Richard Spencer RN
Encyclopedia
Captain
Sir Richard Spencer KCH
(1779-1839) was a sea captain of the Royal Navy
who served in a number of battles, particularly against the French. Later in life he settled in Albany, Western Australia
and was appointed Government Resident in 1833. He was born in Southwark
, in London
's dockland.
, in 1793, as captain's servant. He joined the 74-gun in 1794. He took part in the 3rd Battle of Ushant, also known as the Glorious First of June
, in 1794. He transferred to the after she was captured in the battle. He was wounded in action on 23 June. He became midshipman in 1795 and moved to , a 16-gun sloop
, under Robert Larkan. He went with Larkan to the latter's new command, the 20-gun , in September 1797. In 1799, he became lieutenant
. He was commissioned into , a 100-gun ship of the line
. However, she blew up in an accident, before he could join her. He joined the 80-gun Guillaume Tell
, one of the few French
ships to escape Nelson
at the Battle of the Nile
. She had, however, subsequently been captured. She was then renamed HMS Malta. He then joind the sloop , as lieutenant to the captain. This vessel supported the campaign to oust Napoleon's troops from Egypt
. He was captured in Genoa
, in 1803, having been put ashore after hostilities had again broken out, after the Treaty of Amiens
. He escaped in a Danish
vaessel Enighiden and was rescued by , a 36-gun frigate. From here, he was transferred to , Nelson's flagship
in the Mediterranean. He gave Nelson what information he had gleaned from his stay in Genoa. Nelson appointed him to command the captured Le Renard, a fast schooner. Her name was changed to HMS Crafty. He was injured by an oar, on board the Craftys jolly boat, which may have left a permanent mark on his health. He did not take part in the Battle of Trafalgar
but he had lost a useful friend in Nelson. In 1806, he captured vessels running sulphur from Sicily
to Toulon
, France, for making gunpowder
. He took part in the Battle of Maida
, in which his vessel harassed the retreating French army. This engagement gave rise to the name Maida Vale
, a suburb
of London. By successful diplomacy, he obtained the release of Christian
slaves from the Dey of Algiers
. He personally saved his ship from accidental destruction by the much larger HMS Eagle, in Valetta harbour. He had to surrender his ship to three Spanish
privateers, in 1807. He was later cleared by court martial. He was involved in action against the Dutch
, in the East Indies
, in command of and then . Prize money acquired during his successful career, enabled him and his family to settle down, after the end of hostilities, in 1815.
career, he married Ann Warden Liddon, of Charmouth
, near Lyme Regis
in Dorset
, England. Their first son, Richard, was born in Charmouth
in 1814 but died in Malta in 1815. They were to have 10 children.
, in 1817. This was situated on the Exeter
road, overlooking the Cobb harbour. After the great storm of 1824, no doubt stimulated by fears for the safety of shipping on that treacherous coast, he was engaged in pioneering ideas for a buoyant and self-righting 'lifeboat
'. This was an adapted pilot boat, with copper buoyancy
tanks fitted.
, Australia
, in 1833. In his time in Australia, he pioneered farming methods suitable to that difficult terrain and climate. Spencer arrived in Australia in 1835 and died at his residence on 24 July 1839, his two eldest sons died shortly after their fathers death in two tragic accidents. Daughters Eliza Lucy
married Sir George Grey
and Augusta married George Edward Egerton-Warburton, a settler near Mount Barker.
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
Sir Richard Spencer KCH
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...
(1779-1839) was a sea captain of 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...
who served in a number of battles, particularly against the French. Later in life he settled in Albany, Western Australia
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
and was appointed Government Resident in 1833. He was born in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's dockland.
Naval career
He joined the ship's complement of the 38-gun frigate HMS ArethusaFrench frigate Aréthuse (1792)
The Aréthuse was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy, built from 1789 following plans by Ozanne.Launched on 3 March 1791, Aréthuse served in the Mediterranean under captain Pierre René Bouvet....
, in 1793, as captain's servant. He joined the 74-gun in 1794. He took part in the 3rd Battle of Ushant, also known as the Glorious First of June
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
, in 1794. He transferred to the after she was captured in the battle. He was wounded in action on 23 June. He became midshipman in 1795 and moved to , a 16-gun sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, under Robert Larkan. He went with Larkan to the latter's new command, the 20-gun , in September 1797. In 1799, he became lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. He was commissioned into , a 100-gun ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
. However, she blew up in an accident, before he could join her. He joined the 80-gun Guillaume Tell
HMS Malta (1800)
HMS Malta was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She had previously served with the French Navy as the Tonnant-class Guillaume Tell, but was captured in the Mediterranean in 1800 by a British squadron enforcing the blockade of Malta...
, one of the few French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ships to escape Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
at the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
. She had, however, subsequently been captured. She was then renamed HMS Malta. He then joind the sloop , as lieutenant to the captain. This vessel supported the campaign to oust Napoleon's troops from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. He was captured in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, in 1803, having been put ashore after hostilities had again broken out, after the Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
. He escaped in a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
vaessel Enighiden and was rescued by , a 36-gun frigate. From here, he was transferred to , Nelson's flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
in the Mediterranean. He gave Nelson what information he had gleaned from his stay in Genoa. Nelson appointed him to command the captured Le Renard, a fast schooner. Her name was changed to HMS Crafty. He was injured by an oar, on board the Craftys jolly boat, which may have left a permanent mark on his health. He did not take part in the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
but he had lost a useful friend in Nelson. In 1806, he captured vessels running sulphur from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
to Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, France, for making gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
. He took part in the Battle of Maida
Battle of Maida
The Battle of Maida on 4 July 1806 saw a British expeditionary force fight a First French Empire division outside the town of Maida in Calabria, Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. John Stuart led 5,200 British troops to victory over about 6,000 French soldiers under Jean Reynier, inflicting...
, in which his vessel harassed the retreating French army. This engagement gave rise to the name Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of London. By successful diplomacy, he obtained the release of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
slaves from the Dey of Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. He personally saved his ship from accidental destruction by the much larger HMS Eagle, in Valetta harbour. He had to surrender his ship to three Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
privateers, in 1807. He was later cleared by court martial. He was involved in action against the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
, in command of and then . Prize money acquired during his successful career, enabled him and his family to settle down, after the end of hostilities, in 1815.
Marriage
While in the evening of his Royal NavyRoyal 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...
career, he married Ann Warden Liddon, of Charmouth
Charmouth
Charmouth is a village at the mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England, with a population of 1,687 according to the 2001 census.-The village:...
, near Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England. Their first son, Richard, was born in Charmouth
Charmouth
Charmouth is a village at the mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England, with a population of 1,687 according to the 2001 census.-The village:...
in 1814 but died in Malta in 1815. They were to have 10 children.
Lyme Regis
He bought a house in Lyme RegisLyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border...
, in 1817. This was situated on the Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
road, overlooking the Cobb harbour. After the great storm of 1824, no doubt stimulated by fears for the safety of shipping on that treacherous coast, he was engaged in pioneering ideas for a buoyant and self-righting 'lifeboat
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
'. This was an adapted pilot boat, with copper buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
tanks fitted.
Knighthood and Australia
Richard Spencer followed news of the colonisation of Australia with interest. He determined to emigrate, for the sake of the future of his several children. He was unexpectedly knighted in 1833. He became a Military Knight Commander of the Royal Hannoverian Guelphic Order. This was not a government nomination but was in the personal gift of King William IV. He was appointed Government Resident of the settlement of AlbanyAlbany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in 1833. In his time in Australia, he pioneered farming methods suitable to that difficult terrain and climate. Spencer arrived in Australia in 1835 and died at his residence on 24 July 1839, his two eldest sons died shortly after their fathers death in two tragic accidents. Daughters Eliza Lucy
Lady Grey, Eastern Cape
Lady Grey is a rural village in the Eastern Cape in South Africa near the border with Lesotho. It is situated in the foothills of the Witteberg mountains, about 55 kilometers east of Aliwal North and 260 km from the capital of the Free State Province, Bloemfontein...
married Sir George Grey
George Grey
George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...
and Augusta married George Edward Egerton-Warburton, a settler near Mount Barker.
Post script
- His home, built in 1831, was called The Old Farm and was located at Strawberry Hill in the Albany suburb of Mira MarMira Mar, Western AustraliaMira Mar is a northeastern suburb of Albany, Western Australia, between the Albany city centre and Spencer Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Albany.Mira Mar was gazetted as a suburb in 1979.-Geography:...
. He and his family took ownership in 1833 and arrived in Albany in 1835. It is now preserved by the National Trust of AustraliaNational Trust of AustraliaThe Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
. (The Old Farm at Strawberry Hill has exceptional national and state cultural significance as it was the first farm in the state of Western Australia, about 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) being developed by the officers of the Military settlement of King George SoundKing George SoundKing George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
. Vegetables were grown there for the survival of the soldiers and then the early settlers. A cottage was constructed by Dr Alexander Collie, the first Government Resident, for a visit by Governor Stirling in 1831. It was extended in 1836 by Richard Spencer.) - The painting 'The Day After the Battle of Trafalgar' is not by this Richard Spencer but by the maritime artist Richard B. Spencer who flourished between 1840 and 1874. The ships and hulks are depicted in their dismasted state, on a turbulent and livid green sea.
- Spencer GulfSpencer GulfThe Spencer Gulf is the westernmost of two large inlets on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. The Gulf is 322 km long and 129 km wide at its mouth. The western shore of the Gulf is the Eyre Peninsula, while the eastern side is the...
, off the Great Australian BightGreat Australian BightThe Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.-Extent:...
and West of AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, was named after the 2nd Earl Spencer, First Lord of the Admiralry until February 1801, not this Richard Spencer. Matthew FlindersMatthew FlindersCaptain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
charted it and named it, while exploring in the Investigator, in 1802.