A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Keats, William

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Keatley, John Savell

A Naval Biographical Dictionary
edited by William R. O'Byrne

Keats, William

Keele, Charles

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1775379A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Keats, WilliamWilliam Richard O'Byrne

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KEATS. (Captain, 1826. f-p., 14; h-p., 28.)

William Keats is nephew of the late Admiral Sir Rich. Goodwin Keats, G.C.B.^[1]

This officer entered the Navy, 30 Sept. 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Superb 74, Capt. R. G. Keats, bearing the flag at first of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, under whom he bore a part in the action off St. Domingo 6 Feb. 1806. After attending the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807, and witnessing the embarkation from Nyeborg of the Spanish troops under the Marquis de la Romana, he served until July, 1813, as Midshipman, on the Home, Cadiz, and Mediterranean stations, in the Puissant 74, Capt. Irwin, Milford 74, and Hibernia 120, bearing each the flag of Rear-Admiral Keats, and Caledonia 120, flag-ship of Sir Edw. Pellew. In Aug. of the latter year he became Acting-Lieutenant of the Partridge sloop, Capt. John Miller Adye, to which vessel (being confirmed to her by commission dated 6 of that month) he continued attached until Oct. 1814. He next, from 23 March to 9 Dec. 1815, officiated as Flag-Lieutenant to Sir R. G. Keats, in the Salisbury 50, at Newfoundland; and, on 17 April, 1816, after having been intermediately employed in the Albion 74, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Rowley at Sheerness, he was promoted to the rank of Commander. He obtained command, 7 Oct. 1822, of the Cherokee 10, on the Leith and Cork stations; but has not been since employed. His elevation to his present rank took place 27 March, 1826.

Capt. Keats married, first, 10 April, 1833, Catherine Jane, eldest daughter of Jas. Pitman, Esq., of Dunchideock House, Devon, who was drowned a few weeks after her marriage by the upsetting of a boat; and, secondly, 6 July, 1835, Augusta Maria, daughter of Giles King Lyford, Esq., of Winchester.

↑ Sir R. G. Keats was born 16 Jan. 1757, and entered the Navy 25 Nov. 1780, on borad the Bellona 74, Capt, John Montagu. He served, at the commencement of the American war, at the burning of Norfolk, in an attack upon Hampton, Virginia, and at the capture of New York, Fort Washington, and Rhode Island. As a Lieutenant, a rank he acquired in 1777, he was on board the Ramillies in the action between Keppel and D’Orvilliers 27 July, 1778, also at the defeat of Don Juan de Langara 16 Jan. 1780, and at the ensuing relief of Gibraltar. In Jan. 1782, as a reward for the skilful manner in which he had conducted the naval part of an expedition against the enemy’s small craft at New Brunswick, he was made Commander into the Rhinoceros sloop of war. In Sept. 1783, being at the time in the Bonetta, another sloop, Capt. Keats bore a conspicuous part at the capture of the French 40-gun frigate L’Aigle. Attaining Post-rank in 1789, he successively commanded, between that period and 1807, the Southampton 32, Niger 32, London 98, Galatea 36, Boadicea 38, and, for upwards of six years, the Superb 74. In the Galatea he attended the expedition to Quiberon, and participated in the capture and destruction of several of the enemy’s frigates and other vessels. He was a long time employed, in the Boadicea, in watching the port of Brest, and on 2 July, 1799, commanded part of the force under Rear-Admiral Chas..Morice Pole in an attack on a Spanish squadron in Aix Roads; and in the Superb he acquired fame in Sir James Saumarez’ action with the Franco-Spanish squadron in the Gut of Gibraltar 1 2 July, 1801; accompanied Lord Nelson to the West Indies, in 1805, in pursuit of the combined fleets; fought as Flag-Captain to Sir John Thos. Duckworth in the action otf St. Domingo 6 Feb. 1806, and was in consequence presented with a sword valued at 100 guineas; and commanded a flying squadron of line-of-battle ships in the Bay of Biscay in the early part of 1807. In Aug. 1807, having hoisted a broad pendant on board the Ganges 74, he sailed with the expedition under Admiral Gambier against Copenhagen. In Oct. of the same year he became a Rear-Admiral; and in Aug. of the following year he was the instrument, with his flag on board his old ship, the Superb, of emancipating from French thraldom the Spanish troops stationed In the Danish provinces under the Marquis de la Romana – a service for his able management of which he was created a K.B. He afterwards held the chief command in the Baltic; served in 1809 under Sir Rich. Strachan during the operations against Walcheren; assumed charge, in 1810, of the squadron employed at the defence of Cadiz; became second in command, in 1811 , of the fleet in the Mediterranean; and enjoyed, from 1813 until 1816, the government and command at Newfoundland. Sir Rich. Keats, who had been appointed to a Colonelcy in the Royal Marines in Nov. 1805, and promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1810, was nominated Major-General of Marines in 1818, and made a full Admiral in 1825. From 1821 until the period of his death, which took place 5 April, 1834, he held the Governorship of Greenwich Hospital. He died an Admiral of the White.

[1] Sir R. G. Keats was born 16 Jan. 1757, and entered the Navy 25 Nov. 1780, on borad the Bellona 74, Capt, John Montagu. He served, at the commencement of the American war, at the burning of Norfolk, in an attack upon Hampton, Virginia, and at the capture of New York, Fort Washington, and Rhode Island. As a Lieutenant, a rank he acquired in 1777, he was on board the Ramillies in the action between Keppel and D’Orvilliers 27 July, 1778, also at the defeat of Don Juan de Langara 16 Jan. 1780, and at the ensuing relief of Gibraltar. In Jan. 1782, as a reward for the skilful manner in which he had conducted the naval part of an expedition against the enemy’s small craft at New Brunswick, he was made Commander into the Rhinoceros sloop of war. In Sept. 1783, being at the time in the Bonetta, another sloop, Capt. Keats bore a conspicuous part at the capture of the French 40-gun frigate L’Aigle. Attaining Post-rank in 1789, he successively commanded, between that period and 1807, the Southampton 32, Niger 32, London 98, Galatea 36, Boadicea 38, and, for upwards of six years, the Superb 74. In the Galatea he attended the expedition to Quiberon, and participated in the capture and destruction of several of the enemy’s frigates and other vessels. He was a long time employed, in the Boadicea, in watching the port of Brest, and on 2 July, 1799, commanded part of the force under Rear-Admiral Chas..Morice Pole in an attack on a Spanish squadron in Aix Roads; and in the Superb he acquired fame in Sir James Saumarez’ action with the Franco-Spanish squadron in the Gut of Gibraltar 1 2 July, 1801; accompanied Lord Nelson to the West Indies, in 1805, in pursuit of the combined fleets; fought as Flag-Captain to Sir John Thos. Duckworth in the action otf St. Domingo 6 Feb. 1806, and was in consequence presented with a sword valued at 100 guineas; and commanded a flying squadron of line-of-battle ships in the Bay of Biscay in the early part of 1807. In Aug. 1807, having hoisted a broad pendant on board the Ganges 74, he sailed with the expedition under Admiral Gambier against Copenhagen. In Oct. of the same year he became a Rear-Admiral; and in Aug. of the following year he was the instrument, with his flag on board his old ship, the Superb, of emancipating from French thraldom the Spanish troops stationed In the Danish provinces under the Marquis de la Romana – a service for his able management of which he was created a K.B. He afterwards held the chief command in the Baltic; served in 1809 under Sir Rich. Strachan during the operations against Walcheren; assumed charge, in 1810, of the squadron employed at the defence of Cadiz; became second in command, in 1811 , of the fleet in the Mediterranean; and enjoyed, from 1813 until 1816, the government and command at Newfoundland. Sir Rich. Keats, who had been appointed to a Colonelcy in the Royal Marines in Nov. 1805, and promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1810, was nominated Major-General of Marines in 1818, and made a full Admiral in 1825. From 1821 until the period of his death, which took place 5 April, 1834, he held the Governorship of Greenwich Hospital. He died an Admiral of the White.

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