Norwich Duff
Encyclopedia
Admiral Norwich Duff was a Royal Navy
officer.
The son of Captain George Duff
RN, and Sophia Dirom, he was born at 9 South Castle Street, Edinburgh. He entered the Royal Navy in July 1805, just before his 13th birthday, serving aboard his father's ship HMS Mars
as a midshipman. In October 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar
his father was killed.
Duff was promoted to Lieutenant in September 1811 and was appointed Flag-Lieutenant to the commander-in-chief in February 1814. He served on HMS Euralyus
. He was promoted to Commander on 15 June 1814 and appointed to command of the 18-gun brig-sloop HMS Espoir
, part of the naval force in the Chesapeake
during the War of 1812
, and later took part in the attack on New Orleans
.
In October 1816 Duff was appointed to command of the 10-gun brig-sloop HMS Beaver
and sent to the Caribbean, where he assumed command of the 18-gun HMS Rifleman in September 1817. He returned to England in August 1818.
He undertook an extensive continental European tour in 1819 of which he kept a journal. He was promoted to Post captain on 23 April 1822.
On the 10 June 1833 he married Helen Mary Shoolbred (daughter of East India Company
Surgeon
John Shoolbred 1766-1831) at Bath, Somerset and with her produced eight recorded children. The couple's eldest daughter, (Helen) Sophia Duff 1834 - 1930, married Boscawen Trevor Griffith (whose name later changed to later Griffith-Boscawen) as a result of which Norwich became the maternal grandfather of Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen 1865 - 1946, a prominent British Conservative
politician during the early decades of the twentieth century.
Duff was promoted to Rear Admiral
on 8 October 1852, and to Vice Admiral
on 28 November 1857.
He died at Bath, Somerset
, England
on 21 April 1862. There is a portrait of him by Sir Henry Raeburn
, and a metal plaque commemorates him in Bath Abbey
.
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...
officer.
The son of Captain George Duff
George Duff
Captain George Duff RN was a British naval officer during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, who was killed by a cannon ball at the battle of Trafalgar....
RN, and Sophia Dirom, he was born at 9 South Castle Street, Edinburgh. He entered the Royal Navy in July 1805, just before his 13th birthday, serving aboard his father's ship HMS Mars
HMS Mars (1794)
HMS Mars was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 25 October 1794 at Deptford Dockyard.-Career:In the early part of the French Revolutionary Wars she was assigned to the Channel Fleet. In 1797 under Captain Alexander Hood she was prominent in the Spithead mutiny...
as a midshipman. In October 1805 at 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 ....
his father was killed.
Duff was promoted to Lieutenant in September 1811 and was appointed Flag-Lieutenant to the commander-in-chief in February 1814. He served on HMS Euralyus
HMS Euryalus (1803)
HMS Euryalus was a Royal Navy Apollo Class frigate of 36 guns, which saw service in the Battle of Trafalgar and the War of 1812. During her career she was commanded by three prominent naval personalities of the Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic period, Henry Blackwood, George Heneage Dundas and...
. He was promoted to Commander on 15 June 1814 and appointed to command of the 18-gun brig-sloop HMS Espoir
HMS Espoir
Seven vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Espoir, after the French word for "hope":* The first HMS Espoir was a sloop sold on 23 March 1784, origin unknown. was a French brig-sloop of fourteen 6-pounder guns that Thalia captured in the Mediterranean. She was sold in September 1804...
, part of the naval force in the Chesapeake
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
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...
, and later took part in the attack on New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
.
In October 1816 Duff was appointed to command of the 10-gun brig-sloop HMS Beaver
HMS Beaver
Ten ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Beaver, after the animal, the beaver:, a ketch in the Royalist navy, captured by Parliamentary forces in 1656 and broken up two years later., 18, a sloop originally called Trudaine and operating as a French privateer, but captured in 1757 and renamed...
and sent to the Caribbean, where he assumed command of the 18-gun HMS Rifleman in September 1817. He returned to England in August 1818.
He undertook an extensive continental European tour in 1819 of which he kept a journal. He was promoted to Post captain on 23 April 1822.
On the 10 June 1833 he married Helen Mary Shoolbred (daughter of East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
Surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
John Shoolbred 1766-1831) at Bath, Somerset and with her produced eight recorded children. The couple's eldest daughter, (Helen) Sophia Duff 1834 - 1930, married Boscawen Trevor Griffith (whose name later changed to later Griffith-Boscawen) as a result of which Norwich became the maternal grandfather of Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen 1865 - 1946, a prominent British Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician during the early decades of the twentieth century.
Duff was promoted to 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 8 October 1852, and to Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
on 28 November 1857.
He died at Bath, 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...
, 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...
on 21 April 1862. There is a portrait of him by Sir Henry Raeburn
Henry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn was a Scottish portrait painter, the first significant Scottish portraitist since the Act of Union 1707 to remain based in Scotland.-Biography:...
, and a metal plaque commemorates him in Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
.