Quick Facts
Biography
Admiral Sir John Poo Beresford, 1st Baronet, GCH (1766 – 2 October 1844) was a Royal Navy admiral, Second Sea Lord and Conservative MP.
Naval career
Beresford, an illegitimate son of George and a brother of William, joined the Royal Navy in 1782.
In summer 1809, he was called as a witness at the Court-martial of James, Lord Gambier which assessed whether Admiral Lord Gambier had failed to support Captain Lord Cochrane at the Battle of Basque Roads in April 1809. Gambier was controversially cleared of all charges.
During the War of 1812, as captain of HMS Poictiers, he ineptly bombarded Lewes in Delaware. The Beresford-led Poictiers-four hours after USS Wasp, commanded by Jacob Jones, captured HMS Frolic-captured Wasp, recaptured Frolic and brought both to Bermuda. Later, he was Commanders-in-Chief of Leith Station (1821–25) and The Nore (1830-33).
He was MP for Coleraine 1809–12 & 1814–23, Berwick-upon-Tweed 1823–26, Northallerton 1826–32, and Chatham 1835–37.
Beresford was knighted in 1812, and baroneted - Bagnall County Waterford in 1814 (see here).
Family
In 1809 Beresford married Mary Molloy, the daughter of Captain Anthony James Pye Molloy; they had a son, George Pippy, before Mary's death in 1813. In 1815 Beresford was remarried to Harriet Elizabeth Peirse, daughter of Henry Peirce, and with her had three sons and two daughters. Harriet died in 1825, and Beresford was again married to Amelia Peach, widow of Samuel Peach and daughter of James Bailie. They had no children, and Amelia outlived him. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son from the first marriage, George Pippy, who, as he had no surviving sons, was later succeeded by his half-nephew.