Charles Paget (vice-admiral)
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir Charles Paget GCH
Kt
(7 October 1778 – 27 January 1839) was a British
sailor who also became a liberal
politician and Member of Parliament
.
, and Jane Champagné, and was brother to the second earl who became the first Marquess of Anglesey
, famous for losing his leg
at the Battle of Waterloo
while commanding the cavalry.
Charles joined the Royal Navy
in 1790, and by 1797 he was captain of HMS Martin
, a sloop
of war serving at the Battle of Camperdown
.
In 1798 he became post-captain of HMS Brilliant
, a small frigate
in which he captured le Dragon of 11 guns, and the St Jago, a Spanish privateer of 10 guns.
Captain Paget's next appointment was to HMS Hydra
, a frigate of 38 guns, in which he proceeded to the Mediterranean where be remained about twelve months. On 6 April 1803 he commissioned HMS Endymion
, a frigate of the largest class, and in the course of the ensuing summer he captured la Bacchante, a French corvette of 18 guns, l'Adour, a store ship pierced for 20 guns, and le General, a Morcau schooner privateer of 16 guns. He subsequently intercepted several richly laden Spanish merchantmen coming from South America, and he also captured lu Colombe, a French corvette of 10 guns off Ushant
. In 1800 he removed into HMS Egyptienne.
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Towards the close of the long French war, Captain Paget, while cruising in the Endymion on the coast of Spain, descried 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, the 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.
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
.
Captain Paget was appointed to the command of HMY Prince Regent on the 1 January 1819 and afterwards to the Royal George
. He attended King George IV
, and before his accession he nominated Charles as a Knight Grand Cross
of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order and a Knight Bachelor
at Brighton
on the 19 October 1819. In January 1822, Sir Charles succeeded his brother Lieut Gen Sir Edward Paget
as a Groom of the Bedchamber, and he continued to hold that appointment during the whole reign of King William IV
.
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
. 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 onboard HMS Tartarus, whilst she was on her way from Port Royal
to Bermuda
. 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.
for the rotten borough
of Milborne Port
from 1804 to 1806, then succeeded his elder brother Edward Paget
as MP for Caernarvon Boroughs from 1806 to 1826, and was its MP again from 1831 to 1835. According to Hansard's records, Paget made no contributions to debates in parliament.
in West Sussex
. In the same place is buried his daughter Fredericka Georgina Augusta who died at Fair Oak, Rogate on 12 September 1853 aged 13 years. His 15-year-old son Horatio Henry Paget died as a midshipman on board HMS Talbot on 28 April 1828. His son Lieutenant Brownlow Henry Paget died on board HMS Dublin
on 18 February 1843, aged 24 years.
His widow died at Fair Oak on 17 August 1843, aged 56 years.
|-
Vice Admiral (Royal Navy)
Vice admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It equates to the NATO rank code OF-8 and is immediately superior to rear admiral and is subordinate to the full admiral rank.The Royal Navy has had vice admirals since at least the 16th century...
Sir Charles Paget GCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
Kt
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
(7 October 1778 – 27 January 1839) was a British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
sailor who also became a liberal
Liberalism in the United Kingdom
This article gives an overview of liberalism in the United Kingdom. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...
politician and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Naval career
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Paget (1778–1839) was the son of Henry Bayly Paget, 1st Earl of UxbridgeHenry Bayly Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge
Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge , known as Sir Henry Bayly, 3rd Baronet, of Plas Newydd, until 1769 and as The Lord Paget between 1769 and 1784, was a British peer.-Background:...
, and Jane Champagné, and was brother to the second earl who became the first Marquess of Anglesey
Marquess of Anglesey
Marquess of Anglesey is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge, a hero of the Battle of Waterloo...
, famous for losing his leg
Lord Uxbridge's leg
Lord Uxbridge's leg was shattered by a cannon shot at the Battle of Waterloo and removed by a surgeon. The amputated limb went on to lead a somewhat macabre after-life as a tourist attraction in the village of Waterloo in Belgium, where it had been removed and interred.-Waterloo:Henry Paget, 2nd...
at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
while commanding the cavalry.
Charles joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1790, and by 1797 he was captain of HMS Martin
HMS Martin (1790)
HMS Martin was a 16-gun sloop of the Royal Navy.-Construction and commissioning:Martin was a , built to a design by John Henslow and ordered from Woolwich Dockyard on 17 January 1788. She was worked on by Master Shipwright John Nelson until August 1790, after which she was completed by William Rule...
, a sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
of war serving at the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
.
In 1798 he became post-captain of HMS Brilliant
HMS Brilliant (1779)
HMS Brilliant was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The Brilliant was first commissioned in July 1779 under the command of Captain John Ford....
, a small frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
in which he captured le Dragon of 11 guns, and the St Jago, a Spanish privateer of 10 guns.
Captain Paget's next appointment was to HMS Hydra
HMS Hydra (1797)
HMS Hydra launched in 1797 was a fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, armed with a main battery of twenty-eight 18-pounder guns.She was built to the design of the captured French frigate Melpomene .-Service:...
, a frigate of 38 guns, in which he proceeded to the Mediterranean where be remained about twelve months. On 6 April 1803 he commissioned HMS Endymion
HMS Endymion (1797)
HMS Endymion was a 40-gun fifth rate that served in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812 and during the First Opium War. She was built to the lines of the French prize captured in 1794...
, a frigate of the largest class, and in the course of the ensuing summer he captured la Bacchante, a French corvette of 18 guns, l'Adour, a store ship pierced for 20 guns, and le General, a Morcau schooner privateer of 16 guns. He subsequently intercepted several richly laden Spanish merchantmen coming from South America, and he also captured lu Colombe, a French corvette of 10 guns off Ushant
Ushant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
. In 1800 he removed into HMS Egyptienne.
He was appointed to HMS Superb
HMS Superb (1798)
HMS Superb was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, and the fourth vessel to bear the name. She was launched on 19 March 1798 from Northfleet, and was eventually broken up in 1826. Superb is mostly associated with Richard Goodwin Keats who commanded her as captain from 1801 until...
, another third rate belonging to the Channel Fleet, and during a cruise in the bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
he took several prizes. In 1814 he was employed on the coast of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
under the orders of Sir Alexander Cochrane
Alexander Cochrane
Admiral Sir Alexander Forrester Inglis Cochrane GCB RN was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars.-Naval career:...
by whom he was entrusted with the command of a squadron stationed off New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
and took part in an attack upon Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,335, with an estimated 2008 population of 21,221....
during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Captain Paget was appointed to the command of HMY Prince Regent on the 1 January 1819 and afterwards to the Royal George
HMY Royal George
HMY Royal George was a Royal Yacht of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, launched 1817, and last used in 1842. She became an accommodation hulk in 1902, and was broken up in 1905....
. He attended King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, and before his accession he nominated Charles as a Knight Grand Cross
Knight Grand Cross
Knight Grand Cross is the most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are obsolete. The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' before his or her name...
of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order and a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
on the 19 October 1819. In January 1822, Sir Charles succeeded his brother Lieut Gen Sir Edward Paget
Edward Paget
General Sir Edward Paget GCB was a British Army officer.-Career:Born the fourth son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, Edward Paget became a cornet in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards in 1792...
as a Groom of the Bedchamber, and he continued to hold that appointment during the whole reign of King William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
.
He was made a commodore on board the Royal George on 26 July 1822 and was advanced to the rank of Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
on 9 April 1823.
In March 1828 he was appointed Commander in chief on the coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He attained the rank of Vice Admiral on 10 January 1837 and succeeded Vice Admiral Sir Peter Halkett
Sir Peter Halkett, 6th Baronet
Admiral Sir Peter Halkett, 6th Baronet was a senior Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who is best known for his service in the French Revolutionary Wars. The younger son a Scottish baronet, Halkett joined the Navy and by 1793 was a lieutenant, becoming a post captain after service...
in the command of the North America and West Indies Squadron using HMS Cornwallis
HMS Cornwallis (1813)
HMS Cornwallis was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 12 May 1813 at Bombay. She was built of teak. The capture of Java by USS Constitution delayed the completion of Cornwallis as Java had been bringing her copper sheathing from England.On 27 April 1815, Cornwallis...
as his flagship.
Sir Charles Paget died onboard HMS Tartarus, whilst she was on her way from Port Royal
Port Royal
Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. His death ensued after a violent attack of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
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.
Parliament
He was Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
of Milborne Port
Milborne Port (UK Parliament constituency)
Milborne Port is a former parliamentary borough located in Somerset. It elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons between 1298 and 1307 and again from 1628, but was disenfranchised in the Reform Act 1832 as a rotten borough.- MPs 1640–1832 :...
from 1804 to 1806, then succeeded his elder brother Edward Paget
Edward Paget
General Sir Edward Paget GCB was a British Army officer.-Career:Born the fourth son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, Edward Paget became a cornet in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards in 1792...
as MP for Caernarvon Boroughs from 1806 to 1826, and was its MP again from 1831 to 1835. According to Hansard's records, Paget made no contributions to debates in parliament.
Family
He was buried in St Bartholomew's Church in RogateRogate
Rogate is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England situated in the Western Rother valley. The village is on the A272 road seven miles west of Midhurst. The parish comprises the villages of Rogate and Rake and the hamlets of Haben, Fyning, Hill Brow, Langley,...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. In the same place is buried his daughter Fredericka Georgina Augusta who died at Fair Oak, Rogate on 12 September 1853 aged 13 years. His 15-year-old son Horatio Henry Paget died as a midshipman on board HMS Talbot on 28 April 1828. His son Lieutenant Brownlow Henry Paget died on board HMS Dublin
HMS Dublin (1812)
HMS Dublin was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 13 February 1812 at Rotherhithe.In 1826 she was reduced to a 40-gun ship...
on 18 February 1843, aged 24 years.
His widow died at Fair Oak on 17 August 1843, aged 56 years.
Further reading
- "A memoir of the Hon Sir Charles Paget, G.C.H. ...." Rev. Edward Clarence Paget
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