Arms: Or an eagle displayed Azure armed Sable charged on the breast with a naval crown Or pendant from a riband Gules around the eagle’s neck and in chief the word TRAFALGAR in letters Sable.
Supporter: a leopard regardant proper, with a chain around its neck from which depends the Trafalgar medal, both Or, supporting a banner Argent charged with a cross of St. George and thereon inscribed Britannia Victrix.
SOURCES, NOTES & CREDITS: “The Double Tressure”, 2005, No. 28, The article “Nelson’s Captains” by the late Peter Drummond-Murray of Mastrick on pages 62-66 for background and the Wikipedia article on William Carnegie.
Rear Admiral William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, GCB (1756 -1831) was a distinguished Royal Navy Officer who served during the American Revolutionary War thru the Napoleonic Wars.
He was born in Hampshire on 10 April 1756 as second son to Admiral George Carnegie, 6th Earl of Northesk and Lady Anne Leslie, eldest daughter of Alexander Leslie 5th Earl of Leven. The Earldom of Northesk is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1647.
Created Rear Admiral of the White in 1804 with HMS Britannia ( 100 guns) with Captain Charles Bullen as flag captain. At the Battle of Trafalgar Carnegie was third in command and Britannia was the 6th ship in Nelson’s lee column. His ship fought for four hours and suffered 52 casualties with only 10 deaths. For his part at the battle, he was made a Knight of the Bath in 1806
(upgraded in 1815 to Knight Grand Cross.), and given the Thanks of Parliament, etc. Like many other participants at the Battle of Trafalgar he did not serve again until after the Napoleonic Wars.
He continued to receive promotions, Vice-Admiral in 1808 & Admiral in 1814 and Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom in 1821. Carnegie also served as one of the sixteen Scottish representative peers to the Parliament of Great Britain several times over the years. He died on 28 May 1831 in London, age 75.
The artwork is an interpretation of Mark D. Dennis done for the 2005 “Double Tressure” article and used with his permission.
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