Baron George Anson Anson

Born in Staffordshire in 1697, George Anson became a Royal Navy officer at a young age and rose through active service in the wars of the early 18th century. He is most closely associated with the expedition of 1740–1744, a hard-fought circumnavigation during which his squadron suffered severe losses but also captured a rich Spanish treasure ship in the Pacific.

Anson’s fame spread widely through the published account of that voyage, A Voyage Round the World, a book long valued for its mix of adventure, navigation, and empire. Later, as First Lord of the Admiralty, he helped strengthen the navy through administrative reform and was an important figure in Britain’s growing naval power.

He was created Baron Anson and died in 1762. Today he is remembered both as a seaman of remarkable endurance and as a key architect of 18th-century British naval success.