A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Grey, Frederick William
GREY, C.B. (Captain, 1828. f-p., 20; h-p., 8.)
The Honourable Frederick William Grey, born 23 Aug. 1805, is third son of the late Earl Grey (who held the office of Prime Minister from 1830 until 1834), by Mary Elizabeth, only daughter of Lord Ponsonby. He is brother of the present Earl Grey, H.M.’s Secretary of State for the Colonies; also of Lieut.-Colonel Hon. Chas. Grey, M.P.; and of Capt. Hon. Geo. Grey, R.N. One of his uncles, the Hon. Sir Geo. Grey, Bart., K.C.B. Capt. R.N., who died in 1828, was Resident Commissioner of Portsmouth Dockyard, and Marshal in the island of Barbadoes. His first cousin, Chas. Conrad Grey, is a Commander R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 18 Jan. 1819; and while serving as Midshipman of the Naiad 46, Capt. Hon. Robt. Cavendish Spencer, contributed in the boats under Lieut. Michael Quin, to the brilliant destruction, on the night of 23 March, 1824, of a 16-gun brig moored in a position of extraordinary strength alongside the walls of the fortress of Bona, in which was a garrison of 400 soldiers, who, from cannon and musket, kept up a tremendous fire almost perpendicularly on the deck. He was promoted, immediately on passing his examination, to a Lieutenancy, 7 April, 1825, in the Sybille 48, Capt. Sir Sam. John Brooke Pechell, stationed in the Mediterranean; whence we believe he returned home in the following Aug. on board the Cyrené 20, Capt. Percy Grace. His next appointment was, on 26 Sept. 1825, to the Volage 28, Capt. Hon. Rich. Saunders Dundas, with whom he sailed for South America; on which station he obtained command, 17 April, 1827, of the Heeon 18. He acquired Post-rank 19 April, 1828, and was subsequently appointed – 25 Nov. 1830, to the Action 26, which frigate, after an intermediate servitude in the Mediterranean, he paid oS 4 Sept. 1834 – 21 Aug. 1835 to the Jupiter 38, fitting for the East Indies, whither he took out the present Earl of Auckland as Governor-General – and (the latter ship having been put out of commission 27 Sept. 1836), 30 Oct. 1840, to the Endymion 44. For his services in that ship during the war in China (where, in the attack upon Chin-Kiang-Foo, 21 July, 1842, he elicited the best thanks of Major-Gen. Schoedde for the manner in which he superintended the debarkation of the troops under the orders of that officer, whom he accompanied as a volunteer throughout the day[1]), Capt. Grey, who paid her off towards the close of 1843, was nominated a C.B. He is at present unemployed.
He married, 20 July, 1846, Barbarina Charlotte, daughter of the Rev. F. Sullivan. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1842, pp. 3391, 3402.