A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Kenyon, George
KENYON. (Commander, 1843. f-p., 17; h-p., 7.)
George Kenyon, born 10 March, 1811, is fourth son of the Hon. Thos. Kenyon, of Pradoe, near Shrewsbury, Clerk of the Outlawries in the Court of Queen’s Bench, by Louisa Charlotte, second daughter of the Rev. John Robt. Lloyd, of Aston Hall, Shropshire; and nephew of the present Lord Kenyon. His eldest brother, Lloyd, is a Captain in the Royal Horse Guards; and his next, William, is in the Hon.E.I.Co.’s military service.
This officer entered the Navy, 21 May, 1823, as Fst.-cl, Vol., on board the Jasper 10, Capt. Alex. Dundas Young Arbuthnott, whom he followed into the Redwing 18, and Terror bomb – visiting St. Petersburg in the former vessel, and Algiers in the latter. Between Sept. 1824 and May, 1828, he served uninterruptedly, as Midshipman, on the Home, South American, and Mediterranean stations, in the Bulwark 74, Capt. Dundas, Wellesley 74 and Spartiate 76, both commanded by Capt. Graham Eden Hamond, and Ariadne, Capt. Adolphus FitzClarence. In May, 1829, having passed the last 12 months in study on shore, he joined the Victory 104, Capt. Hon. Geo. Elliot; and, towards the close of the same year, he returned to South America in the Volage 28, Capt. Lord Colchester. In that frigate, of which he became Mate 1 Oct. 1830, Mr. Kenyon escorted the ex-Emperor and Empress of Brazil to Cherbourg in April, 1831, and was employed during the winter of 1832 in enforcing the embargo on the coast of Holland, whence, in Dec. of that year, he brought to England, under circumstances of great difficulty, the Ondermening, a detained Dutch vessel. He next, until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 1 Dec. 1837, served, off Lisbon, in the Mediterranean, at Devonport, and again off Lisbon, in the Belvidera 42, Capt. Hon. Rich. Saunders Dundas, San Josef and Royal Adelaide, both flag-ships of Sir Wm. Hargood, and Hercules 74, Capts. Maurice Fred. Fitzhardinge Berkeley and John Toup Nicolas. His succeeding appointments were – 15 Feb. 1838, to the Salamander steamer, Capts. Sidney Colpoys Dacres and Hastings Reginald Henry, in which vessel he was at first employed on the north coast of Spain under Lord John Hay, then in cruizing after the unfortunate Fairy, and finally in making a voyage to St. Petersburg – and 20 Oct. 1841, to the Madagascar 44, Capt. John Foote, on the coast of Africa. Soon after his arrival on the latter station Lieut. Kenyon assumed the temporary command of the Bonetta brigantine. On rejoining the Madagascar he assisted in capturing five slave-vessels, and in effecting the release of 1400 negroes; and on one occasion, while in command of the ship’s boats, 60 miles up the Congo river, he destroyed all the baracoons on its banks, and entered into a treaty with the native chiefs for the suppression of the slavetrade. On being subsequently placed in charge of a prize, he destroyed several other baracoons, and succeeded in rescuing 120 slaves after a contest with a very superior number of the natives, and a loss to the British of 4 men killed and wounded. In Aug. 1842 Lieut. Kenyon was sent to St. Helena with a Brazilian prize, but in consequence of the leaky condition of the vessel he was under the necessity of leaving her at Fernando Po, where he took command of the Soudan, a small flat-bottomed steamer, built for the navigation of the Niger, and with only stowage-room for a week’s fuel, in which he proceeded to Sierra Leone. Owing to the prevalence of calms, and to the cause last named, he did not reach his destination until after a lengthened voyage, during which the greatest distress was occasioned by a failure both in water and provisions. He invalided home from severe and nearly fatal illness in April, 1843, and on 1 of the following July was advanced to his present rank. He has since been on half-pay.