Charles Ekins
Encyclopedia
Sir Charles Ekins GCB
(1768 – 2 July 1855) was an officer of the Royal Navy
. He served in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
, and the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
, rising to the rank of admiral.
, dean of Carlisle, and nephew of Dr. John Ekins, dean of Salisbury (1768–1809), and was born presumably at Quainton
, Buckinghamshire
, where his father was then rector. He entered the Royal Navy
in March 1781, on board the 74-gun , under the command of the Hon. Keith Stewart
. In Berwick he was present at the Battle of Dogger Bank
on 5 August 1781, and afterwards went with Captain Stewart to , which was one of the fleet under Lord Howe
that relieved Gibraltar
in 1782.
After continuous service on the Mediterranean and home stations for the next eight years, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 20 October 1790. During the next five years he was mainly employed in the West Indies. Early in 1795 he came home in the 98-gun , bearing the flag of Sir John Jervis
, and was in her when she was burnt at Spithead
on 1 May. On 18 June he was promoted to the command of the sloop
in the North Sea, from which he was appointed to , supposed to be at the Cape of Good Hope
, but found, on his arrival, to have been condemned and broken up. He returned to England in command of one of the Dutch prizes taken at the Battle of Saldanha Bay
, and was advanced to post rank 22 December 1796.
In August 1797 he was appointed to the 28-gun HMS Amphitrite
, and in her was actively employed in the West Indies until March 1801, when, after a severe attack of yellow fever
, he was sent home with despatches. From 1804 to 1806 he commanded the 40-gun ; and from 1806 to 1811 the 74-gun , in which he took part in the expedition against Copenhagen
in 1807, in the operations on the coast of Portugal in 1808, and in the Baltic cruise of 1809. In September 1815 he commissioned the 74-gun , and commanded her in the bombardment of Algiers, on 27 August 1816, when he was wounded. He later, together with the other captains engaged, was nominated a Companion of the Bath, and by the King of the Netherlands
a knight of the Order of William of the Netherlands (C.W.N.)
Superb was paid off in October 1818, and Ekins had no further service afloat; though he became in course of seniority rear-admiral on 12 August 1819, vice-admiral on 22 July 1830, and admiral on 23 November 1841; and was made a Knight Commander of the Bath on 8 June 1831, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath on 7 April 1852. He died at 69 Cadogan Place
, London
on 2 July 1855. He married, in 1800, Priscilla, daughter of Thomas Parlby of Stone Hall, Devon.
(1824).
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1768 – 2 July 1855) was an officer 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...
. He served in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
The Fourth Anglo–Dutch War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The war, tangentially related to the American Revolutionary War, broke out over British and Dutch disagreements on the legality and conduct of Dutch trade with Britain's enemies in that...
, and the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, rising to the rank of admiral.
Life
Ekins was the son of Dr. Jeffery EkinsJeffery Ekins
Jeffery Ekins D.D. was an English churchman, Dean of Carlisle Cathedral from 1782.-Life:He was a native of Barton-Seagrave, Northamptonshire, where his father, the Rev. Jeffery Ekins, M.A., was rector. He received his education at Eton College. In 1749 he was elected to King's College, Cambridge,...
, dean of Carlisle, and nephew of Dr. John Ekins, dean of Salisbury (1768–1809), and was born presumably at Quainton
Quainton
Quainton is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, north west of Aylesbury. The population is 1290, of which 1000 are adults. The village has two churches , a school and two public houses...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, where his father was then rector. He entered 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 March 1781, on board the 74-gun , under the command of the Hon. Keith Stewart
Keith Stewart
Keith Stewart of Glasserton was a ScottishAdmiral and MP in the British Parliament. He was the second surviving son of Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway.-Naval career:...
. In Berwick he was present at the Battle of Dogger Bank
Battle of Dogger Bank (1781)
The naval Battle of the Dogger Bank took place on 5 August 1781 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, part of the American War of Independence, in the North Sea...
on 5 August 1781, and afterwards went with Captain Stewart to , which was one of the fleet under Lord Howe
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
that relieved Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in 1782.
After continuous service on the Mediterranean and home stations for the next eight years, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 20 October 1790. During the next five years he was mainly employed in the West Indies. Early in 1795 he came home in the 98-gun , bearing the flag of Sir John Jervis
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
, and was in her when she was burnt at Spithead
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...
on 1 May. On 18 June he was promoted to the command of the 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....
in the North Sea, from which he was appointed to , supposed to be at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, but found, on his arrival, to have been condemned and broken up. He returned to England in command of one of the Dutch prizes taken at the Battle of Saldanha Bay
Battle of Saldanha Bay (1796)
The designation Battle of Saldanha Bay refers to the surrender without a fight of a squadron of the navy of the Batavian Republic under the command of Rear-Admiral Engelbertus Lucas to a Royal Navy squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral George Elphinstone at Saldanha Bay on August 17,...
, and was advanced to post rank 22 December 1796.
In August 1797 he was appointed to the 28-gun HMS Amphitrite
HMS Pomona (1778)
HMS Pomona was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The Pomona was first commissioned in September 1778 under the command of Captain William Waldegrave....
, and in her was actively employed in the West Indies until March 1801, when, after a severe 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....
, he was sent home with despatches. From 1804 to 1806 he commanded the 40-gun ; and from 1806 to 1811 the 74-gun , in which he took part in the expedition against Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
in 1807, in the operations on the coast of Portugal in 1808, and in the Baltic cruise of 1809. In September 1815 he commissioned the 74-gun , and commanded her in the bombardment of Algiers, on 27 August 1816, when he was wounded. He later, together with the other captains engaged, was nominated a Companion of the Bath, and by the King of the Netherlands
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
a knight of the Order of William of the Netherlands (C.W.N.)
Superb was paid off in October 1818, and Ekins had no further service afloat; though he became in course of seniority rear-admiral on 12 August 1819, vice-admiral on 22 July 1830, and admiral on 23 November 1841; and was made a Knight Commander of the Bath on 8 June 1831, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath on 7 April 1852. He died at 69 Cadogan Place
Cadogan Place
Cadogan Place is a street in Belgravia, London. It is named after Earl Cadogan and runs parallel to the lower half of Sloane Street.-Literary references:Charles Dickens writes of it in Nicholas Nickleby:...
, 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...
on 2 July 1855. He married, in 1800, Priscilla, daughter of Thomas Parlby of Stone Hall, Devon.
Works
Ekins was the author of Naval Battles of Great Britain from the Accession of the illustrious House of Hanover to the Battle of Navarin reviewed (1824; 2nd edit. 1828). He wrote also a pamphlet on the round stem controversy in the form of a letter to Sir Robert SeppingsRobert Seppings
Sir Robert Seppings FRS was an English naval architect.Seppings was born at Fakenham, Norfolk, and in 1782 was apprenticed in Plymouth dockyard...
(1824).