A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Boteler, John Harvey
BOTELER. (Commander, 1830. f-p., 19; h-p., 20.)
John Harvey Boteler, born at Eastry, co. Kent, 11 Feb. 1796, is next brother of Commander H. Boteler, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 6 May, 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Rochester prison-ship, Lieut.-Commander Matthew Bowles Alt, lying in the river Medway, where he successively joined the Irresistible 74, Commodore Geo. Fowke, and the Majestic 74, commanded by his relative, Capt. Thos. Harvey. In Feb. 1810, he became Midshipman of the Ruby 64, bearing the flag in the Baltic of Rear-Admiral Manley Dixon; and, while afterwards serving on the same station, in the Dictator 64, Capt. Robt. Williams, we find him engaged in several boat affairs with the enemy. During the three years and a half immediately preceding his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 19 Sept. 1815, Mr. Boteler appears to have been further employed, principally in the North Sea and West Indies, on board the Sceptre and Zealous 74's, Capts. Thos. Harvey and Thos. Boys, and Orontes 36, Capt. Nath. Day Cochrane. His succeeding appointments were – 3 Oct. 1815, to the Antelope 60, flag-ship in the Leeward Islands of his uncle, Rear-Admiral John Harvey – 7 Feb. 1820, to the Northumberland 74, Capts. T. Harvey and Thos. Jas. Maling, guard-ship at Sheerness, whence he was detached for nine months in 1821-2, in command of the Seagull tender, to cruize in the North Sea, and was afterwards lent to the Royal Sovereign yacht – 3 Dec. 1822, as First Lieutenant, to the Ringdove 18, Capt. Geo. Fred. Rich, whom he accompanied to the West Indies – 1 May, 1823, to the Gloucester 74, Capts. G. F. Rich and Jas. Lillicrap, on the latter station, whence, after commanding for three months the Ringdove schooner, ill health obliged him to invalid in the following September – 30 Aug. 1825, to the Albion 74, Capt. John Acworth Ommanney, by whom, subsequently to the battle of Navarin, he was employed, in charge of the Lyra 10, off Lisbon – and, in Sept. 1828, to the Royal George yacht, Capts. Sir Michael Seymour, Sir Wm. Hoste, and Geo. Mundy, lying at Portsmouth, whence he was sent, again in command of a tender, the Onyx 10, to Gibraltar, the Brazils, and West Indies. Since 14 Jan. 1830, the date of his last promotion, Commander Boteler has been on half-pay.
He married, 15 Aug. 1832, Helen Agnes, fifth daughter of the late Jas. West, Esq., of Bryanstone Square, London, and by that lady has issue a son and four daughters. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.