A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Laugharne, William
LAUGHARNE. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 16; h-p., 33.)
William Laugharne, born 21 Dec. 1785, at Poole, co. Dorset, is son of the late Capt. Thos. Laugharne, R.N., and nephew of the late Vice-Admiral John Laugharne. His only brother, Lieut. Thos. Laugharne, perished in the Jaseur brig when crossing the Bay of Bengal, on his way to China, in Aug. 1809.
This officer entered the Navy, 6 Jan. 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Barfleur 98, Capt. Jas. Rich. Dacres, with whom he removed as Midshipman, in the following Sept., to the Foudroyant 80, commanded afterwards by Capts. Wm. Brown, Thos. Masterman Hardy, and Sir Edw. Berry. While in the latter ship, besides witnessing the surrender of Naples, we find him, while at the blockade of Malta, assisting at the capture, 18 Feb. 1800, of Le Généreux 74, and Ville de Marseilles armed store-ship, and on 31 March, after a desperate conflict, in which the Foudroyant (then in company with the Lion 64, and Penelope 36) sustained a loss of 8 men killed and 64 wounded, of Le Guillaume Tell, of 84 guns and 1000 men, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Decrès. From Nov. 1800 until April, 1802, Mr. Laugharne further served with Sir Edw. Berry and Capt. Henry Hill in the Princess Charlotte 38, and Ruby 64, in the Mediterranean and in the North Sea and Baltic. He then, in the Concorde 36, Capts. Robt. Barton and John Wood, proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, where, in Feb. 1803, he joined the Tremendous 74, Capt. John Osborne. In March, 1805, being at the time in the Culloden 74, flag-ship in the East Indies of Sir Edw. Pellew, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Cornwallis frigate, Capt. Wm. Jones Lye. Being confirmed, 14 Nov. 1806, into the Russell 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Wm. O’Brien Drury, he was present in that ship at the ensuing destruction of the Dutch force in Batavia Roads. His subsequent appointments were – 27 Sept. 1809, to the Rattlesnake 18, Capt. Jas. John Gordon Bremer, with whom he returned to England – 2 Nov. 1810, to the Southampton 32, Capts. Edwards Lloyd Graham and Jas. Lucas Yeo, stationed in the Channel – 31 Jan. 1811, to the Alcmène 38, Capt. E. L. Graham, in which frigate he again went to the Mediterranean – and, 3 Dec. 1813 and 19 July, 1814, to the Trident 64, and Swiftsure 74, as Flag-Lieutenant at Malta to his uncle Rear-Admiral Laugharne. He was advanced to his present rank 23 Sept. 1814, and has since been on half-pay.
Commander Laugharne married, first, in Nov. 1818, Louisa, daughter of Retired Commander Peter Tait (1800); and secondly, in June, 1825, Mary Emilia, daughter of the late Sam. Rawlings, Esq., of Charlton, co. Kent.