Henry Priestman (Royal Navy officer)

Henry Priestman
Priestman's monument in Westminster Abbey
Born	c.1647
Died	20 August 1712 (aged 64–65)
Allegiance	Kingdom of England
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1672–1699
Rank	Captain
Commands	HMS Antelope HMS Richmond HMS Lark HMS Swan HMS Reserve HMS Bonaventure Commander-in-Chief of ships in the Straits HMS Hampton Court

Captain Henry Priestman (ca. 1647 - 20 August 1712) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1695 to 1698.

Naval career

Priestman joined the Royal Navy in 1672 and his first command was the fourth-rate HMS Antelope. In August 1673 he was promoted to the command of the sixth-rate HMS Richmond. In a time of relative peace he saw no action and went to the Mediterranean in 1675 in command of the sixth-rate HMS Lark. In January 1678 he was appointed to the fifth-rate HMS Swan, and later in the year returned to HMS Antelope. In 1681, he commanded the fourth-rate HMS Reserve, and in May 1683 was appointed to the fourth-rate HMS Bonaventure. Soon after he was appointed Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of ships in the Straits. In 1688, he was placed in command of the third-rate HMS Hampton Court and after the Glorious Revolution, to which he was sympathetic, he became Comptroller of the Storekeeper's Accounts in 1689. ^[1]

Priestman was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for New Shoreham in 1695 and held the seat until 1698. ^[2] He joined the Board of Admiralty led by the Earl of Pembroke in June 1690 ^[3] and was advanced to First Naval Lord in January 1691. ^[4] Priestman left the Admiralty Board in May 1699, following the departure from office of his friend, the Earl of Orford, who was highly criticised for financial abuse. ^[5] Priestman died on 20 August 1712, aged 65; there is a monument to him in Westminster Abbey by the sculptor Francis Bird. ^{[6] [7]}

References

1. "Story of Shoreham" . Retrieved 4 August 2017.
2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 2)
3. "Sainty, JC, Lord High Admiral and Commissioners of the Admiralty 1660-1870, Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 4: Admiralty Officials 1660-1870 (1975), pp. 18–31". Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
4. Rodger, p. 34
5. Charnock, John (1794). Biographia Navalis. R. Faulder. p.  402 . Retrieved 4 August 2017. Henry Priestman navy.
6. "Henry Priestman". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
7. Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis

Sources

• Rodger, N.A.M. (1979). The Admiralty. Offices of State. Lavenham: T. Dalton Ltd. ISBN   0900963948.

Parliament of England
Preceded by Sir Edward Hungerford John Perry	Member of Parliament for New Shoreham 1695–1698 With: John Perry	Succeeded by John Perry Charles Sergison
Military offices
Preceded by Edward Russell	Senior Naval Lord 1691–1694	Succeeded by Earl of Orford