Orde, John, Sir, 1751-1824.

Sir John Orde (1751-1824) entered the Royal Navy in 1766 and was promoted to captain during the American War of Independence. He was appointed governor of Dominica in 1783, but resigned to rejoin the Navy after the outbreak of war with revolutionary France a decade later. Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1795, he served in the Mediterranean Fleet under Lord St. Vincent, with whom he quarreled bitterly. In 1804 Orde commanded the successful blockade of Cadiz, and after a dispute with Lord Nelson he returned to England, occasioning a scandal. Orde retired from the Navy as Admiral of the Red in 1812, and died after a long illness in 1824.

From the description of Sir John Orde papers, 1789-1878 (bulk 1798-1805). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702199120

Sir John Orde, first baronet, naval officer and politician, was born in Morpeth, England in 1751, the youngest son of John Orde (circa 1704-circa 1786) and the brother of Thomas Orde-Powlett, first Lord Bolton. Orde entered the navy in 1766; in 1773 he was promoted to lieutenant; and, during the American War of Independence, he was promoted to captain and took part in the reduction of Charlestown and the capture of several American ships. In 1781 he married Margaret Emma (1759-1790), daughter of Richard Stevens of Charlestown.

After the war, Orde was appointed governor of Dominica, where he governed successfully enough to be awarded a baronetcy in 1790; but when war broke out with France in 1793, Orde returned to the navy. Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1795, he served in the Mediterranean Fleet under John Jervis, Earl St. Vincent. However, a complaint that St. Vincent wrongly attributed to Orde sparked an acrimonious dispute between them, resulting in St. Vincent's command that Orde return to England; Orde's request that St. Vincent be court-martialed; his frustrated attempts to challenge St. Vincent to a duel; and pamphlets that Orde circulated privately defending his actions.

In 1804, having been promoted to Vice Admiral several years earlier, he commanded a successful blockade of Cadiz on Spain's entry into the war. Following complaints by Horatio Nelson, however, that Orde's blockade restricted his own opportunities to obtain prize money, Orde requested to return to England despite the ongoing war, occasioning another scandal.

In 1805 Orde was promoted to Admiral of the Blue, in 1809 to Admiral of the White, and in 1814 to Admiral of the Red. From 1807 to 1812 he served as Member of Parliament for Yarmouth. He died in 1824 after a long illness and was buried in Hanwell, Middlesex. His second wife, Jane (circa 1773-1829), daughter of John Frere, died in 1829; their son, John Powlett Orde, inherited the baronetcy on his father's death.

For further information, see Orde's entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

From the guide to the Sir John Orde papers, 1789-1878, 1798-1805, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)