A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Greville, Henry Francis
GREVILLE. (Captain, 1832. f-p., 17; h-p., 24.)
Henry Francis Greville, born ,24 Aug. 1794, at Ebberston, co. York, is second son of the late Lieut.-Colonel Henry Francis Greville, by Catherine, second daughter of Sir Bellingham Graham, Bart. He is grandson of Fulke Greville, Esq., Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Bavaria; nephew of Capt. Wm. Fulke Greville, R.N., who died in 1837; and first-cousin of the late Viscountess Combermere. His great-grandfather, who married a grand-daughter of the Duke of Beaufort, was the second son of the fifth Lord Brooke, ancestor of the present Earl of Brooke and Warwick; and his only brother, George Macarteney, died a Major in the Army, in India, in 1834. One of his uncles married Lady Charlotte Bentinck, daughter of the third Duke of Portland.
This officer entered the Navy, early in 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Renown 74, Capt. Philip Chas. Durham, employed off Cape Finisterre and in the Mediterranean. On next joining the Arethusa 38, Capt. Robt. Mends, he took part, as Midshipman, in many active operations on the north coast of Spain, where on one occasion he was shot through the leg in a boat affair. After witnessing the capture, 6 April, 1809, of the French 40-gun frigate Le Niemen, and serving for a short time on board the San Josef 110, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Cotton, Mr. Greville became attached to the Volage 22, Capt. Phipps Hornby; under whom, on 13 March, 1811, he shared in the memorable action off Lissa, where a British squadron, carrying in the whole 156 guns and 879 men, completely routed, after a battle of six hours, and a loss to the Volage of 13 killed and 33 wounded, a Franco-Venetian armament, whose force amounted to 284 guns and men. He subsequently removed in succession to the Naiad and Junon 38’s, and St. Domingo 74, in the two former of which ships, under Capts. Philip Carteret and Jas. Sanders, he saw much service on the Boulogne and North American stations; as he also did on the Chesapeake and up the Potomac, in command of the Abeona, tender to the St. Domingo, Sir John Borlase Warren’s flag-ship. Being appointed Acting-Lieutenant, 20 July, 1813, of the Woolwich 44, Capt. Thos. Ball Sulivan, he continued to be employed with that officer until wrecked, on the north end of the island of Barbuda, during a violent hurricane, 6 Nov. following. After a sojourn of four months at the latter place, Mr. Greville, whose first commission bears date 4 Jan. 1814, retiimed to England on board the Diadem 64. His subsequent appointments were – for a short period in 1814, to the Minerva and Araxes frigates – 31 July, 1820, as First, to the Menai 26, Capt. Fairfax Moresby – and, 6 July, 1821, to the Vigo 74, Capt. Thos. Brown. While borne on the books of the two latter ships, he appears to have had command of the Wizard tender, in which he carried despatches to Calcutta, and cruized with success against the slave-trade on the east coast of Africa. He was promoted to the command, 19 July, 1822, of the Heron 18, on the St. Helena station, whence he returned to England, and was paid off in Feb. 1823. He next, from June, 1824, until March, 1827, officiated as Inspecting Commander of the Norfolk district of Coast Guard; and he was lastly, from 1 May, 1827, until put out of commission 15 Jan. 1831, employed in the Espoir 10, on the Cape station, whither he was sent with treasure. He acquired his present rank 27 Aug. 1832.
Capt. Greville held the office, in 1817, of Private Secretary, and Captain of Charles Fort, Barbadoes, under Gen. Viscount Combermere. He married, in June, 1816, Harriet, only child of the late Gen. Despard, by Harriet Anne, sister of Sir Thos. Dalrymple Hesketh, Bart., of Rufford Hall, co. Lancaster, by whom he has issue one son, a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, and five daughters. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.