A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Farrant, John
FARRANT. (Retired Commander, 1846. f-p., 13; h-p., 33.)
John Farrant entered the Navy, 27 Jan. 1801, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Russel 74, Capts. Herbert Sawyer and Wm. Cuming, and, on 2 April following, was in the battle off Copenhagen. After serving for some months, in 1802, on board the Amazon 38, Capt. Sam. Sutton, he became Midshipman of La Déterminée frigate armée en flûte Capt. Alex. Becher, under whom he was wrecked, near Jersey, 24 March, 1803. He then joined the Dreadnought 98, successive flag-ship, in the Channel and off Cadiz, of Admirals Hon. Wm. Cornwallis and Cuthbert Collingwood; and, on accompanying the latter officer into the Royal Sovereign 100, was wounded in the battle fought off Cape Trafalgar 21 Oct. 1805.[1] After a further servitude with Lord Collingwood in the Queen and Ocean 98’s, and with Capt. Wm. Landless in the Morgiana sloop, Mr. Farrant was nominated Acting-Lieutenant, 15 July, 1808, of the Scout 18, Capt. Wm. Raitt – his appointment to which vessel was confirmed 30 Nov. following. On 14 June, 1809, he assisted, and, as he had done on other occasions, elicited the warmest thanks of his Captain for the determined bravery of his conduct as second in command of the boats under Lieut. Henry Robt. Battersby, at the cutting out of seven well-protected vessels from a harbour near Cape Croisette, during their entrance into which the British were exposed to a heavy fire of grape and musketry from both sides;[2] and, on the night of 31 Oct. in the same year, he contributed, in the boats of a squadron under Lieut. John Tailour, to the capture and destruction, after a desperate struggle, and a loss to the British of 15 men killed and 55 wounded, of the armed store-ship Lamproie of 16 guns and 116 men, bombards Victoire and Grandeur, and armed xebec Normande, with a convoy of seven merchantmen, defended by numerous strong batteries, in the Bay of Rosas.[3] Mr. Farrant’s succeeding appointments appear to have been – 2 Dec. 1809, to the Bulwark 74, Capts. Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming and Joshua Sydney Horton, employed off Cadiz and at Vera Cruz – 4 Sept. 1812, to the Borer sloop, Capts. Rich. Coote and Wm. Rawlins, with whom he served most actively for two years off the coast of North America – and, 15 Nov. 1814, to the Plantagenet 74, Capt. Robt. Lloyd, one of the ships attached to the expedition against New Orleans. He accepted his present rank 3 Nov. 1846.
In consideration of the wound he received at Trafalgar, Commander Farrant at the time obtained a gratuity from the Patriotic Fund. Agent – Joseph Woodhead.