.[4]
• He held the office of Plenipotentiary to Fez and Morocco in 1718.[4]
• He held the office of Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean between 1718 and 1721.[4]
• He held the office of Plenipotentiary to the Princes and States of Italy between 1718 and 1721.[4]
• He fought in the Battle of Cape Pesaro on 31 July 1718, where he defeated the Spanish fleet.[4] He held the office of Rear-Admiral of Great Britain in 1720.[4]
• He held the office of Treasurer of the Navy between 1720 and 1724.[4]
• He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) on 3 January 1721.[4]
• He was created 1st Viscount Torrington, co. Devon [Great Britain] on 21 September 1721.[4] He was created 1st Baron Byng of Southhill, co. Bedford [Great Britain] on 21 September 1721.[4]

He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.[5]

Children of Admiral Rt. Hon. George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington and Margaret Master

• 1. Pattee Byng, 2nd Viscount Torrington [1] b. 25 May 1699, d. 23 Jan 1746/47
• 2. George Byng, 3rd Viscount Torrington+[2] b. 21 Sep 1701, d. 7 Apr 1750
• 3. Admiral John Byng [3] b. 1704, d. 1757

Citations

• 1. [S37] Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 3, page 3918. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition.
• 2. [S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume XII/1, page 789. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
• 3. [S3409] Caroline Maubois, "re: Penancoet Family," e-mail message to Darryl Roger Lundy, 2 December 2008. Hereinafter cited as "re: Penancoet Family."

  ---

  
  

British naval officer and statesman of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His career included service as First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II. Byng was born at Wrotham, Kent, England.[1] In 1678, he entered the Royal Navy as a King's Letter Boy.[1] He left the navy for a brief time to join an army garrison stationed at Tangier, but in 1683 Byng rejoined the navy as a lieutenant,[1] and shipped for the East Indies. In 1688 he was instrumental in instigating the Royal Navy to switch allegiance to William III, Prince of Orange. This naval force took part in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and William was installed as King of England, thus insuring Byng's rapid rise in rank and fortune.[1]

In 1702, Byng was given command of a vessel, the Nassau, and took part in the capture and burning of the French Fleet at Vigo.[1] The next year Byng was promoted to Rear-Admiral. In 1704 he was in the Mediterranean under the command of Sir Cloudesley Shovell, and led the bombardment squadron during Admiral Rooke's capture of Gibraltar.[1] Byng took part in the Battle of Malaga,[1] for which he received a knighthood.

In 1707, Sir George Byng served again under Shovell and took part in the unsuccessful Battle of Toulon. Sailing aboard his flagship HMS Royal Anne, he was present during the great naval disaster off the Isles of Scilly when Shovell and four of his ships were lost, claiming the lives of nearly 2,000[2] sailors.

In 1708 Byng was promoted to full admiral, and took part in the struggle against the Jacobite uprising in Scotland. In 1718 he was made Admiral of the Fleet and commanded the fleet which routed the Spanish Fleet at the Battle of Cape Passaro, thwarting the attempt of the Spanish to take Sicily.[1]

Byng was rewarded handsomely for this victory by George I and given full power to negotiate with the various princes and states of Italy, on behalf of the English crown. In 1719 he assisted the Germans in taking Messina, and destroyed the remaining Spanish ships which forced the Spanish king to accept the terms of the Quadruple Alliance. On his return to England in 1721 he was made rear-admiral of Great Britain, a member of the privy council, Baron Byng of Southill in the county of Bedford, and 1st Viscount Torrington in Devon.[1]

In 1725 Byng was made a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath and in 1727, on the accession of George II, he was made First Lord of the Admiralty.[1]

Byng's administration of the Admiralty was distinguished by the establishment of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth. He died in 1733 and is buried at Southill, Bedfordshire.[1]

Byng had 15 children, and two of his 11 sons — Pattee (1699–1747) and George (1701–1750) — became respectively the second and third Viscounts Torrington. His fourth-eldest son was Admiral Hon. John Byng, who was controversially court-martialled and shot at the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in Europe. His third son Hon. Robert Byng was the grandfather of the soldier John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford.

The first Viscount Torrington's descendants retain the title to the present day.

Torrington Road in Portsmouth is named after him.

Admiral Rt. Hon. George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington was born on 27 January 1663/64 at Wrotham, Kent, England.1,4 He was the son of John Byng and Philadelphia Johnson.3 He married Margaret Master, daughter of James Master and Joyce Turnor, on 5 March 1690/91 at St. Paul's Church, Covent Gardens, London, England. He died on 17 January 1732/33 at age 68.1

    He gained the rank of Captain in 1688 in the service of the Royal Navy.4 He gained the rank of Rear-Admiral in 1703.4 He fought in the Battle of Malaga.4 He fought in the Battle of Gibraltar in 1704.4 He was invested as a Knight on 22 October 1704.4 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Plymouth between 1705 and 1721.4 He gained the rank of Admiral of the Blue in 1708.4 He held the office of Lord of the Admiralty between 1709 and 1721.4 He gained the rank of Admiral of the White in 1711.4 He was created 1st Baronet Byng, of Southhill, co. Bedford [Great Britain] on 15 November 1715.4 He held the office of Commander-in-Chief in the Baltic in 1717.4 He held the office of Plenipotentiary to Fez and Morocco in 1718.4 He held the office of Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean between 1718 and 1721.4 He held the office of Plenipotentiary to the Princes and States of Italy between 1718 and 1721.4 He fought in the Battle of Cape Pesaro on 31 July 1718, where he defeated the Spanish fleet.4 He held the office of Rear-Admiral of Great Britain in 1720.4 He held the office of Treasurer of the Navy between 1720 and 1724.4 He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) on 3 January 1721.4 He was created 1st Viscount Torrington, co. Devon [Great Britain] on 21 September 1721.4 He was created 1st Baron Byng of Southhill, co. Bedford [Great Britain] on 21 September 1721.4 He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.

George Byng had fifteen children, two sons of whom eventually became Viscounts Torrington. Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, KB PC (27 January 1663[1] – 17 January 1733) was a British naval officer and statesman of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His career included service as First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II.

He gained the rank of Captain in 1688 in the service of the Royal Navy.3 He gained the rank of Rear-Admiral in 1703.3 He fought in the Battle of Malaga.3 He fought in the Battle of Gibraltar in 1704.3 He was invested as a Knight on 22 October 1704.3 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Plymouth between 1705 and 1721.3 He gained the rank of Admiral of the Blue in 1708.3 He held the office of Lord of the Admiralty between 1709 and 1721.3 He gained the rank of Admiral of the White in 1711.3 He was created 1st Baronet Byng, of Southhill, co. Bedford [Great Britain] on 15 November 1715.3 He held the office of Commander-in-Chief in the Baltic in 1717.3 He held the office of Plenipotentiary to Fez and Morocco in 1718.3 He held the office of Plenipotentiary to the Princes and States of Italy between 1718 and 1721.3 He held the office of Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean between 1718 and 1721.3 He fought in the Battle of Cape Pesaro on 31 July 1718, where he defeated the Spanish fleet.3 He held the office of Rear-Admiral of Great Britain in 1720.3 He held the office of Treasurer of the Navy between 1720 and 1724.3 He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) on 3 January 1721.3 He was created 1st Viscount Torrington, co. Devon [Great Britain] on 21 September 1721.3 He was created 1st Baron Byng of Southhill, co. Bedford [Great Britain] on 21 September 1721.3 He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Bath (K.B.) in 1725.5 He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.6

GEDCOM Source

@R-2146814369@ London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812 1,1624::0

GEDCOM Source

London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: P93/DUN/259 1,1624::151086803

GEDCOM Source

@R-2146814369@ London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812 1,1624::0

GEDCOM Source

London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: P69/BRI/A/005/MS06540/003 1,1624::156339297

GEDCOM Source

@R-2146814369@ England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 1,9841::0

GEDCOM Source

1,9841::169285710

GEDCOM Source

@R-2146814369@ London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812 1,1624::0

GEDCOM Source

London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: P93/DUN/259 1,1624::151086803

GEDCOM Source

@R-2146814369@ London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812 1,1624::0

GEDCOM Source

London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: P69/BRI/A/005/MS06540/003 1,1624::156339297

GEDCOM Source

@R-2146814369@ England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 1,9841::0

GEDCOM Source

1,9841::169285710