Sir William Burnaby, 1st Baronet

Who is Sir William Burnaby, 1st Baronet?

Sir Wiiliam Burnaby, 1st Baronet was a British naval officer.

He was the son of John Burnaby of Kensington.

He entered the navy and was promoted to lieutenant in 1732. In August 1741 he was given command of the bomb-ketch Thunder and posted to Admiral Vernon's squadron in the West Indies. In 1742 he was made Captain of the warship Lichfield.

On his return to England he bought Broughton Hall in Oxfordshire in 1747, was knighted in 1754 and served as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for 1755.

On the outbreak of war with France he was given command of the Jersey and then the Royal Anne and in 1762 made a Rear-admiral. In 1763 he was back in the Weat Indies in command of the Dreadnought with orders to protect and exploit local trade. In 1765 he sailed to Belize at their request of the loggers there to protect them from Spanish attacks, drawing up a Civil Law for the colony called Burnaby's Code. He returned to England in 1767 and on 31 October 1767 was made a baronet. He was promoted Vice-admiral of the White on 20 October 1770 and Vice-admiral of the Red soon afterwards. At the end of 1771 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Jamaica, soon handing over to Admiral Rodney.