Captain John Borlase Warren (1753-1822)

A half-length portrait to the left, wearing a captain’s full dress uniform and the star and ribbon of the Order of the Bath. Warren originally intended to enter the church, but in a change of heart he joined the navy instead. Nonetheless he became a Member of Parliament for Great Marlow in Buckinghamshire, while still a midshipman. He served in the American War of Independence, and during the Revolutionary Wars in 1794 was commodore of a frigate squadron on the coast of France. He intercepted a French squadron and captured three out of four. In the same year he took a French Royalist army to Quiberon Bay, landed them and picked up the survivors after they were defeated. In 1798 he foiled a French attempt on Ireland by capturing four of their ships. In 1802 he went as Ambassador Extraordinary to Russia. He was at sea again in 1806 when his squadron captured the French ships ‘Marengo’ and the ‘Belle Poule’. He was Commander-in-Chief on the North American Station between1813-14. The original portrait was painted before 1799, and there is also a print which may be related to this portrait. The artist was a lieutenant in the marines on board the ‘Canada’ during Warren’s attack on the French off Donegal on 12 October 1798. He produced two prints of the action which, together with the portrait of Warren, were engraved by Fittler. This portrait is thought to be a replica of the original, and was presented to Greenwich Hospital Collection by the admiral’s widow. The Caird Archive at the National Maritime Museum holds a collection of Warren’s personal papers (see WAR in the Archive Catalogue). (Updated April 2019.)

Object Details

ID: BHC3078
Collection: Fine art
Type: Painting
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Oates, Mark; Opie, John
Date made: Late 18th century - Early 19th century; circa 1799
People: Warren, John Borlase; Lady Warren
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection
Measurements: Painting: 760 mm x 635 mm