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George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Admiral George Legge (c. 1647–1691), later Lord Dartmouth, was a British naval commander who gave distinguished service to both Charles II and James II.
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Legge's naval career began in the Second Anglo-Dutch War of 1665–1667, where he served under his cousin Admiral Sir Edward Spragge; at the end of the war Legge was captain of HMS Pembroke. In March 1672, now in command of HMS Fairfax, he took part in the attack, on the Dutch Smyrna fleet lying off the Isle of Wight, that was the immediate cause of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. In June he fought in the Battle of Sole Bay. The following year he commanded HMS Royal Katherine under Prince Rupert of the Rhine in the Battle of Schooneveld.
By 1683 Legge had risen to be Admiral of the Fleet and he was sent out to Tangier to oversee the evacuation and destruction of the ill-fated British colony there. His last naval appointment was to the command of the Channel Fleet that unsuccessfully attempted to intercept the invasion force led by William III of Orange that landed in 1688 at the beginning of the Glorious Revolution.
As a close supporter of the House of Stuart he held numerous royal appointments and honours.
- Lieutenant Governor of Portsmouth 1670
- Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance (obtained reversion 1672, succeeded 1679)
- Governor of Portsmouth 1673
- Master-General of the Ordnance 1682
- Master of the King's Horse 1685
- Constable of the Tower 1685
In 1682, he was elevated to the peerage by Charles II as the first Baron Dartmouth.
Following the abdication of James II, he was dismissed by the triumphant William III, and later arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He died in there in 1691 without ever being brought to trial.
He was succeeded as Baron Dartmouth by his only son William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth (1672–1750).
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by In Commission |
Master-General of the Ordnance 1682–1688 |
Succeeded by Frederick Schomberg |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by The Duke of Richmond |
Master of the Horse 1685–1689 |
Succeeded by Henry of Nassau Overkirk |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Lord Alington |
Constable of the Tower Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets 1685–1688 |
Succeeded by The Lord Lucas |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New title | Baron Dartmouth 1682–1691 |
Succeeded by William Legge |