William Hotham (1772–1848)
Encyclopedia
Sir William Hotham GCB (12 February 1772 – 31 May 1848) was an officer of the Royal Navy
who saw service during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
.
Born into a military family Hotham joined the navy as a captain's servant and able seaman, rising through the ranks with service in the Caribbean
and Newfoundland. A lieutenant by the outbreak of war with revolutionary France in 1793, Hotham served initially in the Mediterranean, and had been promoted to his first command by 1794. He saw action with his uncle Lord Hotham's
fleet at the Battle of Hyères Islands
in 1795, after which he returned home, taking command of the 50-gun shortly before the mutiny at the Nore
. His ship and Admiral Adam Duncan's flagship were the only two deckers to remain loyal, and the only two ships left to enforce the blockade of the Dutch coast. Despite their severe disadvantage in numbers, Hotham and Admiral Duncan were able to trick the Dutch to stay in port through use of false signals. After this, Hotham continued to serve with Duncan in the North Sea, and took part in his victory at the Battle of Camperdown
in October 1797.
After further service in the English Channel
Hotham went out to the Cape of Good Hope
, taking part in the blockade of the French possessions in the Indian Ocean
, and in 1799 helping to destroy the French frigate Preneuse
. Taking command of shortly after the end of the temporary Peace of Amiens, Hotham served in the Channel until ill health forced him to resign his command and go ashore. Though he briefly commanded a unit of Sea Fencibles
, and later the yacht , no sea-going command could be found for him. He spent the rest of the wars ashore, being promoted through the ranks, and being appointed first a Knight Commander and then a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
. William Hotham died in 1848 at the age of 76.
Sir Warton Pennyman-Warton. His uncle was Admiral Lord Hotham
, while his first cousin, Henry Hotham
, became a vice-admiral. He was educated at Westminster School
, with his name being entered on the books of the yacht on 21 December 1779. He later attended the Royal Naval Academy
, and by January 1786 was aboard the 50-gun as a captain's servant and ordinary seaman. Grampuss commander, Captain Edward Thompson
, was commodore in charge on the African coasts, and Hotham went out to the Guinea
coast with him. Hotham was back in Portsmouth
by the middle of the year, where he transferred to the 64-gun on 17 June 1786, joining her as an able seaman. His service on Ardent was short-lived, on 20 September he joined the 32-gun as a midshipman
, serving under Captain John Holloway, and went out to the Leeward Islands
.
He was re-rated at his former rank of able seaman on 30 September 1788 during his service in the Caribbean, but on 11 September 1789 the following year, he was back as a midshipman, serving aboard the yacht Royal Charlotte
, under Sir Hyde Parker. Hotham's next ship was the 38-gun , which he joined 20 January 1790, serving under Captain Alexander Hood in the English Channel
. He transferred again on 2 June 1790, back under his old captain John Holloway, now commanding the 90-gun as flag captain
to Hotham's uncle, Rear-Admiral William Hotham. The younger Hotham received his commission as a lieutenant on 27 October 1790 while serving with his uncle, and remained in Princess Royal until 26 January 1791, when he joined the 20-gun under Captain Isaac Coffin
. Coffin and Hotham went out to Halifax
, where Hotham served until his return on 20 October. After a short period spent ashore, he was appointed on 18 February 1792 to serve aboard the 32-gun under Captain Richard Fisher. The Winchelsea returned Hotham to Halifax, followed by service in the Leeward Islands.
fleet. On 13 January the following year Hotham became lieutenant aboard Hood's flagship, the 100-gun , and took part in the evacuation of the French port of Toulon
. The following year Hotham took part in the siege of Bastia
, serving onshore with the forces led by Horatio Nelson
. On 12 August he was appointed to his first command, the sloop . Two months later, on 7 October, he was advanced to post-captain
, and given command of the 28-gun . Hotham continued to serve in the Mediterranean, taking part in the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
with his uncle's fleet on 13 July 1795. He was sent back to Britain with despatches in early 1796, whereupon Cyclops was paid off on 8 March 1796.
, operating in the North Sea
and blockading the Dutch fleet at the Texel
with Admiral Adam Duncan's fleet. In May 1797 mutiny broke out
among the ships at the Nore, following on from one at Spithead
earlier in the year. Of the two decker ships of the fleet, only the crews of Duncan's flagship , and Hotham's crew aboard the Adamant remained loyal. With only two ships available to blockade the Dutch, Duncan and Hotham took their ships out to sea, remaining in sight of the Dutch coast and for several weeks implied by false signals and manoeuvres, that the rest of the fleet was just over the horizon. Convinced by the impersonation that the blockade was still in force, the Dutch remained in port. A Russian squadron based at Harwich
later reinforced Duncan and Hotham and then ships abandoning the mutiny individually too joined them.
Hotham remained with Duncan's fleet and on 11 October 1797 was engaged at the Battle of Camperdown
. He subsequently received the Naval Gold Medal
for his part in the battle. Adamant was then attached to Sir Richard Strachan's
squadron patrolling off Le Havre
, after which she and Hotham were sent to the Cape of Good Hope
, where he remained for the next three years. On 11 December 1799 Hotham was sailing off Port Louis
, Mauritius
, in company with Captain John Osborn's 74-gun when they encountered the 44-gun French frigate Preneuse
, under the command of Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite
. They chased her, forcing her to run ashore three miles from Port Louis, under the cover of French shore batteries. Hotham took Adamant in close, and tried to work up to the grounded frigate, coming under heavy fire from the batteries and the Preneuse as he did so. After a period of exchanging fire, the Adamant forced the French frigate to strike, and that evening three boats carrying men from Adamant and Tremendous approached with orders to destroy the French vessel. Despite coming under heavy fire from the batteries, they boarded the ship, captured the remaining French crew, including Captain l'Hermite, and removed as much of their captives' private property, they set fire to the Preneuse and returned to their ships without the loss of a single man.
Hotham remained off South Africa and in the Indian Ocean until being recalled to Britain as an escort for a convoy in September 1801, returning on 14 December 1801. The Peace of Amiens left him without a ship, but the resumption of hostilities in 1803 led to his return to active service at sea.
. On 25 May 1808 he returned to semi-active service commanding the Sea Fencibles at Liverpool
. He held this position until 28 February 1810. On 31 August 1812 he became commander of the yacht , received a promotion to rear-admiral on 4 December 1813, and relinquished command of her on 2 April 1814. He was offered the command of one or two dockyards, but declined them in the hope of being offered a command afloat. Nothing could be found for him however. He became a gentleman-in-waiting at court, later writing a manuscript book entitled Characters, Principally Professional, and was one of the first appointments as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on the restructuring of the order on 2 January 1815. He was advanced to vice-admiral on 19 July 1821, and to full admiral on 10 January 1837. He became a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 4 July 1840. Sir William Hotham died at New Windsor
, Berkshire
on 31 May 1848 at the age of 76. He was buried on 7 June in the family vault at Binfield
, Berkshire
.
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...
who saw service during 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...
.
Born into a military family Hotham joined the navy as a captain's servant and able seaman, rising through the ranks with service in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Newfoundland. A lieutenant by the outbreak of war with revolutionary France in 1793, Hotham served initially in the Mediterranean, and had been promoted to his first command by 1794. He saw action with his uncle Lord Hotham's
William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham
Admiral William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the son of Sir Beaumont Hotham , a lineal descendant of Sir John Hotham....
fleet at the Battle of Hyères Islands
Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
The Naval Battle of Hyères Islands was fought on 13 July 1795 off the Hyères Islands, a group of islands off the French Mediterranean coast, about 25 km east of Toulon. The battle was fought between the van of a British fleet chasing the French squadron, and the French rear...
in 1795, after which he returned home, taking command of the 50-gun shortly before the mutiny at the Nore
Spithead and Nore mutinies
The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. There were also discontent and minor incidents on ships in other locations in the same year. They were not violent insurrections, being more in the nature of strikes, demanding better pay and conditions...
. His ship and Admiral Adam Duncan's flagship were the only two deckers to remain loyal, and the only two ships left to enforce the blockade of the Dutch coast. Despite their severe disadvantage in numbers, Hotham and Admiral Duncan were able to trick the Dutch to stay in port through use of false signals. After this, Hotham continued to serve with Duncan in the North Sea, and took part in his victory at the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
in October 1797.
After further service in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
Hotham went out to 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...
, taking part in the blockade of the French possessions in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, and in 1799 helping to destroy the French frigate Preneuse
French frigate Preneuse (1795)
The Preneuse was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She served as a commerce raider at Île de France.In March 1798, under Lhermitte, she ferried ambassadors from Mysore sent by Tippu Sultan to île de France to request help against the British...
. Taking command of shortly after the end of the temporary Peace of Amiens, Hotham served in the Channel until ill health forced him to resign his command and go ashore. Though he briefly commanded a unit 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...
, and later the yacht , no sea-going command could be found for him. He spent the rest of the wars ashore, being promoted through the ranks, and being appointed first a Knight Commander and then a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
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...
. William Hotham died in 1848 at the age of 76.
Family and early life
Hotham was born into a military family on 12 February 1772, with strong connections to the nobility. He was the second son of General George Hotham, and his wife Diana, the youngest daughter of baronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
Sir Warton Pennyman-Warton. His uncle was Admiral Lord Hotham
William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham
Admiral William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the son of Sir Beaumont Hotham , a lineal descendant of Sir John Hotham....
, while his first cousin, Henry Hotham
Henry Hotham
Vice Admiral Sir Henry Hotham KCB was a Royal Navy hero who saw a great deal of service during the Napoleonic Wars.-Naval career:...
, became a vice-admiral. He was educated at Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, with his name being entered on the books of the yacht on 21 December 1779. He later attended the Royal Naval Academy
Royal Naval Academy
The Royal Naval Academy was established at Portsmouth Dockyard as a facility to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, education and admission.-Training:In 1773, a shore side...
, and by January 1786 was aboard the 50-gun as a captain's servant and ordinary seaman. Grampuss commander, Captain Edward Thompson
Edward Thompson (Royal Navy officer)
Edward Thompson was an English Royal Navy officer who rose to the rank of commodore, known also as as a literary figure with the nickname "Poet Thompson".-Life:...
, was commodore in charge on the African coasts, and Hotham went out to the Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
coast with him. Hotham was back in 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...
by the middle of the year, where he transferred to the 64-gun on 17 June 1786, joining her as an able seaman. His service on Ardent was short-lived, on 20 September he joined the 32-gun 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...
, serving under Captain John Holloway, and went out to the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
.
He was re-rated at his former rank of able seaman on 30 September 1788 during his service in the Caribbean, but on 11 September 1789 the following year, he was back as a midshipman, serving aboard the yacht Royal Charlotte
HMY Royal Caroline (1749)
HMY Royal Caroline was a ship-rigged royal yacht. She was ordered in 1749 to replace HMY Carolina as Britain's principal royal yacht. She was built at Deptford Dockyard under the supervision of Master Shipwright John Hollond to a design by Surveyor of the Navy Joseph Allin...
, under Sir Hyde Parker. Hotham's next ship was the 38-gun , which he joined 20 January 1790, serving under Captain Alexander Hood in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. He transferred again on 2 June 1790, back under his old captain John Holloway, now commanding the 90-gun as flag captain
Flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
to Hotham's uncle, Rear-Admiral William Hotham. The younger Hotham received his commission as a lieutenant on 27 October 1790 while serving with his uncle, and remained in Princess Royal until 26 January 1791, when he joined the 20-gun under Captain Isaac Coffin
Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st Baronet
Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st Baronet GCH was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
. Coffin and Hotham went out to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, where Hotham served until his return on 20 October. After a short period spent ashore, he was appointed on 18 February 1792 to serve aboard the 32-gun under Captain Richard Fisher. The Winchelsea returned Hotham to Halifax, followed by service in the Leeward Islands.
French Revolutionary Wars and first commands
The outbreak of war with revolutionary France in early 1793 brought opportunities for Hotham to distinguish himself. On 29 May that year he joined the 90-gun and served under Commodore John Murray. Transferring to Captain Augustus Montgomery's 36-gun on 11 October, Hotham went out to the Mediterranean to join Lord Hood'sSamuel 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...
fleet. On 13 January the following year Hotham became lieutenant aboard Hood's flagship, the 100-gun , and took part in the evacuation of the French port of Toulon
Siege of Toulon
The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...
. The following year Hotham took part in the siege of Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
, serving onshore with the forces led by Horatio Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
. On 12 August he was appointed to his first command, the sloop . Two months later, on 7 October, he was advanced to 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:...
, and given command of the 28-gun . Hotham continued to serve in the Mediterranean, taking part in the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
The Naval Battle of Hyères Islands was fought on 13 July 1795 off the Hyères Islands, a group of islands off the French Mediterranean coast, about 25 km east of Toulon. The battle was fought between the van of a British fleet chasing the French squadron, and the French rear...
with his uncle's fleet on 13 July 1795. He was sent back to Britain with despatches in early 1796, whereupon Cyclops was paid off on 8 March 1796.
Crisis at the Nore
Hotham spent nearly a year ashore, until he was appointed to command the 50-gun on 11 January 1797. He was based at the NoreNore
The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, England. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point in Kent....
, operating in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and blockading the Dutch fleet at the Texel
Texel
Texel is a municipality and an island in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, and also the westernmost of this archipelago, which extends to Denmark...
with Admiral Adam Duncan's fleet. In May 1797 mutiny broke out
Spithead and Nore mutinies
The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. There were also discontent and minor incidents on ships in other locations in the same year. They were not violent insurrections, being more in the nature of strikes, demanding better pay and conditions...
among the ships at the Nore, following on from one 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...
earlier in the year. Of the two decker ships of the fleet, only the crews of Duncan's flagship , and Hotham's crew aboard the Adamant remained loyal. With only two ships available to blockade the Dutch, Duncan and Hotham took their ships out to sea, remaining in sight of the Dutch coast and for several weeks implied by false signals and manoeuvres, that the rest of the fleet was just over the horizon. Convinced by the impersonation that the blockade was still in force, the Dutch remained in port. A Russian squadron based at Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
later reinforced Duncan and Hotham and then ships abandoning the mutiny individually too joined them.
Camperdown and the Cape of Good Hope
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
. He subsequently received the Naval Gold Medal
Naval Gold Medal
The Naval Gold Medal was a medal awarded between 1793 and 1840 to senior officers of the Royal Navy in specified actions.Two different sizes were struck. 22 large-size medals were awarded to flag officers , commodores and captains of the fleet...
for his part in the battle. Adamant was then attached to Sir Richard Strachan's
Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet
Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
squadron patrolling off Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, after which she and Hotham were sent to 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...
, where he remained for the next three years. On 11 December 1799 Hotham was sailing off Port Louis
Port Louis
-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, in company with Captain John Osborn's 74-gun when they encountered the 44-gun French frigate Preneuse
French frigate Preneuse (1795)
The Preneuse was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She served as a commerce raider at Île de France.In March 1798, under Lhermitte, she ferried ambassadors from Mysore sent by Tippu Sultan to île de France to request help against the British...
, under the command of Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite
Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite
Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermitte was a French sea captain and rear admiral, notable for his involvement in the Glorious First of June and various other campaigns.- Early career :L'Hermitte was born to the family of a...
. They chased her, forcing her to run ashore three miles from Port Louis, under the cover of French shore batteries. Hotham took Adamant in close, and tried to work up to the grounded frigate, coming under heavy fire from the batteries and the Preneuse as he did so. After a period of exchanging fire, the Adamant forced the French frigate to strike, and that evening three boats carrying men from Adamant and Tremendous approached with orders to destroy the French vessel. Despite coming under heavy fire from the batteries, they boarded the ship, captured the remaining French crew, including Captain l'Hermite, and removed as much of their captives' private property, they set fire to the Preneuse and returned to their ships without the loss of a single man.
Napoleonic Wars
Hotham was given command of the 64-gun on 14 March 1803 and assigned to serve in the North Sea and the English Channel. He was employed in the blockade of the invasion flotilla at Boulogne, but his health declined while on this service, and he resigned the command on 8 September 1803. He came ashore, and on 12 June 1804 married Anne Jeynes, sister-in-law of Admiral Sir Edward ThornbroughEdward Thornbrough
Admiral Sir Edward Thornbrough, GCB was a senior, long-serving veteran officer of the British Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. He saw action in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, being wounded several times and...
. On 25 May 1808 he returned to semi-active service commanding the Sea Fencibles at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. He held this position until 28 February 1810. On 31 August 1812 he became commander of the yacht , received a promotion to rear-admiral on 4 December 1813, and relinquished command of her on 2 April 1814. He was offered the command of one or two dockyards, but declined them in the hope of being offered a command afloat. Nothing could be found for him however. He became a gentleman-in-waiting at court, later writing a manuscript book entitled Characters, Principally Professional, and was one of the first appointments as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on the restructuring of the order on 2 January 1815. He was advanced to vice-admiral on 19 July 1821, and to full admiral on 10 January 1837. He became a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 4 July 1840. Sir William Hotham died at New Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
on 31 May 1848 at the age of 76. He was buried on 7 June in the family vault at Binfield
Binfield
Binfield is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest borough of Berkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it has a population of 7,475...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.