A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Hewett, James
HEWETT. (Retired Commander, 1843. f-p., 16; h-p., 34)
James Hewett is the son of a Captain in the Navy, and has many relations in both services.
This officer entered the Navy, 17 July, 1797, as A.B., on board the Plumper, Lieut.-Commander M. T. Hewett; served next for a year and a half with Capt. David Milne in the Seine 36, on the coast of Africa and in the West Indies; and on 8 July, 1800, was appointed Midshipman of the Queen 98, Capt. Man Dobson. Between the close of the latter year and the peace of Amiens, he was further employed under the flag of Sir Hyde Parker on board the Royal George 100, and London 98, and during that period was present in the latter ship at the battle of Copenhagen, 2 April, 1801. In 1802 he sailed in the Glatton 50, Capt. Jas. Colnett, for New Holland, on his return whence, in 1803, he successively joined the Utrecht 64, Capt. John Wentworth Loring, Fortunée 36, Capt. Henry Vansittart, and Inconstant 36, Capt. Edw. Stirling Dickson. On the night of 7 March, 1804, immediately previous to the capture of the African island of Goree, we find Mr. Hewett assisting in the boats of the last-mentioned frigate at the cutting-out of a ship under a heavy fire from its batteries, which, however, although it sank one of the boats, wounded but one man. In Nov. 1804, he became Acting-Lieutenant of L’Aimable 32, Capts. Clotworthy Upton, Hon. Duncomhe Pleydell Bouverie, and Lord Geo. Stuart, under whom (his appointment being confirmed by a commission dated 8 March, 1805) he continued successively to serve until April, 1809. He was chased, during that period, by a French squadron under M. Richery, when proceeding to join Lord Nelson’s fleet off Cadiz, and (after having escorted Sir Arthur Wellesley’s army from Cork to Vimiera, and been an eye-witness, as we understand, of the battle of Vimiera) was present at the capture, on 3 Feb. 1809, of L’Iris French National ship, pierced for 32, but mounting only 24 guns, which did not surrender until she had herself sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 8 wounded, and the Aimable, besides being materially damaged in masts, spars, sails, and rigging, of 2 wounded. Removing, in April, 1809, to the Sceptre 74, Capts. Joseph Bingham and Sam. Jas. Ballard, Lieut. Hewett accompanied the ensuing expedition to the Walcheren, and on being ordered to the West Indies contributed, antecedently to a participation in the operations against Guadeloupe, to the destruction, 18 Dec. 1809, of the French 40-gun frigates Loire and Seine, lying under the protection of several strong batteries in L’Ance la Barque. Quitting the Sceptre in March, 1811, he next and lastly, in the course of 1812, joined the Asia 74, Capt. Geo. Scott, and Crocodile 28, Capt. Wm. Elliott. He invalided home from the Mediterranean in 1814; and accepted the rank he now holds 18 April, 1843 – exactly a week after he had been admitted to the out-pension of Greenwich Hospital.
Commander Hewett is Agent for Beachy Head Lights.