“Wentworth grew up as a penniless loyalist exile following the premature death of his father. Suddenly forced to make his own way in life, he found a path to redemption through service in the Royal Navy.”
By Sean M. Heuvel
MASSACHUSETTS NATIVE John Wentworth Loring was born in the midst of revolution in October 1775.
The son of affluent Tory colonists who stayed loyal to the Crown, “Wentworth” as he was called would have in normal circumstances been raised in luxury and privilege. However, fate had other plans for him.
Swept away to England as a young child to flee war-ravaged New England, Wentworth grew up as a penniless loyalist exile following the premature death of his father. Suddenly forced to make his own way in life, he found a path to redemption through service in the Royal Navy.
His name was first entered on the books of the fourth-rate HMS Salisbury (50) in 1789, which was then stationed in Newfoundland. At 14, ye was listed as a servant to his uncle, Captain John Loring. Later that year, the young Loring became a midshipman aboard Salisbury, serving under a succession of captains including the legendary Sir Edward Pellew (later Lord Exmouth).[1]
Knowing that his mother was in dire financial straits struggling to maintain and educate his siblings, Loring endeavoured to live on his own pay. He did this by going to mess on ship with the warrant officers instead of with more senior officers, an unusual step for someone of his societal station during this time.[2]
Over the next few years, Loring served on a succession of Royal Navy ships, including the third-rate Alcide (74), the fourth-rate Romney (50) and the Dutch-built and former Dutch privateer sloop-of-war Orestes (18).
By the dawn of the French Revolution, Loring had received orders to the first-rate HMS Victory (104) in the Mediterranean. Serving onshore as a volunteer in 1793, he was severely wounded in the leg during the Siege of Toulon. Despite being on crutches, Loring was determined to serve and rejoined Victory shortly thereafter.
During the Siege of Bastia, he was entrusted with the command of a small gunboat that constantly passed and re-passed under the stern of Victory during its daily operations. At the time, Victory was Admiral Lord Samuel Hood’s flagship. The famous naval hero often watched Loring through his cabin windows, admiring the determination of the young officer on crutches. Loring was therefore promoted to lieutenant in 1794.[3]
By this time, Loring came under the patronage of then-Vice Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, who assigned the young lieutenant to a succession of his flagships, including the second-rate HMS St. George (98), the first-rate HMS Britannia (100), and the second-rate HMS Queen (98).
In 1795, Loring was also involved in Admiral William Hotham’s actions of 14 March (the Battle of Genoa) and 13 July (the Battle of Hyères Islands).[4] Following his patron Admiral Parker to the West Indies, Loring was actively employed on that station.
As acting commander HM Sloop-of-War Rattler (16) in 1798, he was involved in supervising the evacuation of the Cayemites Islands off the southwest coast of modern-day Haiti.
Following his promotion to commander in 1799, he captured eight privateers and 27 merchant vessels with HM Sloop-of-War Lark (18).[5] Accumulating a small fortune in prize money, Loring sent home nearly £5,000 to subsidize the education of his brothers.[6] After leading the Lark successfully through a tremendous hurricane in 1801, Lord Hugh Seymour appointed Loring acting captain of the fourth-rate HMS Abergavenny (54), and the fifth-rate frigate, HMS Syren (32) shortly thereafter. A year later, Loring’s intrepidity in quelling a mutiny aboard the latter ship prompted the Lords of the Admiralty to confirm him to post-rank. Further, in recognition of his service, Loring’s promotion was antedated to 28 April 1802, the day before a general promotion that had taken place in recognition of the Peace of Amiens.[7]
The promotion to post-captain brought Loring’s service in the West Indies to a close. It had been a lucrative chapter in his career both professionally and financially, as he had obtained rapid promotion along with roughly £25,000 in prize money. Nevertheless, on 14 September 1803, he was appointed to the third-rate HMS Utrecht (74), which was stationed in the Downs. It was also flagship to a succession of admirals during this period, to include Robert Montague, Philip Patton, and John Holloway. For Loring, the association with Admiral Patton was most beneficial; as he went on to marry one of the Admiral’s daughters (Anna) in 1804. Following the wedding, Loring was permitted a few months on shore. It was the first time he had enjoyed any length of time on land since joining the Royal Navy as a midshipman in 1789.[8]
Following his leave and a couple of temporary assignments, Loring was appointed to the ship that would solidify his reputation as one of the Royal Navy’s top frigate captains. On 13 November 1805, he was posted to the fifth-rate frigate HMS Niobe (40), assigned to Lord St. Vincent’s fleet which was operating off the coast of Spain before being transferring for duty on the North Sea.
While on an independent cruise in March 1806, Loring achieved great acclaim for his silent capture of the French corvette Nearque near the Isle of Groix.[9] Over the next few years, Loring also captured two French privateers and successfully prevented two French frigates from leaving port.[10] Along with his active involvement in combat operations, Loring took time on Niobe to perfect his skills in taking soundings. He subsequently developed a reputation as the best Royal Navy pilot on the North Sea.[11]
However, Loring’s success on the Niobe came at a cost to his health. Constant exposure to all types of weather on deck, combined with constant stress and a refusal to rest, caused him to develop pneumonia.
Loring was forced to take a leave of absence from his ship. It took six months under a London physician’s care for him to resume his duties. However, complete recovery was not possible and his health remained impaired for the rest of his life.[12]
After paying off Niobe in 1813, Loring served as flag-captain for Admiral Sir William Young on the second-rate HMS Impregnable (98), engaging mostly in blockade duty on the North Sea. Loring remained on Impregnable until 1815, when he was made a Companion of the Bath (C.B.) for his services in the war.[13]
Following a short postwar stint in 1816 as superintendent of the Ordinary at Sheerness, Loring faced the possibility of spending the rest of his career on half-pay as a semi-retired, post-captain. However, a chance occurrence facilitated a new phase in his Royal Navy service.
In fall 1819, a family illness prompted Loring to visit the seaside resort of Southsea in Portsmouth in order to consult with a well-known physician there. While Loring was in the area, the incoming lieutenant governor of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth Dockyard died unexpectedly.[14] Loring heard of the vacancy shortly thereafter and immediately traveled to London in order to lay his application before the Admiralty. Since he possessed a distinguished service record and enjoyed support among many influential Royal Navy senior officers, Loring was appointed lieutenant governor of the Royal Naval College on 4 November 1819.[15]
As lieutenant governor, Loring oversaw the day-to-day operations of the College, supervising its faculty and staff. Since the College’s governor was the First Lord of the Admiralty, he worked closely with a succession of influential political leaders who held that post.[16] One of them was the Duke of Clarence, an active supporter of the College before his reign as King William IV.[17] A highlight of Loring’s tenure occurred when he received a diamond ring from the Empress Consort of Russia, Elizabeth Alexeievna (wife of Czar Alexander I), in recognition of his work with one of her young protégés.[18]
Loring continued as lieutenant governor of the Royal Naval College until his promotion to rear admiral in January 1837. In recognition of his former colleague’s successful tenure, King William IV appointed Loring to the Royal Guelphic Order at the rank of knight commander (K.C.H.) in April 1837.[19] The following month, the King also conferred knighthood upon Loring, as a knight bachelor, at a ceremony at St. James’s Palace.[20] It was one of the last such appointments before the King’s death a few weeks later.
Following Loring’s retirement from active service in spring 1837, he and his family divided their time between a home in Southampton and his estate in Ryde, Isle of Wight. In July 1840, Loring was made a Knight Commander of the Bath (K.C.B.) by Queen Victoria at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.[21] He also was honoured during this period with a succession of promotions, culminating in advancement to admiral of the blue on 8 July 1851.[22] In his late-70s and in failing health, Loring passed away on 29 July 1852, at his estate in Ryde. He was buried at Pear Tree Church in Southampton, leaving behind a widow, three daughters, and three sons.[23] Despite his colonial roots and humble upbringing, Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring enjoyed a noteworthy career in the Royal Navy. His achievements were later recognized during World War II, when a British Captain-class frigate, HMS Loring (K565), was named in his honour. In active employment for 44 years and on half-pay for only four, Admiral Loring was one of the exemplary North Americans who served in the Royal Navy during its wars with France.[24]
Sean M. Heuvel, along with John A. Rodgaard (USN Ret.), is the co-editor of From Across the Sea: North Americans in Nelson’s Navy. A faculty member at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, he is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of Richmond and a relative of Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring.
ENDNOTES
[1] The Services of the Late Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, K.C.B., K.C.H., in the two French Wars from 1789 to 1816, etc. (Bournemouth: Francis Nash, 1880), 7.
[2] Ibid, p. 8; officers usually had to pay for their own food and provisions while the Royal Navy provided for warrant officers and those on the lower deck.
[4] Sylvanus Urban, The Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol. 38 (London: John Bowyer Nichols and Son, 1852), 312-313.
[6] Eliza Loring, “Family History.”
[7] Urban, The Gentleman’s Magazine, p. 313; The Services of the Late Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, 15.
[8] The Services of the Late Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, 19.
[9] Ibid, 22; Groix is an island in the Brittany region of northwestern France.
[10] Urban, The Gentleman’s Magazine, 313; The Services of the Late Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, 26; Loring was also involved in the later destruction of both vessels in spring 1811.
[11] The Services of the Late Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, 30.
[12] Ibid; Dr. J.E.B. Stuart V, personal communication, 11 November 2013.
[13] The Services of the Late Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, 31-32.
[14] The Royal Naval College at Portsmouth was founded in 1729 and closed in 1837.
[15] The Services of the Late Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, 34.
[16] The United Service Journal and Naval and Military Magazine, Part II (London: Samuel Bentley, 1829), 467.
[17] A Memoir of the Life and Works of William Wyon, Esq., A.R.A., Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint (London: W. Nicol, 1837), 163; The then-Duke of Clarence served as governor of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth from 1827 to 1828 in his capacity as Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom.
[18] John Marshall, Royal Naval Biography; or Memoirs of the Services of all the Flag Officers, Superannuated Rear-Admirals, Retired-Captains, Post-Captains, and Commanders, Vol. II, Part II (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, 1825), 549; This source did not identify the specific Russian empress who awarded Loring the diamond ring. However, considering the date of publication, it was most likely Elizabeth Alexeievna, wife of Czar Alexander I of Russia, who reigned from 1801 to 1825.
[19] The Royal Guelphic (or Hanoverian) Order is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted by the Prince Regent in 1815. King William IV often used it to reward old navy friends and associates such as Loring. The Royal Guelphic Order has not been conferred by the British Crown since 1837, when the personal union of the United Kingdom and Hanover ended following King William IV’s death.
[20] The London Gazette, 5 May 1837; Since the Royal Guelphic Order was technically a foreign order, King William IV usually conferred simultaneous knighthood (as knight bachelor) on honorees, thus allowing them to use the accolade, “Sir,” in British society.
[21] The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1840: A Journal of Papers on Subjects Connected with Maritime Affairs (London: Simpkin, Marshall, and Company, 1841), 604.
[22] The London Gazette, 11 July 1851.
[23] Marshall, Royal Naval Biography, 549. The lettering on many of the older tombstones in Pear Tree Church cemetery has worn off, so the exact location of Loring’s grave within the cemetery is currently unknown.
[24] Another one of Loring’s distinguished naval relatives was Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO, SGM (1859-1935), who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 during World War I. The Earl Jellicoe was Loring’s grandnephew by marriage.
