British Royal Navy officer (1842–1919)
Sir Henry Frederick Stephenson GCVO KCB (7 June 1842 – 16 December 1919) was a Royal Navy officer, courtier, and Arctic explorer.
Early life and career
Stephenson was the son of Henry Frederick Stephenson MP , (20 September 1790 – 30 July 1858, an illegitimate son of Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk )[ 1] [ 2] and Lady Mary Keppel.[ 1] His eldest brother, Sir Augustus Keppel Stephenson , was a Treasury Solicitor , and the second person to hold the office of Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales .[ 3]
On 18 December 1855 Stephenson joined the Royal Navy, becoming a Naval Cadet in HMS St Jean d'Acre , commanded by his uncle Henry Keppel , and serving in the Black Sea during the Crimean War . From September 1856 to April 1857 Stephenson served under Keppel as a cadet in HMS Raleigh , serving in the East Indies and China during the Second Anglo-Chinese War , until his ship wrecked near Macau when it struck an uncharted rock. All the crew were saved.[ 4] In June 1857 he served as a Midshipman in HMS Pearl , serving with Pearl ' s Naval Brigade during the Indian Mutiny of 1857,[ 4] during which he was Mentioned in Despatches three times.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] In June 1861 he was promoted to lieutenant in HMS Emerald , serving in the Channel Squadron .
On 30 March 1866 Stephenson was the lieutenant-in-command of HMS Heron , serving in North America and the West Indies , and becoming the commanding officer of a gun-boat on the Canadian lakes during the Fenian raids of 1866. From 18 January 1867 to 26 April 1868 he served as a lieutenant in HMS Rodney , commanded by Algernon C. F. Heneage, the flagship of Vice-Admiral Henry Keppel , serving in China . Following the death of Commander John T. Swann, Keppel promoted Stephenson to commander on 26 April 1868; the promotion was confirmed by the Admiralty on 7 July 1868.[ 8] From September 1868 to August 1871 he served in HMS Rattler and HMS Iron Duke , serving in the Far East , and later in HMS Caledonia in the Mediterranean [ 4] During this period he also served in the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert .[ 9] Promoted to captain on 6 January 1875, from 15 April 1875 he commanded HMS Discovery for the British Arctic Expedition of 1875–6, led by George Strong Nares in HMS Alert ,[ 10] as a result he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) (in the Civil Division) on 9 December 1876.[ 11] He was appointed Equerry -in-waiting to the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII of the United Kingdom ) on 5 July 1878[ 12] he held this post from time to time until 4 April 1893, when he was appointed an Extra Equerry .[ 13] [ 14] On 15 September 1880 he became captain of HMS Carysfort .[ 4] He participated in the recapture of Ismaïlia ,[ 15] and was awarded the 3rd Class Order of Osmanieh by the Khedive of Egypt in 1883.[ 16] He was appointed Aide-de-camp to the Queen on 1 January 1888.[ 17] He was additionally appointed CB in the military division on 23 May 1889.[ 18]
Later career
Vice Admiral Sir Henry Stephenson (second from left) Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron with Staff on board HMS Majestic 1896
On 4 August 1890 Stephenson was promoted to rear admiral ,[ 19] serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Station from 4 May 1893 to 19 June 1896.[ 20] He was promoted vice admiral on 10 October 1896,[ 21] serving from 7 June 1897 to 20 December 1898 as Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Squadron . He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) on 22 June 1897 during the celebrations of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee ,[ 22] he flew his flag from HMS Majestic during the Spithead Naval Review marking the Jubilee on 26 June 1897.[ 23] On the accession of Edward the VII, he became an Extra Naval Equerry,[ 24] he was promoted admiral on 7 December 1901,[ 25] and from 28 March 1902 to 1904 he was the First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to King Edward VII .[ 26] [ 27] He retired on 16 September 1904 with the rank of admiral.[ 28]
Stephenson was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the November 1902 Birthday Honours list,[ 29] and was invested with the insignia by the King at Buckingham Palace on 18 December 1902.[ 30] On 24 July 1904 Stephenson was appointed Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod .[ 31] [ 32] In this capacity he served at a number of important state occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament , the Coronation of George V,[ 33] the investiture of the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII of the United Kingdom ) as a Knight of the Garter in 1911.[ 34] He was appointed an Extra Equerry to George V of the United Kingdom on 10 June 1910.[ 35]
Family
He married the Hon. Charlotte Elizabeth Eleanor Fraser on 5 December 1903. She died in 1923 and Stephenson died at home in London on 16 December 1919 aged 77.
Arms
Coat of arms of Sir Henry Frederick Stephenson [ 36] [ 37]
Crest
On a wreath of the colours, a falcon with wings expanded argent, beaked and legged or, within a herald's collar of SS proper.
Escutcheon
Vert, a chevron between in chief two roses, and in base a lion sejant guardant all argent, on a canton of the last, a canton azure, thereon the letter "A" or, within a ring of the last, jemmed proper.
Motto
Sola Virtus Invicta
Symbolism
The canton charged with the letter A within a gem ring is a supposed 'augmentation of honour' granted to Henry Frederick Stephenson was part of the mission to give the Garter to Tsar Alexander I of Russia , the crest is an allusions to his position as Falcon Herald Extraordinary.
References
^ a b Fisher, D. R. (2009). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820–1832 Cambridge: Cambridge Press [1]
^ Entry on Ancestry.co.uk
^ The history of the Crown Prosecution Service : The CPS Archived 5 February 2007 at the UK Government Web Archive at www.cps.gov.uk
^ a b c d Partial transcript of Stephenson's service record, with some additional biographical information
^ "No. 22130" . The London Gazette . 23 April 1858. p. 1998.
^ "No. 22142" . The London Gazette . 21 May 1858. pp. 2513– 2516.
^ "No. 22154" . The London Gazette . 18 June 1858. p. 2955.
^ "No. 23399" . The London Gazette . 10 July 1868. p. 3884.
^ RN Officers' service records—Image details—Stephenson, Henry Frederick , RN Officers' service records—Image details—Stephenson, Henry Frederick , DocumentsOnline , The National Archives (fee usually required to view pdf of full original service record). Retrieved on 8 December 2008.
^ Stephenson in the Archives Hub [permanent dead link ]
^ "No. 24393" . The London Gazette . 12 December 1876. p. 6880.
^ "No. 24602" . The London Gazette . 5 July 1878. p. 3968.
^ "No. 24993" . The London Gazette . 5 July 1881. p. 3348.
^ "No. 26388" . The London Gazette . 4 April 1893. p. 2077.
^ "No. 25145" . The London Gazette . 8 September 1882. p. 4168.
^ "No. 25189" . The London Gazette . 16 January 1883. p. 280.
^ "No. 25774" . The London Gazette . 6 January 1888. p. 243.
^ "No. 25939" . The London Gazette . 25 May 1889. p. 287.
^ "No. 26076" . The London Gazette . 5 August 1890. p. 4282.
^ Steaming on schedule time—Test of the Royal Arthur, new British flagship in the Pacific , Stephenson in The New York Times 12 April 1893
^ "No. 26787" . The London Gazette . 20 October 1896. p. 5724.
^ "No. 26947" . The London Gazette . 14 March 1898. pp. 1681– 1682.
^ "No. 26947" . The London Gazette . 14 March 1898. p. 1618.
^ "No. 27289" . The London Gazette . 26 February 1901. p. 1417.
^ "No. 27387" . The London Gazette . 13 December 1901. p. 8838.
^ "No. 27539" . The London Gazette . 31 March 1903. p. 2145.
^ "No. 27734" . The London Gazette . 11 November 1904. p. 7263.
^ "No. 27715" . The London Gazette . 20 September 1904. p. 6044.
^ "No. 27493" . The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 November 1902. p. 7161.
^ "Court Circular". The Times . No. 36955. London. 19 December 1902. p. 4.
^ "No. 27706" . The London Gazette . 23 June 1911. p. 4703.
^ "No. 28385" . The London Gazette . 17 June 1910. p. 4254.
^ "No. 28535" . The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 September 1911. p. 7094.
^ "No. 28507" . The London Gazette . 19 August 1904. p. 5355.
^ "No. 28383" . The London Gazette . 10 June 1910. pp. 4074– 4075.
^ "Additional officers | British History Online" . www.british-history.ac.uk .
^ Slater, Stephen. "The arms of the earls of Radnor" (PDF) . The Somerset Dragon, the journal of the Somerset heraldry society (35): 10-14.
Further reading
John Stephenson (ed.), A Royal Correspondence: Letters of King Edward VII and King George V to Admiral Sir Henry F. Stephenson (1938)
External links
Royal Navy Arctic exploration
Expeditions People Ships
International National Other