# George Delaval > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/George_Delaval > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/George_Delaval.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Delaval > Source revision: 1345349053 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Royal Navy officer, diplomat and politician (1667-1723)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} [[File:Admiral George Delaval (1668–1723), MP by Godfrey Kneller.jpg|thumb|1710 portrait of Delaval by [Sir Godfrey Kneller](/source/Godfrey_Kneller)]] [Vice-Admiral](/source/Vice-admiral_(Royal_Navy)) '''George Delaval''' ({{circa|1667}} – 22 June 1723) was a [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) officer, diplomat and [Whig](/source/Whigs_(British_political_party)) politician who served as the [British ambassador to Portugal](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_Great_Britain_to_Portugal) from 1710 to 1714. He also represented [West Looe](/source/West_Looe_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) in the [House of Commons of Great Britain](/source/House_of_Commons_of_Great_Britain) from 1715 to 1723. ==Family== Delaval was of a junior branch of the [Delaval family](/source/Delaval), the son of George Delaval of [North Dissington](/source/Dissington_Hall), [Northumberland](/source/Northumberland). His father left him a legacy of only £100, but he went on to make a large fortune from his naval and diplomatic career.{{cite web|url=https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1276696|title=Admiral George Delaval, MP (bap.1668 – 1723)|publisher=National Trust Collections|access-date=22 February 2024}} ==Naval career== Delaval joined the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) and by 1693 had achieved the rank of 3rd lieutenant aboard [HMS ''Lenox''](/source/HMS_Lenox_(1678)). In 1698 he travelled to North Africa to negotiate the release of British prisoners and concluded a treaty with [Morocco](/source/Morocco) in 1700. On his return as Captain Delaval in May 1700, he took command of the newly commissioned 4th rate man of war HMS ''Tilbury''.{{cite web|url=http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/18t.HTM |title=Ships of the Royal Navy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009180102/http://www.cronab.demon.co.uk/18t.HTM |archive-date=9 October 2006 |url-status=dead}} He commanded [HMS ''Tilbury''](/source/HMS_Tilbury_(1699)) in the vanguard at the [Battle of Málaga](/source/Battle_of_M%C3%A1laga_(1704)) in the [War of the Spanish Succession](/source/War_of_the_Spanish_Succession) on 24 August 1704. He was promoted to [rear admiral](/source/rear_admiral) in 1718 and to [vice admiral](/source/vice_admiral) in 1722.{{cite web|url=https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_crewman&id=330|title=George Delaval|publisher=Three Decks|access-date=22 February 2024}} ==Diplomatic and political career== Delaval's diplomatic career took him to [Spain](/source/Spain) in 1705, with [Lord Peterborough](/source/Charles_Mordaunt%2C_3rd_Earl_of_Peterborough). In 1707 he was envoy to [Lisbon](/source/Lisbon) and, in 1708, concluded an agreement with [Ismail Ibn Sharif](/source/Ismail_Ibn_Sharif), the Sultan of Morocco, not to molest each other's ships. He went to Portugal for three years in 1710 as Envoy Extraordinary to the King of Portugal. Delaval was returned unopposed as Whig [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament) for the [rotten borough](/source/rotten_borough) of [West Looe](/source/West_Looe_(UK_Parliament_constituency)), [Cornwall](/source/Cornwall) at the [1715 general election](/source/1715_British_general_election). In 1716, he was appointed [Deputy Lieutenant](/source/Deputy_Lieutenant) of [Northumberland](/source/Northumberland). He was returned unopposed for West Looe again at the [1722 general election](/source/1722_British_general_election). In Parliament, he voted with the Government in all recorded divisions.{{cite web| url = https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/delaval-george-1667-1723| title=DELAVAL, George (c.1667-1723), of Seaton Delaval, Northumb. | publisher= History of Parliament Online| accessdate = 12 September 2018}} ==Estates== [[File:Seaton Delaval Hall 02 (crop).jpg|thumb|300px|[Seaton Delaval Hall](/source/Seaton_Delaval_Hall) near [Newcastle upon Tyne](/source/Newcastle_upon_Tyne)]] In 1716 Delaval purchased for £5000 the forfeited estate of the [Shafto family](/source/Shafto_family) at [Bavington Hall](/source/Bavington_Hall), Northumberland, and in 1718 he bought the ancient seat of the Delaval family at [Seaton Delaval](/source/Seaton_Delaval) from his impoverished cousin, [Sir John Delaval, 3rd Baronet](/source/Sir_John_Delaval%2C_3rd_Baronet).{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXPqAAAAMAAJ |title=The country houses of Sir John Vanbrugh|first= Jeremy|last= Musson|year=2008|publisher=Aurum |page=129|isbn=978-1845130978}} He retained the services of the architect [Sir John Vanbrugh](/source/Sir_John_Vanbrugh) and began an ambitious rebuilding of [Seaton Delaval Hall](/source/Seaton_Delaval_Hall).{{NHLE|desc=The Hall|num=1041321|access-date=22 February 2024}} He did not live to see the new house completed; in 1723, at the age of 55, he died as a result of falling off his horse. The site of the accident was marked by the erection of an [obelisk](/source/obelisk), the base of which survives to the west of the hall, next to the turning to [New Hartley](/source/New_Hartley).{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/IOE01/05755/04 |title=Obelisk Base In The Avenue On East Of Road To New Hartley|publisher=Historic England| access-date=22 February 2024}} Delaval left no issue. He restored Bavington Hall to the Shaftos by bequeathing it to George Shafto, who had married his sister. He left [Seaton Delaval Hall](/source/Seaton_Delaval_Hall) to his nephew [Francis Blake Delaval](/source/Francis_Blake_Delaval_(Royal_Navy_officer)).{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/delaval-francis-1692-1752|title=DELAVAL, Francis (1692-1752), of Ford Castle, Seaton Delaval and Dissington, Northumb., and Doddington, Lincs.|publisher=History of Parliament Online|accessdate=24 January 2018}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== * Delaval Family Papers and Delaval Hastings Manuscripts. Northumberland Record Office {{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{succession box | before= [Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway](/source/Henri_de_Massue%2C_Earl_of_Galway) | title= [Envoy to Portugal](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_Great_Britain_to_Portugal) | years=1710–1714 | after= [Henry Worsley](/source/Henry_Worsley_(diplomat)) }} {{s-par|gb}} {{s-bef | before = [Rear Admiral Sir Charles Wager](/source/Charles_Wager) | before2 = [John Trelawny](/source/Sir_John_Trelawny%2C_4th_Baronet) }} {{s-title | title = [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament) for [West Looe](/source/West_Looe_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) | years = [1715](/source/1715_British_general_election)–1723 | with = [Thomas Maynard](/source/Thomas_Maynard_(MP)) 1715-1722 | with2 = [Sir John Trelawny](/source/Sir_John_Trelawny%2C_4th_Baronet)1722-1723 }} {{s-aft | after = [Edward Trelawny](/source/Edward_Trelawny_(governor)) | after2 = [Sir John Trelawny](/source/Sir_John_Trelawny%2C_4th_Baronet) }} {{s-end}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Delaval, George}} Category:1660s births Category:1723 deaths Category:Royal Navy vice admirals Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for constituencies in Cornwall Category:Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Great Britain to Portugal Category:People from Seaton Delaval Category:British military personnel of the War of the Quadruple Alliance Category:British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Category:Military personnel from Northumberland --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [George Delaval](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Delaval) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Delaval?action=history)). 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