A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Buckle, Matthew
BUCKLE. (Vice-Admiral of the Blue, 1846. f-p., 24; h-p., 46.)
Matthew Buckle, born 3 May, 1770, at Nork House, Banstead, co. Surrey – a direct descendant of Sir Christ. Buckle, Lord Mayor of London in 1593 – is only son of the late Matthew Buckle, Esq. (who distinguished himself in the successive command of eight line-of-battle ships, and died an Admiral of the Blue, 7 July, 1784, at the age of sixty-eight), by Hannah, daughter of Isaac Hughes, Esq., of Garret’s House, Banstead.
This officer entered the Navy, 4 Feb. 1777, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Dispatch, Capt. Christ. Mason, in which vessel, and in the Delaware, commanded by the same Captain, he served, on the coast of North America, until Nov. 1779. He next, in April, 1786, joined, as A.B., the Salisbury 50, Commodore John Elliot, employed off Newfoundland; attained the rating of Midshipman in June, 1787; afterwards served for a few months, in 1788-9, in the Colossus 74, Capt. Hugh Cloberry Christian, guardship at Portsmouth, and Scout brig, Capt. Chas. Cobb, at Deal; passed his examination 10 Feb. in the latter year; and, on 21 Jan. 1791, was promoted, from the Centurion 50, flag-ship at Jamaica of Rear- Admiral Philip Affleck, into the Diana 28, Capt. Thos. Macnamara Russell, on the same station, where he removed, 13 March, 1792, to the Falcon 14, Capt. Jas. Bissett. His next appointment was, 27 Feb. 1793, to the Royal Sovereign 100, bearing the flags, successively, of Vice-Admiral Thos. Graves and Rear-Admiral Hon. Wm. Cornwallis, under the former of whom he was present, as fifth-Lieutenant, in Lord Howe’s actions of 29 May and 1 June, 1794, on which occasions, although deprived by rheumatism of the use of his limbs, he continued most efficiently to discharge his duty at his quarters, the after-half of the lowerdeck, by causing himself to be carried about in the arms of a seaman. On 10 March, 1795, Lieut. Buckle became First of the Marlborough 74, Capts. Henry Nichols and Sir Jas. Saumarez, attached to the fleet in the Channel, and, on 6 Dec. 1796, he received his second promotal commission. He subsequently commanded the Comet store-ship, on the Jamaica and Halifax stations, from 24 Nov. 1800, until Sept. 1802, during which period he was advanced, 29 April, 1802, to Post-rank. He was next appointed, 2 May, 1804, to the Portsmouth district of Sea Fencibles, the superintendence of which he retained (owing to his inability to procure a ship, in consequence of a mistaken idea which, it is believed, prevailed at the Admiralty in regard to the magnitude of his circumstances) until the discharge of the corps in Feb. 1810. On 16 Aug. in the latter year he was nominated, on the error being explained away by Rear-Admiral Wm. Albany Otway, Flag-Captain to that officer in the Adamant 44, on the Leith station, where he removed with him, 14 Sept. 1813, to the Latona 38. In Nov. following, on Sir Wm. Hope’s succession to the chief command, Capt. Buckle was superseded. His sight from that period continued to decline until about 1833, since when he has been totally blind. He became a Rear-Admiral 17 Aug. 1840 and attained his present rank 9 Nov. 1846.
The Vice-Admiral married, 2 Feb. 1799, Henrietta, second daughter of Henry Reveley, Esq., of Clifford-street, London, and Blackheath, co. Kent, a Commissioner of Excise, and by that lady has (with four daughters, of whom the third, Georgiana, married, 7 Nov. 1837, Capt. Wm. Henry Robinson, 72nd Highlanders, only son of the late Sir W. H. Robinson, K.C.H.) four sons – Matthew Hughes George, in holy orders; Claude Henry Mason, Captain R.N.; Edward, Captain Madras Engineers; and Randolph Clifton, Lieutenant Madras Artillery.