Arms: Pean on a chevron between three escallops Argent as many dragons’ heads proper.
Crest: Out of a naval crown Or, a dradon’s head proper
SOURCES, NOTES & CREDITS: “The Double Tressure”, 2005, No.28, The article “Nelson’s Captains” by the late Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick on pages 41-66 for background, “Burke’s Genersl Armory” for the blazon and the Wikipedia article on Sir Thomas Hardy for background and text adaption. For some reason Sir Thomas was not one of Nelson’s captains selected to be illustrated by Mark Dennis. So John Hamilton Gaylor did the homours here.
Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, 1st Baronet, GCB born on 5 Apr 1769 was a Royal Navy officer. He took part in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in February 1797, the Battle of the Nile in August 1798 and the Battle of Copenhagen in April 1801 during the French Revolutionary Wars.
He served as flag captain to Admiral Lord Nelson, and commanded HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. Nelson was shot as he paced the decks with Hardy, and as he lay dying, Nelson’s famous remark of “Kiss me, Hardy” was directed at him. Hardy went on to become First Naval Lord in November 1830 and in that capacity refused to become a Member of Parliament and encouraged the introduction of steam warships.
Sir Thomas married but had only daughters, so when he died on 20 Sep 1839 the title went extinct.
His honours included:
Baronet 29 Jan 1806
Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) 2 Jan 1815
Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (GCB) 13 Sep 1831
The artwork is an interpretation by John Hamilton Gaylor.
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