John Lort Stokes

John Lort Stokes in 1864

Admiral John Lort Stokes, RN (1 August 1811^[1] – 11 June 1885)^{[Notes 1]} was an officer in the Royal Navy who travelled on HMS Beagle for close to eighteen years.

Biography

Stokes grew up in Scotchwell near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. He joined the Navy on 20 September 1824. The first ship he served on was HMS Prince Regent, then in October 1825 he joined the crew of the Beagle under Captain Phillip Parker King. The Beagle was involved in a survey of the waters of South America. In 1828 the commander of HMS Beagle, Pringle Stokes (not related to John Lort Stokes), died and Robert FitzRoy assumed command; the ship returned to England in 1830 and was recommissioned.

From 1831 to 1836 Stokes served under FitzRoy as assistant surveyor for the second voyage of the Beagle, and shared his cabin with Charles Darwin who was on board in a private capacity as a self funded naturalist.^[2]

Following this, Stokes was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and served under Commander John Clements Wickham for a survey of Australasian waters. When Wickham was invalided in 1841, Stokes took command of the ship. While Stokes was in command the Beagle surveyed Timor and New Zealand, returning to England in 1843. When he returned he wrote Discoveries in Australia, with an account of the coasts and rivers explored and surveyed during the voyage of the Beagle, 1837–1843; it was published in 1846.

Stokes in portrait by Stephen Pearce

In July 1846 Stokes was promoted to captain and commanded the steam ship Acheron surveying New Zealand for four years. From 1860 to 1863 he commanded the ship HMS Rose surveying the coasts of the English Channel. He retired in 1863, was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1863, vice-admiral in 1871 and admiral in 1877. He died at his home in Scotchwell.

Notes

1. Although 1812 is frequently given as Stokes's year of birth, it has been argued by author Marsden Hordern that Stokes was born in 1811, citing a letter by fellow naval officer Crawford Pasco congratulating him on his birthday in 1852.

References

Citations

1. Hordern 2003, p. 3
2. "Darwin Correspondence Project » letter: 127 – Darwin, C. R. to Darwin, S. E., 17 (Sept 1831)". Retrieved 2014-11-13.

Bibliography

• Hordern, Marsden (2003). Mariners are warned!: John Lort Stokes and H.M.S. Beagle in Australia, 1837–1843. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780522850444.
• Laughton, J. K., Stokes, John Lort (1812–1885), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
• Serle, Percival (1949). "Stokes, John Lort". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
• Natusch, Sheila. "John Lort Stokes". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved December 2011.

External links

• Works by John Lort Stokes at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about John Lort Stokes at Internet Archive