A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Devon, Thomas Barker
DEVON, K.C.H. (Captain, 1825. f-p., 20; h-p., 29.)
Thomas Barker Devon was born 8 Oct. 1784, at Sutton, co. Middlesex, and died, 12 May, 1846, at Paington, in Devon. He was second son of the late Geo. Barker Devon, Esq., many years Remembrancer of the First Fruits and Tenths.
This officer entered the Navy, 11 April, 1797, as Midshipman, on board the Duke 98, Capt. John Holloway; and, after witnessing the mutiny at Spithead, removed to the Royal Sovereign 100, flagship in the Channel of Sir Alan Gardner. From Nov. 1800, to May, 1803, he next served, in the East Indies and Bed Sea, on board the Romney 50, Capt. Home Biggs Popham; on his transference from which vessel to La Seine 38, Capt. David Milne, he was wrecked on a sand-bank near the Texel on 21 July [errata 1], 1803. He subsequently joined the Thunderer 74, Capt. Wm. Bedford; and being promoted, 8 May, 1804, to a Lieutenancy in the Dragon 74, Capt. Edw. Griffith, was present in that ship in Sir Robt. Calder’s action, 22 July, 1805. On being next appointed, 16 June, 1806, to the Shannon 38, Capt. Philip Bowes Vere Broke, he visited the latitude of Greenland; after which he became, 7 Nov. 1807, First of the Crocodile 22, Capt. Hon. Geo. Cadogan, under whom he made a trip to the Cape of Good Hope, and conveyed Sir Arthur Wellesley from England to the Peninsula. Assuming command, 12 Oct. 1809, of the Brevdrageren gun-brig, of 12 18-pounder carronades and 60 men, Mr. Devon proceeded to the North Sea, on which station he continued nearly five years, and acquired considerable reputation for his zeal and activity. On 31 July, 1811, being in company with the Algerine cutter, Lieut.-Commander John Aitkin Blow, he fell in with, and, during that and the following day, was pursued by, a Danish force, consisting of three brigs, carrying in the whole 54 guns and 480 men. From these, the two British vessels, whose united strength did not exceed 22 guns and 107 men, eventually effected their escape after the most wonderful exertions; but not until the Brevdrageren, from whom the Algerine was nearly the whole time at too great a distance to render much effective assistance, had sustained, among other injuries, a loss of 1 man killed and 3 wounded, during a close and gallant action of an hour and a half with the largest of the enemy’s vessels, the Langland, of 20 guns and 170 men. Although his Sub-Lieutenant was promoted for this affair, Mr. Devon himself obtained no other reward than the testimonials that he had deserved it. From that period we find him frequently engaged with the enemy, in boats and on shore, in the protection of the forced trade carried on up the German rivers. In 1812 he out out a small French national cutter, and a lugger privateer, from the port of Delfzyl, besides making similar prize of several merchantmen, and being personally engaged on shore three times. In March, 1813, on the advance of the Russians towards Hamburgh, he assisted at the capture of Cuxhaven (where,, through his negociations with the authorities, the British flag was hoisted conjointly with the colours of Hamburgh); and on 21 of the same month, being in the Brevdrageren’s gig with only 9 men, he boarded and carried in the most resolute style, and under the smoke of her second discharge, the Danish gun-brig Jonge Troutman, of 5 guns and 26 men – whose consort the Liebe, of similar force, was at the same time gallantly captured by Mr. Wm. Dunbar, Master of the Blazer, and 11 men, in a six-oared cutter belonging to that vessel. In acknowledgment of his valuable services, Mr. Devon was at length promoted to the rank of Commander, 4 May, 1813, and re-appointed in that capacity to the Brevdrageren, which was then rated a sloop-of-war. He afterwards co-operated with Capt. John M‘Kerlie in the capture of the enemy’s shipping at Braak, on the Weser, down which nver he voluntarily conducted at night a prize corvette of 20 guns, between Blexen and Bremerlehe. He also materially contributed, part of the time as Senior officer, to the reduction of those important fortresses – sustained, as to his own ship, the chief loss in a second attack on the enemy’s batteries at Cuxhaven – and kept up a most rigorous blockade of the port of Delfzyl, notwithstanding there were no less than 17 armed vessels lying in the haven perfectly equipped. Capt. Devon, whose next appointment was, 26 Sept. 1814, to the Icarus 10, subsequently escorted Napoleon Buonaparte to St. Helena, and was thence sent with despatches to the Isle of France and Calcutta. He paid the Icarus off 15 April, 1817; but was not afterwards employed. His elevation to Post-rank took place 27 May, 1825.
Capt. Devon was nominated a K.H. 18 Oct. 1820, and a K.C.H. 7 Dec. 1838. He married, in April, 1809, Anne, daughter of Mr. Tompson, a medical practitioner in the neighbourhood of Exeter.