Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

WILLOUGHBY

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 688 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

WILLOUGHBY , the name of an See also:

English See also:family See also:long settled in See also:Nottinghamshire, and now represented by See also:Baron See also:Middleton. Having exchanged his name of See also:Bugge for that of Willoughby, See also:Richard de Willoughby became a See also:judge during the reign of See also:Edward II. and See also:purchased the manors of Wollaton in Nottinghamshire and of Risley in See also:Derbyshire. His son, Richard de Willoughby (d. 1362), was See also:justice of the See also:common pleas under Edward III. Richard's descendant, Dorothy, who became the heiress of the family estates, married See also:Robert Willoughby of See also:Bore See also:Place, See also:Kent, and their descendant, See also:Sir See also:Thomas Willoughby, See also:Bart. (c. 1670-1729), of Wollaton, was created Baron Middleton in 1712. In 1877 his descendant, See also:Digby See also:Wentworth See also:Bayard Willoughby (h. 1844), became the 9th baron. This See also:title must be distinguished from that of See also:Viscount See also:Midleton, See also:borne by the Brodrick family. Sir See also:Hugh Willoughby, the See also:seaman, was a member of this family. He was a son of Sir See also:Henry Willoughby (d.

1528), and a See also:

grandson of Sir Hugh Willoughby of Wollaton. His See also:early services were as a soldier on the Scottish See also:borders, but he soon turned his thoughts to the See also:sea, and was appointed See also:captain of a See also:fleet of three See also:ships which set out in 1553 with the See also:object of discovering a See also:north-eastern passage to See also:Cathay and See also:India. Two of the three ships reached the See also:coast of See also:Lapland, where it was proposed to See also:winter, and here Willoughby and his companions (lied of See also:cold and See also:starvation soon after See also:January 1 554. A few years later their remains were found, and with them Willoughby's See also:Journal, which is printed in vol. i. of R. See also:Hakluyt's See also:Principal See also:Navigation. :another famous member of this family was Sir Nesbit See also:Josiah Willoughby (1777-1849), who entered the See also:British See also:navy in 1790 and was See also:present at the See also:battle of See also:Copenhagen. In 1800, however, he was dismissed from the service by the See also:sentence of a See also:court-See also:martial for his insolent conduct towards a superio.r officer, a previous offence of this See also:kind having been punished less severely. In 1803, on the renewal of See also:war, as a volunteer he joined an English See also:squadron See also:bound for the See also:West Indies, and was soon admitted again to the navy; his courage and promptness at Cape See also:Francais were responsible for saving goo lives, and he distinguished himself on other occasions, being soon restored to his former See also:rank in the service. After further services in the West Indies, during which he displayed marked gallantry on several occasions, Willoughby was tried by court-martial at Cape See also:Town in ,8o8 on charges of See also:cruelty; he seems to have taken a See also:great delight in inflicting See also:punishment, but he was acquitted with the See also:advice to be more moderate in future in his See also:language. Again iii the West Indies, where he commanded. the Nereidefrigate, he was responsible for the heroic See also:defence made by his See also:ship against a much stronger See also:French force at See also:Port See also:Louis, See also:Mauritius, in See also:August 181o, when 222 out of his See also:crew of 281 men were disabled before he surrendered. Undeterred by the severe wounds which he had received, and seeing no prospect of active service with the British fleet, Willoughby offered his services in 1812 to the See also:Russian See also:government, and while serving with the Russian See also:army he was captured by the French. He was taken to See also:France, whence he escaped to See also:England.

Having seen a little more service in the navy, he was knighted in 1827, was made a See also:

rear-See also:admiral in 1847, and died unmarried in See also:London on the 19th of May 1849.

End of Article: WILLOUGHBY

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
WILLOCK (or WILLOCKS), JOHN (c. 1515-1585) 		[next]
WILLOW (Salix)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries