John Forbes

Admiral of the Fleet John Forbes (17 July 1714 – 10 March 1796) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After taking part in an expedition to Lisbon to support the Portuguese in the face of a Spanish threat, he saw action as captain of the third-rate HMS Norfolk at the Battle of Toulon during the War of the Austrian Succession. He was one of the few captains who really bore down on the enemy.

Forbes went on to serve as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty under successive governments. In that role, he was convinced of the illegality of the sentence of death on Admiral John Byng and refused to sign Byng's death warrant. He also served as Member of Parliament for St Johnstown and then as Member of Parliament for Mullingar in the Parliament of Ireland.

Early career

Born the second son of George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard and Mary (the eldest daughter of William Stewart, 1st Viscount Mountjoy), Forbes joined the Royal Navy in the 70-gun third-rate HMS Burford on 31 May 1726. He served as a volunteer under the command of his maternal uncle, the Honourable Charles Stewart. He served with HMS Burford in the Mediterranean, before moving with his uncle to the third-rate HMS Lion, and the two sailed together to the West Indies in 1729. Stewart promoted Forbes to lieutenant, while serving there, on 16 March 1731.

Forbes became third lieutenant in the 60-gun fourth-rate HMS Kingston on 13 January 1733. He followed the example of Admiral Thomas Mathews, who was aboard the second-rate HMS Namur, and was one of the few captains who really bore down on the enemy. Forbes became second in command to Vice-Admiral John Byng in the Mediterranean and then took over command of the Mediterranean Squadron in August 1748. he was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty on the Board of Admiralty led by Earl Temple in December 1756. In March 1757 the execution of Vice-Admiral John Byng was held: Forbes was convinced of the illegality of the judgement and refused to sign the death warrant, instead attaching to the warrant a document explaining his refusal. A copy of the document, believed to be Forbes' draft, on three sheets of paper, is in the archives of the Society of Genealogists. he received the sinecure of general of marines on 1 May 1758. From around 1760 he lived at No. 3 Savile Row in London. He served as Senior Naval Lord on the Admiralty Board from March 1761 to April 1763.

Forbes was elected as Member for Mullingar in 1761 and became Commissioner of the Board of Longitude in 1768. His final promotion was to Admiral of the Fleet on 24 October 1781 following the death of Lord Hawke. and was buried in the Essex family vault in the parish church of St Mary's Watford next to his wife. Katherine, married William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington, while Maria married John Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon.