A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Borough, William
BOROUGH. (Retired Commander, 1846. f-p., 14; h-p. 39.)
William Borough was born in 1781.
This officer entered the Navy, 15 July, 1794, as Midshipman, on board the Invincible 74, Capt. Hon. Thos. Pakenham. He accompanied the same officer shortly afterwards into the Juste 84, attached to the fleet in the Channel; served, from July, 1797, to Aug. 1799, in the Princess Royal 98, bearing the flags in the Mediterranean of Rear-Admirals Sir John Orde and Thos. Lennox Frederick; and, on joining the Penelope 36, Capt. Hon. Hen. Blackwood, took part in the blockade of Malta, and was present, 31 March, 1800, at the capture, after a furious action, of the French 80-gun ship Guillaume Tell, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Decrès. Mr. Borough, who passed his examination in the following Sept., subsequently removed for a brief period to the Foudroyant 80, flag-ship of Lord Keith, by whom he was promoted, 10 Feb. 1801, to a Lieutenancy in the Modeste, armée en flûte, Capt. Hinton. For his services during the ensuing campaign in Egypt, where he landed part of the 42nd Highlanders, and was actively employed until the close of the hostilities, Mr. Borough received, in common with other officers, a gold medal from the Grand Seignor. The Modeste, to which he had been confirmed on 30 July in the same year, being paid off at the peace, he next joined, 27 Aug. 1803, the Curlew 16, Capt. Jas. Murray Northey – 12 Nov. 1804, L’Espiégle 16, Capt. Morris – and, 7 Dec. 1805, the Princess Royal 98, Capt. Reynolds – severally employed on the North Sea, Cork, and Channel stations. He left the last-named ship in Feb. 1807; and afterwards commanded the Nepean cutter, of 8 guns, on the coast of Ireland. He became a Retired Commander on the Junior List, 12 June, 1843; and on the Senior, 21 Aug. 1846.
Commander Borough married a first cousin of Lord Fitzgerald and Vesci, by whom he has had issue. One of his sons, Richard, Fst.-cl. Vol. of the Redwing, Capt. Clavering, was blown up in that vessel on the coast of Africa, at the age of 14; another, Thomas, died in the Upper School at Greenwich.