Robert Fanshawe

Robert Fanshawe (4 January 1740 – 4 February 1823) was a British officer of the Royal Navy and a Member of Parliament.

Family and early life Robert Fanshawe was born in British America on 4 January 1740, the second son of Rear-Admiral Charles Fanshawe and Elizabeth Rogers, daughter of Sir John Rogers, 2nd Baronet. Robert Fanshawe was a member of the Parsloes branch of the Fanshawe family, being a descendant of William Fanshawe, an M.P. that lived during the early 17th century. He joined the navy in 1753, serving as a midshipman aboard the 50-gun . He went to the East Indies during the Seven Years' War with the squadron commanded by Vice-Admiral Charles Watson. Fanshawe saw action at the capture of the fortress of Geriah, the recapture of Calcutta, and the Battle of Chandannagar in 1757. He also took part in the three general actions between Vice-Admiral George Pocock and Anne Antoine, Comte d'Aché, in 1758 and 1759; the battles of Cuddalore, Negapatam and Pondicherry. Fanshawe's first command at this rank was the frigate , which he held from April 1769 until autumn 1770. A period without a sea-going command followed, until he took command of the 28-gun in December 1775, during the American War of Independence.

American War of Independence Fanshawe returned to North American waters and joined the squadron there under Commodore William Hotham. Detailed to escort a fleet back to Britain in 1781, Fanshawe received intelligence of the combined fleets of France and Spain, amounting to forty-nine sail of the line, being at sea in the hope of intercepting his convoy. Fanshawe took them north out of range of the enemy, bringing them to port safely. For this he received the thanks of the Admiralty, and was presented with the freedom of Edinburgh. as a supporter of William Pitt, the Younger. His only known votes were with Pitt on the Regency and stood down to become Commissioner of Plymouth Dockyard. As Commissioner of Plymouth Dockyard he was responsible for the management of the whole dock and the building of ships for the Royal Navy. He served as Commissioner from 1790 until 1815. daughter of John Gennys of Whitleigh Hall, Saint Budeaux, Devon. They had three sons and nine daughters together. His eldest son, also named Robert, followed his father into the navy, rising to the rank of captain. He died at Antigua in 1804 while in command of HMS Carysfort, the ship his father had commanded 30 years earlier. His second son, Edward, served as an officer in the Royal Engineers, while his third son, Arthur, rose to flag rank, as did Robert's grandson, Edward. Of his daughters; Christiana married the Rev. Francis Haggitt, Prebendary and Sub-Dean of Durham; Elizabeth married F. Glanville, Esq.; Susan married Vice-Admiral William Bedford; Catharine married to Sir Thomas Byam Martin; Cordelia married Captain, later Vice-Admiral, John Chambers White; Mary married Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir Robert Stopford, and Penelope married Colonel Duckworth, who died at Battle of Albuera on 16 May 1811. Two other daughters, Anne and Harriet, were recorded as being unmarried at the time that Fanshawe's biography was published.