Berry was born near South Molton in Devonshire, England, the second of seven sons and one of nine children of Elizabeth Moore Berry and Daniel Berry, the vicar of Molland and Knowstone. He was christened on January 7, 1636, in his father's Knowstone Parish. In 1652, because of Daniel Berry's loyalty to the Crown and devotion to the Church of England, local supporters of the Commonwealth drove him from his church and vicarage. John Berry went to sea on a merchant ship out of Plymouth, but a Spanish vessel captured him, and he did not return to England for several years.
Early in the 1660s Berry's family and friends arranged for him to be appointed boatswain of the naval vessel Swallow, which in 1663 sailed to Jamaica. Berry won rapid promotions in the Caribbean during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. As commanding officer of the Mary in 1665 he captured thirty-two prizes in four months, and in 1667 he commanded a fleet of ten ships that defeated thirty French and Dutch vessels at Nevis. Berry later commanded English warships in action against the Algerine pirates in the Mediterranean. During the Third Anglo-Dutch War he commanded the Resolution at the Battle of Sole Bay and rescued James Stuart, the duke of York, for which Charles II knighted him immediately after the battle and made him governor of Deal Castle. Berry also distinguished himself at the Battle of Dogger Bank in May 1673 and later served again in the Mediterranean. He also investigated conditions in the Newfoundland fisheries in 1675 and submitted to the Admiralty a plan for governing the island.
Berry was an able and brave naval officer. He saved the life of the duke of York a second time in 1682, and in 1684 he was named one of the commissioners who discharged the duties of the lord high admiral of England after the duke of York was obliged to surrender the office because of his Catholicism. After the duke succeeded to the throne as James II in 1685, Berry was a royal favorite and was promoted to rear admiral in September 1688 and to vice admiral in December of that year. He nevertheless led the Protestant naval officers during the revolution that replaced James II with William and Mary. Berry remained one of the commissioners of the navy and became close to the new king, who appointed him comptroller of the victualling accounts.
Time Line
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January 7, 1636 - John Berry is christened in the Knowstone Parish church of his father, Daniel Berry, the vicar of Molland and Knowstone in Devonshire, England.
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1652 - Because of his loyalty to the Crown and devotion to the Church of England, local supporters of the Commonwealth drive Daniel Berry from his church and vicarage at Molland and Knowstone, in Devonshire, England. His son John goes to sea on a merchant ship.
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1663 - The English naval vessel Swallow sails to Jamaica. John Berry is the boatswain.
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1665 - The English naval vessel Mary, commanded by John Berry, captures thirty-two prizes in four months during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
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1667 - John Berry commands a fleet of ten ships that defeats thirty French and Dutch vessels at Nevis.
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June 7, 1672 - At the Battle of Sole Bay during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, John Berry commands the Resolution and rescues the duke of York. Charles II knights him and makes him governor of Deal Castle.
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May 1673 - Sir John Berry distinguishes himself at the Battle of Dogger Bank during the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
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1675 - Sir John Berry investigates conditions in the Newfoundland fisheries and submits to the Admiralty a plan for governing the island.
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October 1676 - King Charles II names Sir John Berry to a commission that leads an armed force of ten naval vessels and more than a thousand soldiers to Virginia to put down Bacon's Rebellion and investigate its causes.
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January 29, 1677 - Sir John Berry, in command of the flagship Bristol, arrives in Virginia, by which time Bacon's Rebellion has already ended.
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June 1677 - By this date, Sir John Berry sails his men, many of whom are ill, back to England from Virginia.
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1682 - Sir John Berry for a second time saves the life of the duke of York, the future James II.
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1684 - Sir John Berry is named one of three commissioners who discharge the duties of the lord high admiral of England after James Stuart, the duke of York, was obliged to surrender the office because of his Catholicism.
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September 1688 - Sir John Berry is promoted to rear admiral.
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December 1688 - Sir John Berry is promoted to vice admiral.
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February 14, 1690 - Sir John Berry dies at Portsmouth, England.
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February 21, 1690 - Sir John Berry is buried in Stepney Church near London.
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Categories
- Colonial History (ca. 1560–1763)
References
Further Reading
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Webb, S. S., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Sir John Berry (baptized 1636–1690). (2013, November 25). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Berry_Sir_John_baptized_1636-1690.
- MLA Citation:
Webb, Stephen Saunders and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "Sir John Berry (baptized 1636–1690)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: October 8, 2012 | Last modified: November 25, 2013
Contributed by Stephen Saunders Webb and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.