Harry Powlett , 6th Duke of Bolton Admiral Harry Powlett , 6th Duke of Bolton PC ( 6 November 1720 – 25 December 1794 ) was a British nobleman and naval officer . He was the second son of Harry Powlett , 4th Duke of Bolton and Catherine Parry . Educated at Winchester ( 1728 – 1729 ) , he joined the Royal Navy , becoming a lieutenant aboard " Shrewsbury " on 4 March 1740 . He was promoted to captain of the " Port Mahon " on 15 July 1740 , and was moved to " Oxford " in July 1741 . While commanding " Oxford " , he took part in the Battle of Toulon , and later gave damaging evidence against Richard Lestock . He was moved to " Sandwich " in March 1745 , and shortly thereafter to " Ruby " . " Ruby " , with " Defiance " and " Salisbury " , was dispatched from Plymouth to the fleet off Brest on 11 April 1746 . Before finding the fleet under Admiral William Martin on 22 May , he was able to capture the French frigate " Embuscade " . He was given command of " Exeter " in November 1746 and was sent to the East Indies to serve under Rear - Admiral Thomas Griffin and Admiral Edward Boscawen . He was employed by Boscawen at the Siege of Pondicherry to take soundings off Pondicherry , in order to arrange the dispositions of the naval blockade of the town . Upon returning to England in April 1750 , Captain Powlett charged Griffin with misconduct for failing to engage eight French ships at Cuddalore , a decision which had been generally unpopular among Griffin ' s captains . Griffin was , indeed , found guilty of negligence , and suspended from his rank for a time . He , in turn , court - martial ed Powlett on charges including cowardice , which Powlett attempted to escape by going on half - pay . Meanwhile , he entered the House of Commons in 1751 as Member of Parliament for Christchurch . On 7 May 1752 , he married Mary Nunn ( died 1764 ) , by whom he had one daughter : Despite Powlett ' s evasions , he was court - martialled on 1 September 1752 , but Griffin ' s charges failed for want of evidence , and he was acquitted . The incident proved somewhat sensational , and concluded in a duel between the two officers in 1756 on Blackheath . He was appointed to command " Somerset " in January 1753 . Both Powlett ' s rapid rise to a captaincy and his willingness to engage in courts martial of his superiors were a result of his patronage connections . His father ' s support of Walpole had made him a Lord of the Admiralty in 1733 , which he retained until 1742 . Even after leaving the Admiralty , the Bolton political connections remained sufficiently strong to ensure his continued promotion . However , he had apparently already become a figure of satire : he is believed to have inspired the character of " Captain Whiffle " in " The Adventures of Roderick Random " ( 1748 ) . In 1754 , he became known as Lord Harry Powlett on his father ' s accession to the Dukedom , and replaced his elder brother Charles in the family constituency of Lymington . Appointed to command " Barfleur " on 4 February 1755 , he petitioned the Duke of Newcastle , then Prime Minister , for promotion to flag rank , on the strength of his family ' s support of the government . However , a damaging accident to his reputation occurred soon after , while acting with Admiral Hawke ' s fleet off France . Sent on 22 August 1755 to chase a sail to the south - east , he became detached from the fleet . While waiting at the rendezvous on 25 August , the ship ' s carpenter reported " Barfleur " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s sternpost to be dangerously loose , and Powlett returned to Spithead for repairs . In October , he was court - martialled for separating from the fleet and returning to port without justification . He was admonished on the first charge and acquitted on the second , the carpenter being dismissed as incompetent ; but it was popularly felt that the carpenter had been scapegoated , and Powlett hereafter received the sobriquet of Captain Stern - post . Notwithstanding this incident , the Bolton influence proved irresistible , and he was promoted Rear Admiral on 4 June 1756 and Vice - Admiral of the White on 14 February 1758 . Feeling ran strongly against him , despite his promotions , and he never again received a naval command , despite the outbreak of the Seven Years ' War . Supposedly , Boscawen requested his appointment as his second - in - command in 1756 , but it was refused by George II , who shared in the general low opinion of Powlett . In 1761 , he again changed constituencies , and was returned as MP for Winchester . His wife died in 1764 , and on 8 April 1765 , he married Katherine Lowther ( died 21 March 1809 ) , daughter of Robert Lowther , by whom he had two daughters : A lukewarm supporter of the government , he was intermittently at odds with George Grenville . However , upon succeeding to the dukedom in July 1765 by his brother ' s suicide , he threw off his political connections and became a supporter of the crown alone . Bolton was sworn of the Privy Council on 10 December 1766 . He was given the sinecure post of Vice - Admiral of Dorset and Hampshire ( held by several Dukes of Bolton ) in 1767 , and promoted Admiral of the Blue on 18 October 1770 and Admiral of the White on 31 March 1775 . In 1778 , he went into opposition with the government over its handling of the American Revolution , and joined Vice - Admiral Bristol in opposing the court - martial of Admiral Keppel . His political activity diminished after 1780 , although in 1782 he was appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight and Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire . He died at Hackwood Park at Winslade in Hampshire on 25 December 1794 , and his dukedom became extinct . His distant cousin George Paulet succeeded to the Marquessate of Winchester and other titles , while Bolton Hall , Bolton Castle , Hackwood Park and most of his estates devolved upon his brother ' s natural daughter Jean Browne - Powlett , wife of Thomas Orde who adopted the additional surname of Powlett .