A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Lowry, James (a)
LOWRY. (Commander, 1822. f-p., 26; h-p., 36.)
James Lowry was born 18 April, 1773. This officer entered the Navy, in 1785, as Ordinary, on board the Sprightly, Lieut.-Commander Swan, with whom and with Capt. Salusbury of the Termagant sloop, he served on the Falmouth station until 1787. In Dec. 1795 he re-embarked, as Midshipman, on board the Castor 32, Capt. Rowley Bulteel; and he was next, from Sept. 1796 until Feb. 1806, uninterruptedly employed under the orders of the late Sir Thos. Louis in the Minotaur 74 (of which ship he became an acting and a confirmed Lieutenant 10 Oct. 1798 and 28 Jan. 1802), Conqueror 74, Leopard 50, Ambuscade 32, and Canopus 80. During the term of his attachment to the Minotaur he had charge of her forecastle at the battle of the Nile 1 Aug. 1798 – witnessed the evacuation of Genoa by the French in June, 1800 – commanded the ship’s launch at the first debarkation of the troops, and participated in all the after-operations of the campaign, in Egypt in 1801 – and on 3 Sept. 1800 had under his orders one of eight boats which brought out from Barcelona Roads, after having sustained a loss of 3 men killed and 5 wounded, the Spanish corvettes Esmeralda and Paz, of 22 guns each, although defended by a heavy fire from four strong batteries, 10 gun-boats, two schooners, armed between them with 4 long 36-pounders, and a fort upon Mount Ioni which threw shells. In this affair the enemy had 3 men killed and 21 wounded.[1] Besides being employed, while on the books of the Leopard, in charge of a fire-vessel in an attack on the Boulogne flotilla in Oct. 1804,[2] Lieut. Lowry was present, when in the Canopus, in Nelson’s pursuit of the combined squadrons to the West Indies, and also in Sir John Duckworth’s action off St. Domingo 6 Feb. 1806. On leaving the Canopus he joined the Northumberland 74, bearing the flag in the West Indies of Hon. Alex. Cochrane, who, in Aug. 1806, sent him home in charge of a schooner with despatches. From May, 1807, until Oct. 1811, we find him employed, chiefly as First-Lieutenant, in the Montagu 74, Malta 80, and Ajax and Cumberland 74’s, all commanded by Capt. Robt. Waller Otway, who publicly acknowledged the assistance he derived from him in the Ajax on the occasion of a gallant affair in which the British with a slender force beat back a powerful division of the French Toulon fleet, 20 July, 1810.[3] His subsequent appointments were – in April, 1812, to the Transport service, in which he was for seven years employed – 31 Jan. 1821, to the command of the Camelion Revenue-vessel – and, 21 Feb. 1822, as First-Lieutenant, to the Apollo yacht, Capt. Hon. Sir Chas. Paget, under whom he had the honour of escorting George IV. to Scotland. He was in consequence promoted to his present rank 12 Sept. 1822, but has not been since afloat.
Commander Lowry married, 29 May, 1802, Miss Jennings, by whom he has issue. His only son, James, died a Lieutenant in the R.N.