A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Hemsworth, William Glassford
HEMSWORTH. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 19; h-p., 28.)
William Glassford Hemsworth entered the Navy, 1 Nov. 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Formidable 98, Capt. Rich. Grindall, with whom he cruized in the Channel and West Indies until Sept 1802. He re-embarked, 22 May, 1805, on board the Brilliant 28, Capts. Robt. Barrie, Rich. Budd Vincent, and Smyth, in which vessel he served for two years and a half on the Irish and Guernsey stations, and was on one occasion wounded while in charge of some French prisoners. From Nov. 1807 until Aug. 1808, Mr. Hemsworth officiated, we find, as Midshipman of the Neptune 98, Capt. Sir Thos. Williams, both in the Channel and West Indies. In June, 1809, he joined the Ajax 74, Capts. Robt. Waller Otway, Robt. Clephane, and Sir Robt. Laurie, on the Mediterranean station, where (besides commanding, as Master’s Mate, a boat in an attack on a French brig of war in the Piombino passage, and participating in a very gallant skirmish, in which the British with a slender force beat back a powerful division of the French Toulon fleet) he received a slight injury in a spirited but unfortunate attempt made by the boats of a squadron under Capt. Fras. Wm. Fane upon the enemy’s shipping in the Mole of Palamos, on which occasion the British sustained a loss, out of 600 teamen and marines, of at least 200 killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. He also, we understand, contributed to the capture, 31 March, 1811, of Le Dromadaire store-ship, of 20 guns and 150 men. Being discharged from the Ajax in Dec. 1811, Mr. Hemsworth, during the next two years served, in the Mediterranean, off Lisbon, and at Spithead and Plymouth, on board the York 74, Capt. Robt. Barton, Andromeda 24, Capt. Rich. Arthur, and Puissant and Saturn 74’s, Capts. Benj. Wm. Page and J. Nash. He then proceeded to the East Indies in the Minden 74, bearing the flag of Sir Sam. Hood, and on 28 Feb. 1815, after having further served for a short time on board the Hecate 18, Capt. John Allen, was there appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Wellesley 74, Capt. Mich. Matthews. He was officially promoted on 20 of the following Sept., and in July, 1816, he returned home in the Salsette 36, Capt. John Bowen. His appointments have since been – in 1840, to an Agency for Transports Afloat – 17 Nov. 1842, to the post of Admiralty Agent on board a contract mail steam-vessel – and, 9 July, 1844, to the command of the Crescent receiving-ship at Rio de Janeiro, where he is at present employed. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.