William Henry Percy
Encyclopedia
William Henry Percy was a Royal Navy
officer.
, second Baron Lovaine
of Alnwick
(1750–1830) and his wife Isabella Susannah Burrell.
, he returned in November 1802 and was posted to the as a midshipman. (Soon afterwards, his elder brother Josceline was appointed its appointed acting lieutenant.) He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1807. Promoted to commander in 1810, his first command was in 1811 where he engaged in transporting troops between Britain and Iberia
for the Peninsular War
).
He was made post captain on 21 March 1812, but his next command (of the 20 gun during 1814-15, operating on the North American coast) came to grief when he lost 50 of his crew wounded or killed in an unsuccessful attack on Fort Bowyer
, Mobile
and then had to set fire to his own ship to keep her out of enemy hands. A court martial determined that the attack was warranted by the circumstances. Still, this was his last naval service, though he did carry back to England
despatches announcing the British defeat at the Battle of New Orleans
.
For a while during his retirement he was a commissioner of excise and - thanks to the influence of his maternal aunt's stepson, the second Marquess of Exeter
- Tory MP for Stamford, Lincolnshire
(1818–1826). Made a rear-admiral on the retired list on 1 October 1846, he died in 1855, unmarried.
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.
Family
He was the sixth son of Algernon PercyAlgernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley
Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley, FSA was a British peer, known as Lord Algernon Percy from 1766–86....
, second Baron Lovaine
Baron Lovaine
The title Baron Lovaine was created in the Peerage of Great Britain for the 1st Duke of Northumberland in 1784. The title was created with a special remainder to pass to his second son, Lord Algernon Percy, which it did so on the duke's death in 1786...
of Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
(1750–1830) and his wife Isabella Susannah Burrell.
Life
Entering the navy as a first-class volunteer on board the 64 gun in May 1801 and going with it to ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, he returned in November 1802 and was posted to the as a midshipman. (Soon afterwards, his elder brother Josceline was appointed its appointed acting lieutenant.) He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1807. Promoted to commander in 1810, his first command was in 1811 where he engaged in transporting troops between Britain and Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
for the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
).
He was made post captain on 21 March 1812, but his next command (of the 20 gun during 1814-15, operating on the North American coast) came to grief when he lost 50 of his crew wounded or killed in an unsuccessful attack on Fort Bowyer
Fort Bowyer
Fort Bowyer was a short-lived earthen and stockade fortification erected by the United States Army on Mobile Point, near the mouth of Mobile Bay in Baldwin County, Alabama. Built during the War of 1812, the fort was the site of two attacks by the British. The first, unsuccessful, attack led to the...
, Mobile
Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...
and then had to set fire to his own ship to keep her out of enemy hands. A court martial determined that the attack was warranted by the circumstances. Still, this was his last naval service, though he did carry back 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...
despatches announcing the British defeat at the Battle of 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...
.
For a while during his retirement he was a commissioner of excise and - thanks to the influence of his maternal aunt's stepson, the second Marquess of Exeter
Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter
Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter KG, PC , styled Lord Burghley until 1804, was a British peer, courtier and Tory politician...
- Tory MP for Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford (UK Parliament constituency)
Stamford was a constituency in the county of Lincolnshire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of England to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918...
(1818–1826). Made a rear-admiral on the retired list on 1 October 1846, he died in 1855, unmarried.