Charles Paget (Royal Navy officer)
Sir Charles Paget | |
---|---|
Vice Admiral | |
Commands held | Cork Station North America and West Indies Station |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order Knight Bachelor |
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Paget (1778–1839) was the son of
In 1798 Paget became post-captain of
Towards the close of the long French war, Paget, while cruising in the Endymion on the coast of Spain, sighted a French ship-of-the-line in imminent danger, embayed among rocks upon a lee shore, bowsprit and foremast gone, and riding by a stream cable, her only remaining one. Though it was blowing a gale, Paget bore down to the assistance of his enemy, dropped his sheet anchor on the Frenchman's bow, buoyed the cable, and veered it athwart his hawse. This the disabled ship succeeded in getting in, and thus seven hundred lives were rescued from destruction. After performing this chivalrous action, Endymion, being herself in great peril, hauled to the wind, let go her bower anchor, club-hauled and stood off shore on the other tack.[3]
Paget participated in an attack on a French frigate squadron anchored at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue at the action of 15 November 1810, which ultimately led to the destruction of the Elisa.
He was appointed to HMS Superb, another third rate belonging to the Channel Fleet, and during a cruise in the bay of Biscay he took several prizes. In 1814 he was employed on the coast of North America under the orders of Sir Alexander Cochrane by whom he was entrusted with the command of a squadron stationed off New London and took part in an attack upon Wareham, Massachusetts during the War of 1812.[2]
Captain Paget was appointed to the command of
He was made a commodore on board the Royal George on 26 July 1822 and was advanced to the rank of rear admiral on 9 April 1823.
In March 1828 he was appointed commander in chief on the coast of Ireland.[2] He attained the rank of vice admiral on 10 January 1837 and succeeded Vice Admiral Sir Peter Halkett in the command of the North America and West Indies Squadron using HMS Cornwallis as his flagship.
Sir Charles Paget died on board HMS Tartarus, whilst she was on her way from Port Royal to Bermuda.[2] His death ensued after a violent attack of yellow fever during which for three days his death was hourly expected. Of his staff of twenty, six had died including Dr Scott the surgeon. Feeling better, but weak, and strangely free from rheumatic pain on 19 January he embarked on board the Tartarus, for the purpose of going to the Bermudas. He was off those islands for three days, but being unable to reach them was obliged to go back to St Thomas's.[2]
Parliament
He was
Family
Peget was buried in St Bartholomew's Church in Rogate in West Sussex. He had married Elizabeth Monck. She was daughter of Henry Monck of Fore, County Westmeath and his wife Lady Elizabeth Araminta Gore, daughter of Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran, and granddaughter of George Paul Monck, Member of Parliament for Coleraine.[6] She died at Fair Oak on 17 August 1843, aged 56 years.[1]
Their children included:
- Charles Henry Paget R.N. (15 July 1806 – 26 May 1845).[7]
- Elizabeth Jane Paget (1807-13 June 1866)[7]
- Caroline Paget (1808-11 June 1880)[7] married her cousin Capt. Algernon Henry Champagne Capell, grandson of William Capell, 4th Earl of Essex and Lady Harriet Bladen. They had two sons, and a daughter.
- Louisa Augusta Paget (born 1810) married in 1828 William Augustus Broadhead (born 1802), of the 7th Hussars, son of Theodore Henry Broadhead.[7][8]
- Edward Paget (born 1811)[7]
- Georgiana Paget (born 1815)[7]
- Brownlow Henry Paget (born 1819).[7] He died on board HMS Dublin on 18 February 1843, aged 24 years, as Lieutenant.
- Frederic(k)a Georgina Augusta (born 1822).[7] She died at Fair Oak, Rogate on 12 September 1835 aged 13 years.
Also Horatio Henry Paget died aged 15 as a midshipman on board HMS Talbot on 28 April 1828.
References
- ^ a b Memorial inscription in St Bartholomew's Church, Rogate, West Sussex, England
- ^ a b c d e f g h The Gentleman's Magazine 1839, p 657-8, accessed 28 October 2007
- ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1895). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 43. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ "Paget family". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales.
- ^ Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Charles Paget
- ^ Burke, John (1852). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. Colburn & Company. p. 692.
- ^ a b c d e f g h (Publisher.), John SHARPE (1834). Sharpe's present Peerage of the British Empire, 1834 with a ... list of the daughters of the nobility ... married to Commoners, etc. p. 3.
- ^ Burke, John Bernard (1865). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire (27 ed.). Harrison. p. 128.
Further reading
- "A memoir of the Hon Sir Charles Paget, G.C.H. ...." Rev. Edward Clarence Paget