- John Willett Payne
Infobox Military Person
name= John Willett Payne
lived=23 April ,1752 –17 November ,1803
placeofbirth=St Kitts ,Leeward Islands
placeofdeath=Royal Naval Hospital ,Greenwich
caption=
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United KingdomUnited Kingdom
serviceyears= 1767 to 1803
rank=Royal Navy Rear-Admiral
branch=
commands=
unit=
battles=American Revolutionary War •Battle of Sullivan's Island French Revolutionary Wars •Glorious First of June
awards=
laterwork= MP for Huntingdon, 1787–1796Rear-Admiral John Willett Payne (
23 April ,1752 –17 November ,1803 ) was a senior, veteran officer of the BritishRoyal Navy who also served as a close friend, advisor and courtier to Prince George before and during his first regency. Payne was notorious as a rake and scoundrel, but was also aMember of Parliament and noted for his bravery in several military actions during theAmerican Revolutionary War and theFrench Revolutionary Wars . Out of favour in his later years, Payne was reconciled with the Prince in 1799, but died whilst still in the service aged 51, from an illness which developed during blockade operations in theWestern Approaches .Early career
Payne was born in 1752, son of Ralph Payne, Chief Justice of
St Kitts and his wife Margaret "née" Gallaway. His elder brother Ralph Payne would later becomeBaron Lavington . Payne was educated at Dr. Bracken's Academy inGreenwich and later attended theRoyal Naval Academy atPortsmouth to train as an officer. During this time he became friends withHugh Seymour Conway , with whom he had a lifelong friendship and close naval partnership. In 1769 he left the academy to join HMS "Quebec"."Quebec" served in the West Indies but after only a few months Payne moved to the
ship of the line HMS "Montagu" before returning to Britain in 1773 aboard thesloop HMS "Falcon". Payne briefly joined HMS "Egmont" but soon was attached to the largefrigate HMS "Rainbow" for a cruise to theGuinea Coast . In 1775 he was back in England, where he passed forlieutenant aboard "Egmont".American Revolutionary War
With the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary War in 1775, Payne joined HMS "Bristol" and participated in theBattle of Sullivan's Island under the command of Sir Peter Parker. Shortly afterward, Payne joined HMS "Eagle" inNew York to serve as Lord Howe's aide-de-camp. In 1777, Payne joined HMS "Brune" and the following year transferred to HMS "Phoenix" in which he participated in numerous coastal operations on the Eastern Seaboard.After a brief period in command of the brig HMS "West Florida", Payne returned to Britain aboard HMS "Roebuck" and in Britain served aboard HMS "Romney". He impressed Commodore George Johnstone in this duty and in 1779 was made
commander of the sloop HMS "Cormorant". The following year, Payne was promoted topost captain and took over the prize frigate HMS "Artois" which he commanded in European waters. He was also embroiled in a scandal when he was accused of impressing Portuguese citizens out of merchant ships in theTagus .In 1781, Payne sailed to the
Jamaica station in HMS "Enterprize" and the following year took over HMS "Leander". In "Leander", Payne fought a duel with a much larger enemy ship in which both vessels were severely damaged. The identity of the other ship was never established, but Payne was given the 80-gun HMS "Princess Amelia" as a reward. At the war's conclusion, Payne returned to Europe and "Princess Amelia" was paid off.Royal service
During the early 1780s, Payne had formed a friendship with the rakish heir to the throne, George, Prince of Wales. After acting as companion to
Lord Northington on a Grand Tour of Europe in 1785, Payne returned to the service of the Prince as his private secretary andKeeper of the Privy Seal . Payne also ran the Prince's household and lent money to Lord Sandwich, who was obliged to obtain for Payne the parliamentary seat of Huntingdon, which he held from 1787 to 1796. During this period he was appointed captain of HMS "Phoenix" but never served at sea, drawing the pay whilst pursuing his other duties.Following the succession crisis of 1788 when King George III was struck down by
porphyria , Payne was an active supporter of the Prince of Wales's regency. Payne corresponded closely with other supporters but also participated in the Prince's frequent and extravagant masques and entertainments. He also helped conspire in the Prince's illegal marriage toMaria Fitzherbert and was once rebuked by theDuchess of Gordon in the terms "You little, insignificant, good-for-nothing, upstart, pert chattering puppy" after being overheard making insulting comments about the Queen,Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz .French Revolutionary Wars
The King's recovery, combined with the outbreak of the
French Revolutionary Wars , called Payne to see once more. Taking command of HMS "Russell" in 1793, Payne joined theChannel Fleet under Lord Howe and the following year participated in theAtlantic campaign of May 1794 . Howe was attempting to chase down a French fleet guarding a grain convoy in the mid-Atlantic and after a month of sparring, caught the French on28 May . Payne's ship was with the flying squadron underThomas Pasley sent to engage the French and "Russell" fought well in this action and the following day. In the culminating engagement, theGlorious First of June , Payne's ship was heavily engaged and fought a succession of French ships, inflicting severe damage and making a great contribution to the eventual victory.In the aftermath of the action, Payne was rewarded with a gold medal and in 1795 was tasked with escorting the Prince of Wales's official wife,
Caroline of Brunswick to Britain. Payne became friends with Caroline, and the bitter marriage between her and the Prince angered Payne. In addition, Payne had earned the enmity ofFrances Villiers, Countess of Jersey and these factors combined to alienate him from the Prince, who dismissed Payne from all his offices in 1796.The same year, Payne took command of HMS "Impetueux", one of the ships he had captured at the Glorious First of June two years before. In her Payne led a squadron the blockade of Brest until 1799, seeing no significant action and suffering from increasing ill-health as a result of the arduous service. In January 1799, Payne retired ashore and was reconciled with the Prince, who described their relationship as "an old and steady friendship of upwards of twenty years standing". In February Payne was made
rear-admiral , but it was becoming clear that he was no longer fit for sea service.Retiring to the prestige post of treasurer of the
Royal Naval Hospital at Greewich, Payne was actually a patient at the hospital for his last years, and plans for him to move into one of the Prince's residences atCarlton House came to nothing. Payne died in 1803 at the hospital from the strain of his long-service, and was buried at the Church of St. Margaret, Westminster. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21648 Payne, John Willett] , "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ", Randolph Cocks, Retrieved27 January 2008 ] He never married and had no children, however had been one of the lovers of Emma Lyons who later becameLady Hamilton .Notes
References
* cite web
title = Payne, John Willett
work =Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Randolph Cocks
url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21648Persondata
NAME=Payne, John Willett
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= British Royal Navy admiral
DATE OF BIRTH=23 April 1752
PLACE OF BIRTH=St Kitts ,Leeward Islands
DATE OF DEATH=17 November 1803
PLACE OF DEATH=Royal Naval Hospital ,Greenwich
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