A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Giffard, John
GIFFARD. (Admiral of the White, 1841. f-p., 34; h-p., 33.)
John Giffard entered the Navy, 25 April, 1780, as a Boy, on board the Canada 74, Capts. Sir Geo. Collier and Hon. Wm. Cornwallis; and while in that ship was present, as Midshipman, at the relief of Gibraltar in 1781, the ensuing capture of the Spanish frigate Leocadia, of 36 guns, also in Sir Sam. Hood’s action off St. Kitt’s, and in Rodney’s actions with the Comte de Grasse, 9 and 12 April, 1782. He next joined in succession the Dragon 74, Capt. Lee, Ardent 64, Capt. Henry Harwood, Trimmer sloop, Capt. Chas. Tyler, Victory 100, flag-ship of Lord Howe, and Crown 64, bearing the broad pendant in the East Indies of Commodore Hon. Wm. Cornwallis, by whom he was promoted to a Lieutenancy, 20 Oct. 1790, in the Vestal 28, Capt. Sir Rich. John Strachan, and afterwards removed to the Crown and Minerva. Mr. Giffard, whose proximate appointments were, 14 Nov. 1793, and 12 July, 1794, to the Theseus 74, Capt. Robt. Calder, and Queen Charlotte 100, flag-ship of Earl Howe, was advanced, after participating under Sir Andw. Snape Douglas in Lord Bridport’s action, to the command, 1 Feb. 1796, of the Raven sloop, for his conduct in which vessel, in safely escorting a large convoy into Lisbon, he received the thanks of the Board of Admiralty. Being made Post by Sir John Jervis into La Mignonne, of 32 guns, 19 Oct. 1796, Capt. Giffard, we find, was subsequently appointed – 29 Dec. 1796, to La Mahonesa 40, off Lisbon and Cadiz – 23 Sept. 1800, to the Active 38, off Cherbourg, where he took, 26 Jan. 1801, Le Quinola privateer, of 14 guns and 48 men – 23 Feb. 1801, to the Magnificent 74, in which ship he was the instrument, early in the month of April, 1802, of suppressing a dangerous insurrection of the 8th West India Regt., then in garrison at Fort Shirley, Dominica – 23 April, 1803, to the Prince of Wales 98, lying at Portsmouth – 7 June, 1803, to the Dryad 36, on the Cork station, whither he conveyed Lord Gardner – 8 Oct. 1805, to L’Athénienne 64, in which ship he assisted at the defence of Gaeta – and, 27 Sept. 1806, to the Zealous 74, on the Mediterranean station. From 23 March, 1807, until his attainment of Flag-rank, 12 Aug. 1819, Capt. Giffard was next employed as Lieutenant-Governor of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth. He became a Vice-Admiral 22 July, 1830, and a full Admiral 23 Nov. 1841.
Admiral Giffard married, 20 Nov. 1802, a daughter of the late Sir John Carter, Kt., of Portsmouth, and has, with other issue, a son, the present Capt. Henry Wells Giffard, R.N., and a daughter, married to Capt. Geo. Evans, R.N.