John Leveson-Gower

Rear-Admiral John Leveson-Gower (11 July 1740 – 15 August 1792

Leveson-Gower then commanded the 64-gun , sailing her to Guinea and the West Indies in 1765. Later he commanded the frigates and , and finally the guardship at Plymouth in 1774. He was appointed to command the 74-gun in the English Channel in 1775, where he captured several American ships. He was present at the Battle of Ushant on 17 July 1778, where he strongly supported Admiral Augustus Keppel, Valiant sustaining casualties of six killed and twenty-six wounded. He gave evidence at Keppel's subsequent court-martial, defending his admiral's actions, and resigned his command afterwards. He continued at the Admiralty with the Earl of Chatham until August 1789. During this time he hoisted a broad pennant in in 1785, for a summer cruise around Great Britain with Prince William Henry; and was commodore in in 1787, in command of the Channel Squadron. He was returned as the member for Appleby in 1784, sitting until 1790. He was elected to Newcastle-under-Lyme that year and spoke four times on Admiralty matters in Parliament.

On 24 September 1787 he was advanced to be rear-admiral, and in the following summer hoisted his flag again in Edgar in the Channel.

Death and issue

He died of a stroke while shaving on 15 August 1792 at his house at Bill Hill, Wokingham, and was buried on 23 August at Barkham parish church, Berkshire. He had married Frances Boscawen, eldest daughter of Admiral the Hon. Edward Boscawen and Frances Evelyn Glanville on 5 July 1773. They had several sons, including John, who became a general and MP, Edward, who became a rear-admiral, and Augustus, who was a captain and drowned aged 21. The small town of North Gower, in Ontario, Canada is named after him.