Mark Milbanke

Admiral Mark Milbanke (12 April 1724 – 9 June 1805) was a British naval officer and colonial governor.

Born into an aristocratic family in Yorkshire with naval connections, his father was Sir Ralph Milbanke, 4th Baronet. Mark Milbanke graduated from the Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth in 1740. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1744 and was given command of the HMS Serpent in 1746.

Milbanke’s naval career included serving as Port Admiral at Plymouth in 1783. In 1789, he was appointed governor of Newfoundland. During his tenure, he enforced prohibition on settlement on the island by demolishing buildings and restricting Irish immigration to Newfoundland. He also declined permission for the construction of a Roman Catholic chapel at Ferryland.

In 1795, Milbanke was promoted to admiral of the white. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth in 1799.

Milbanke died on 9 June 1805 after falling over the banisters at his home, which resulted in fatal injuries.

Regarding his family, he married Mary Webber, who died in 1812. They had three children: a son and two daughters. Their son, Ralph Milbanke, died in 1823 and was a naval captain. The younger daughter, Elizabeth Mary, married William Huskisson. The elder daughter, Harriet, married Philemon Tilghman, the son of James Tilghman.