Matthew Curling Friend
Encyclopedia
Matthew Curling Friend (1792 - 1871). The son of John Friend of Ramsgate
and Mary Curling of the Isle of Thanet
. He joined the Royal Navy
as a Midshipman
in July 1806 and was promoted to Lieutenant in February 1815. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars
he was put on half pay. Friend then pursued scientific interests and was made a Fellow
of the Royal Society
in 1820. He subsequently entered Cambridge
in 1822 and married Mary Anne Ford in 1826.
Like many other officers on half-pay, Friend was obliged to seek his living in the colonies to support his wife and growing family in respectable circumstances. In 1829 Friend sailed with his family as captain of the Wanstead and arrived in Hobart
Town in 1830. The wife and daughters of Edward Davy Wedge
were on board, ultimately resulting in the marriage of Thomas Wedge with daughter Anna Maria Friend.
For various reasons Friend was obliged to return to England
, but arrived back in Van Diemen’s Land in 1832 with other members of his family, this time on the Norval. Friend was appointed Port Officer in Launceston
in 1832 and also engaged in pastoral pursuits. Friend was involved in controversy relating to his appointment as Port Officer, and eventually won a libel action.
Friend was also at the centre of cultural and scientific life in the colony. He lectured on natural history, helped organise the first Tamar Regatta in 1830, and assisted greatly with the Launceston Horticultural Society and the local committee of the Hobart Town Launceston and Port Phillip Steam Ship Company.
Ill health and increasing blindness
forced his resignation in 1852 and he and his second wife returned to England where he died at Clevedon
, Somerset
in October 1871. During his last years he continued his interest in nautical science inventing an Indicator Compass and the Pelorus
for measuring the local magnetism in iron ships.
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
and Mary Curling of the Isle of Thanet
Isle of Thanet
The Isle of Thanet lies at the most easterly point of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the nearly -wide River Wantsum, it is no longer an island ....
. He 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...
as a Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in July 1806 and was promoted to Lieutenant in February 1815. At the end of the 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...
he was put on half pay. Friend then pursued scientific interests and was made a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1820. He subsequently entered Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 1822 and married Mary Anne Ford in 1826.
Like many other officers on half-pay, Friend was obliged to seek his living in the colonies to support his wife and growing family in respectable circumstances. In 1829 Friend sailed with his family as captain of the Wanstead and arrived in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
Town in 1830. The wife and daughters of Edward Davy Wedge
Edward Davy Wedge
Edward Davy Wedge , brother of John Helder Wedge, became a colonist in Van Diemen’s Land and the Port Phillip District of Australia....
were on board, ultimately resulting in the marriage of Thomas Wedge with daughter Anna Maria Friend.
For various reasons Friend was obliged to return to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but arrived back in Van Diemen’s Land in 1832 with other members of his family, this time on the Norval. Friend was appointed Port Officer in Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
in 1832 and also engaged in pastoral pursuits. Friend was involved in controversy relating to his appointment as Port Officer, and eventually won a libel action.
Friend was also at the centre of cultural and scientific life in the colony. He lectured on natural history, helped organise the first Tamar Regatta in 1830, and assisted greatly with the Launceston Horticultural Society and the local committee of the Hobart Town Launceston and Port Phillip Steam Ship Company.
Ill health and increasing blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
forced his resignation in 1852 and he and his second wife returned to England where he died at Clevedon
Clevedon
Clevedon is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
in October 1871. During his last years he continued his interest in nautical science inventing an Indicator Compass and the Pelorus
Pelorus (instrument)
In appearance and use, a pelorus resembles a compass or compass repeater, with sighting vanes or a sighting telescope attached, but it has no directive properties. That is, it remains at any relative direction to which it is set. It is generally used by setting 000° at the lubber's line. Relative...
for measuring the local magnetism in iron ships.