Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth Earl of Hardwicke, Vice-Admiral R.N., A Memoir

Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth
Earl of Hardwicke, Vice-Admiral
R.N., A Memoir

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Hardwicke, Vice-Admiral R.N., by Lady Biddulph of Ledbury
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Title: Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth Earl of Hardwicke, Vice-Admiral
R.N. A Memoir
Author: Lady Biddulph of Ledbury

Release Date: December, 2004 [EBook #7192] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on March 26,
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Edition: 10
Language: English
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YORKE, IV ***

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CHARLES PHILIP YORKE
FOURTH EARL OF HARDWICKE
VICE-ADMIRAL R.N.
A MEMOIR

BY HIS DAUGHTER
THE LADY BIDDULPH OF LEDBURY

WITH PORTRAITS

DEDICATED
TO HIS GRANDCHILDREN

PREFACE
It is with great diffidence that I lay this memoir before the public; it is
my first experience in such work, but my reasons for so doing appear to
me unanswerable. It was to my care and judgment that my father, by
his will, committed his letters and journals, and my heart confirms the
judgment of my mind, that his active and interesting life, so varied in

the many different positions he was called upon to fill, and the
considerable part he played in the affairs of his time, deserve a fuller
record than the accounts to be found in biographical works of
reference.
It has been a labour of love to me to supply these omissions in the
following pages, and to present in outline the life of a capable,
energetic Englishman, for whom I can at least claim that he was a loyal
and devoted servant of his Sovereign and his country.
In fulfilling what I hold to be a filial obligation I have made no attempt
to give literary form to a work which, so far as possible, is based upon
my father's own words. Primarily it is addressed to his grandchildren
and great-grandchildren, to whom, I trust, it may serve as an inspiration;
but I have also some hope that a story which touches the national life at
so many points may prove of interest to the general public. I am greatly
indebted to my son, Mr. Adeane, and to my son-in- law, Mr. Bernard
Mallet, for the help and encouragement they have given me; and I have
also to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. W. B. Boulton in editing and
preparing these papers for publication.
ELIZABETH PHILIPPA BIDDULPH.
LEDBURY: January 1910.

CONTENTS
I. THE YORKE FAMILY
II. ALGIERS. 1815-1816
III. THE NORTH AMERICAN STATION. 1817-1822
IV. GREEK PIRACY. 1823-1826
V. A HOLIDAY IN NORTHERN REGIONS. 1828
VI. GREEK INDEPENDENCE. 1829-1831
VII. COURT DUTIES AND POLITICS. 1831-1847
VIII. GENOA. 1849
IX. POLITICS AND LAST YEARS. 1850-1873
INDEX

LIST OF PORTRAITS
CHARLES PHILIP, FOURTH EARL OF HARDWICKE From a
painting by E. U. Eddis

THE HONBLE. CHARLES YORKE SOLICITOR-GENERAL From a
painting by Allan Ramsay (?)
SIR JOSEPH SYDNEY YORKE As A MIDSHIPMAN, R.N. From a
painting by George Romney
SIR JOSEPH SYDNEY YORKE As A LIEUTENANT, R.N. from a
painting by George Romney
CHARLES PHILIP, FOURTH EARL OF HARDWICKE From a chalk
drawing by E. U. Eddis
SUSAN, COUNTESS OF HARDWICKE From a chalk drawing by E.
U. Eddis

CHARLES PHILIP YORKE
FOURTH EARL OF HARDWICKE

CHAPTER I
THE YORKE FAMILY
The family of Yorke first came into prominence with the great
Chancellor Philip Yorke, first Earl of Hardwicke. This remarkable man,
who was the son of an attorney at Dover, descended, it is claimed, from
the Yorkes of Hannington in North Wiltshire, a family of some
consequence in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, was born in that
town in the year 1690, and rose from a comparatively humble station to
the commanding position he held so long in English public life.
My object in this chapter is to recall some