Samuel James Ballard
Encyclopedia
Samuel James Ballard was a Vice-Admiral
in the Royal Navy
, baptised 28 March 1765 at St Thomas, Portsmouth, the son of Samuel Ballard, a burgess and chandler of Portsmouth
, and Lydia née Flint daughter of James Flint of Epsom in Surrey.
, son of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower
, who was at that time the captain of the Valiant
, which ship formed part of the fleet under the command of Admiral Keppel
during the summer of 1778. In October 1779 he was transferred to the Shrewsbury
, Captain Mark Robinson
, and in her was present when Sir George Rodney
defeated the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent on 16 January 1780. In the following July the Shrewsbury rejoined Rodney's fleet in the West Indies, was present off Martinique on 29 April 1781
, and led the van in the action off the Chesapeake
on 5 September 1781. During the battle the brunt of the fight fell on the Shrewsbury, which had fourteen killed and fifty-two wounded, including Captain Robinson, who lost a leg. The ship afterwards returned to the West Indies with Sir Samuel Hood
, and was with him in the operations at St. Kitts
in January 1782, after which she had to be sent to Jamaica for repairs. On 10 February 1783, whilst still at Jamaica, Ballard was made a 5th lieutenant by Admiral Rowley
, and was actively employed in different ships during the ten years of peace. When war again broke out he was a first lieutenant of the Queen
, which carried Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner
's flag through the last days of May and 1 June 1794. The battle of the Glorious First of June
won for Ballard his commander's rank on 5 July 1794, and on 1 August 1795 he was further advanced to the rank of Post-Captain
.
Early in 1795 he was appointed to the frigate , and during the next two years was continuously employed in convoying the trade for the Baltic or for Newfoundland and Quebec
. In March 1798 he accompanied Commodore William Cornwallis
to the coast of Africa and to Barbados
, from which station he returned in June of the following year. In October he carried out General Fox to Minorca
, and remained attached to the Mediterranean fleet for the next two years. The Pearl was paid off on 14 March 1802, after a commission of upwards of six years, during which time she had taken, destroyed, or recaptured about eighty vessels, privateers and merchantmen and served at the Siege of Porto Ferrajo
. Ballard then spent seven years with the unattractive command of a district of Sea Fencibles
until October 1809 when he was appointed to the Sceptre
, of 74 guns, and sailed shortly afterwards for the West Indies. It was here that he flew a commodore's broad pennant, and on 18 December 1809 commanded the squadron which captured the two heavily armed French frigates Loire and Seine, and destroyed the protecting batteries at Anse-la-Barque of Guadeloupe. At the reduction of Guadeloupe in January and February 1810 he escorted one division of the army, and commanded the naval brigade, which, however, was not engaged. Commodore
Ballard returned to England with the Sceptre in the following September, and was for the next two years attached to the fleet in the Channel and Bay of Biscay
, but without being engaged in any active operations. His service at sea closed with the paying off of the Sceptre in January 1813, although in course of seniority he attained the rank of Rear-Admiral on 4 June 1814, and of Vice-Admiral on 27 May 1825.
in Gloucestershire
to Catharina Crawley-Boevey, daughter of Sir Thomas Crawley-Boevey
, 2nd Baronet and Ann née Savage. He had, by his first wife, three children. Maria Charlotte born in 1802 in Godalming
who subsequently married Reverend Robert Serjeantson who became Vicar of Snaith
, Yorkshire
. Anna Elizabeth born 1805 in Godalming who married Captain Thomas Coventry Brander of the 15th Light Dragoons. Samuel Wrangham Ballard, born in 1810 in Margate
, Kent
and married Catherine Salwey daughter of Richard Salwey Esq of the Moor Park and the Haye Park in Shropshire
on 6 September 1832 and died without male issue in 1852.
Ballard inherited Coates Hall, Snaith in Yorkshire in 1820 from his aunt Charlotte Flint, widow and relict of Lt Col William Flint of the East India Company
but he appears not to have lived there preferring instead to remain in his house at 29 Park Street, Bath where he died on 11 October 1829.
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
in 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...
, baptised 28 March 1765 at St Thomas, Portsmouth, the son of Samuel Ballard, a burgess and chandler of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, and Lydia née Flint daughter of James Flint of Epsom in Surrey.
Naval career
Ballard entered the navy in December 1776, under the patronage of Captain the Honourable John Leveson-GowerJohn Leveson-Gower (1740-1792)
John Leveson-Gower was an officer of the Royal Navy and a politician. He saw service during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, rising to the rank of rear-admiral...
, son of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower
John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower PC , known as The Baron Gower from 1709 to 1754, was a British Tory politician, one of the first Tories to enter government in the 18th century.- Background :...
, who was at that time the captain of the Valiant
HMS Valiant (1759)
HMS Valiant was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, modelled on the captured French ship Invincible and launched on 10 August 1759 at Chatham Dockyard. Her construction, launch and fitting-out are the theme of the 'Wooden Walls' visitor experience at Chatham Historic Dockyard....
, which ship formed part of the fleet under the command of Admiral Keppel
Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel
Admiral Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel PC was an officer of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence...
during the summer of 1778. In October 1779 he was transferred to the Shrewsbury
HMS Shrewsbury (1758)
HMS Shrewsbury was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 February 1758 at Deptford.In 1783, she was condemned and scuttled....
, Captain Mark Robinson
Mark Robinson (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Mark Robinson was an officer of the Royal Navy, one of several members of the Robinson family to serve at sea....
, and in her was present when Sir George Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782...
defeated the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent on 16 January 1780. In the following July the Shrewsbury rejoined Rodney's fleet in the West Indies, was present off Martinique on 29 April 1781
Battle of Fort Royal
The Battle of Fort Royal was a naval battle fought off Fort Royal, Martinique in the West Indies during the American War of Independence on 29 April 1781 between fleets of the British Royal Navy and the French Navy. After an engagement lasting four hours, the British squadron under Sir Samuel Hood...
, and led the van in the action off the Chesapeake
Battle of the Chesapeake
The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American War of Independence that took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, between a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas...
on 5 September 1781. During the battle the brunt of the fight fell on the Shrewsbury, which had fourteen killed and fifty-two wounded, including Captain Robinson, who lost a leg. The ship afterwards returned to the West Indies with Sir Samuel Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a British Admiral known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars...
, and was with him in the operations at St. Kitts
Battle of St. Kitts
The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle that took place on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet under the Comte de Grasse.-Background:When Hood...
in January 1782, after which she had to be sent to Jamaica for repairs. On 10 February 1783, whilst still at Jamaica, Ballard was made a 5th lieutenant by Admiral Rowley
Sir Joshua Rowley, 1st Baronet
Vice-Admiral Sir Joshua Rowley was the eldest son of Admiral Sir William Rowley. Sir Joshua was probably born on 1 May 1730 at the family home of Tendring Hall in Suffolk. Rowley served with distinction in a number of battles throughout his career and was highly praised by his contemporaries...
, and was actively employed in different ships during the ten years of peace. When war again broke out he was a first lieutenant of the Queen
HMS Queen (1769)
HMS Queen was a three-deck 90-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 18 September 1769 at Woolwich Dockyard. She was designed by William Bateley, and was the only ship built to her draught...
, which carried Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner
Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner
Admiral Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner was a British Royal Navy officer and peer of the realm. He became one of the Georgian era's most dashing frigate captains and, ultimately, a respected senior admiral.-Naval career:...
's flag through the last days of May and 1 June 1794. The battle of 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...
won for Ballard his commander's rank on 5 July 1794, and on 1 August 1795 he was further advanced to the rank of Post-Captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
.
Early in 1795 he was appointed to the frigate , and during the next two years was continuously employed in convoying the trade for the Baltic or for Newfoundland and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. In March 1798 he accompanied Commodore William Cornwallis
William Cornwallis
Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis GCB was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, governor-general of India...
to the coast of Africa and to Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, from which station he returned in June of the following year. In October he carried out General Fox to Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
, and remained attached to the Mediterranean fleet for the next two years. The Pearl was paid off on 14 March 1802, after a commission of upwards of six years, during which time she had taken, destroyed, or recaptured about eighty vessels, privateers and merchantmen and served at the Siege of Porto Ferrajo
Siege of Porto Ferrajo
The Siege of Porto Ferrajo was a French attempt to force the surrender of the Tuscan fortress town of Porto Ferrajo on the island of Elba following the French occupation of mainland Tuscany in 1801 during the French Revolutionary Wars...
. Ballard then spent seven years with the unattractive command of a district of Sea Fencibles
Sea Fencibles
The original Sea Fencibles were a naval militia established to provide a close-in line of defense to protect the United Kingdom from invasion by France during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
until October 1809 when he was appointed to the Sceptre
HMS Sceptre (1802)
HMS Sceptre was a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy, built by Dudman of Deptford after a design by Sir William Rule, and launched in December 1802 at Deptford. She served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 before being broken up in 1821....
, of 74 guns, and sailed shortly afterwards for the West Indies. It was here that he flew a commodore's broad pennant, and on 18 December 1809 commanded the squadron which captured the two heavily armed French frigates Loire and Seine, and destroyed the protecting batteries at Anse-la-Barque of Guadeloupe. At the reduction of Guadeloupe in January and February 1810 he escorted one division of the army, and commanded the naval brigade, which, however, was not engaged. Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
Ballard returned to England with the Sceptre in the following September, and was for the next two years attached to the fleet in the Channel and 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...
, but without being engaged in any active operations. His service at sea closed with the paying off of the Sceptre in January 1813, although in course of seniority he attained the rank of Rear-Admiral on 4 June 1814, and of Vice-Admiral on 27 May 1825.
Family
Ballard married twice, firstly to his cousin Maria Flint, daughter of James Flint and Sarah née Tritton, and secondly on 2 December 1822 at FlaxleyFlaxley
Flaxley is a small settlement in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, located in between the larger villages of Westbury-on-Severn and Mitcheldean at the foot of the Vale of Castiard.-History:...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
to Catharina Crawley-Boevey, daughter of Sir Thomas Crawley-Boevey
Crawley-Boevey Baronets
The Barrow, later Crawley-Boevey Baronetcy, of Highgrove in the County of Gloucester, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 22 January 1784 for Charles Barrow, Member of Parliament for Gloucester, with remainder to Thomas Crawley-Boevey, who succeeded as second Baronet...
, 2nd Baronet and Ann née Savage. He had, by his first wife, three children. Maria Charlotte born in 1802 in Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
who subsequently married Reverend Robert Serjeantson who became Vicar of Snaith
Snaith
Snaith is a town in the East Riding of Yorkshire local government area of England. It is situated approximately west of Goole on the A1041 road at its junction with the A645 road...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Anna Elizabeth born 1805 in Godalming who married Captain Thomas Coventry Brander of the 15th Light Dragoons. Samuel Wrangham Ballard, born in 1810 in Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and married Catherine Salwey daughter of Richard Salwey Esq of the Moor Park and the Haye Park in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
on 6 September 1832 and died without male issue in 1852.
Ballard inherited Coates Hall, Snaith in Yorkshire in 1820 from his aunt Charlotte Flint, widow and relict of Lt Col William Flint of the East India Company
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...
but he appears not to have lived there preferring instead to remain in his house at 29 Park Street, Bath where he died on 11 October 1829.