A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Neville, James
NEVILLE. (Commander, 1828. f-p., 21; h-p., 32.)
James Neville entered the Navy, in 1794, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Cerberus 32, Capts. John Drew and Jas. Macnamara. In that ship, besides sharing as Midshipman in many privateer actions, he took part, off Ferrol, 20 Oct. 1799, in a most gallant and all but successful attack upon one of five Spanish frigates in escort, with two armed brigs, of a large convoy of merchantmen. Becoming Master’s Mate, in May, 1800, of the Iphigenia frigate, Capt. Hassard Stackpoole, he obtained command, on the night of 29 Aug. following, of one of the boats of a squadron, 20 in number, under the orders of Lieut. Henry Burke, and assisted in cutting out, close to the batteries in Vigo Bay, La Guêpe privateer, of 18 guns and 161 men, which vessel, 25 of whose people were killed and 40 wounded, was in 15 minutes boarded and carried, with a loss to the British of 3 seamen and 1 marine killed, 3 Lieutenants, 12 seamen, and 5 marines wounded, and 1 seaman missing. While Acting Senior-Lieutenant of the same ship, which was soon afterwards burnt in Aboukir Bay, Mr. Neville was present at the landing of the troops in Egypt in March, 1801. In June of that year he was again ordered to act as Lieutenant in the Northumberland 74, Capt. Geo. Martin, attached to the force in the Mediterranean; and on 3 Dec. 1802 he was officially promoted. His succeeding appointments were – 8 April, 1803, and 21 July, 1804, to the Texel 64 and Malabar 50, Capts. Hon. Geo. Byng and Robt. Hall, employed off Margate and in the North Sea – 5 July, 1805, to the Dart sloop, Capts. Wm. Brownrigg, Hon. Michael De Courcy, Joseph Spear, and Thos. Tudor Tucker, in the West Indies – 11 April, 1807, to the Venus 32, Capt. Henry Matson, on the same station, whence, in the ensuing June, he returned with convoy to England – 8 March, 1808, to the Delphinea 18, Capt. Rich. Harward, which vessel was cast away five months afterwards on the coast of Holland – 17 Dec. 1808, for a few weeks, to the Eclipse sloop, Capt. Creyke- 3 Nov. and 26 Dec. 1810, to the Ganymede and Statira frigates, commanded by Capt. Hassard Stackpoole in the West Indies and on the North American station, whence he invalided in Nov. 1812 – 3 July, 1813, for two years, to the Forth 44, Capt. Sir Wm. Bolton, employed at first in the North Sea, and then again on the American coast – and, 7 April, 1826, in a similar capacity, to the Perseus receiving-ship off the Tower, Capt Jas. Couch. On 19 Sept. 1814, being at the time Senior of the Forth, he took command of her command of her boats, captured by boarding, and afterwards destroyed, at the mouth of Little Egg Harbour, the American letter-of-marque brig Regent, of 5 guns and 35 men, and 35 men, 2 of whom were wounded, with a loss to the British of himself and 1 seaman wounded.[1] He attained his present rank 2 Sept. 1828; and has since been on half-pay.
He was awarded, 23 Oct. 1815, a pension of 91l. 5s. per annum for his wounds.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1814, p. 2466.