A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Newton, Charles James Franklin
NEWTON. (Commander, 1838. f-p., 26; h-p., 9.)
Charles James Franklin Newton was born in 1799.
This officer entered the Navy, 4 March, 1812, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Egmont 74, Capt. Joseph Bingham, in which ship, during a servitude of seven months and a half, part of the time in the capacity of Midshipman, he was employed at the blockade of Flushing, the Texel, and Cherbourg, and in cruizing among the Western Islands. Joining next, in Dec. 1813, the Niger 38, Capt. Peter Rainier, he visited the Cape of Good Hope, the Brazils, and coast of Africa, and, among other vessels, assisted, in company with the Tagus 36, at the capture of the French 40-gun frigate Cérès, off the Cape de Verde Islands, 6 Jan. 1814. In Sept. 1815 he removed to the Vengeur 74, Capt. Thos. Alexander, at Portsmouth; and he subsequently, between March, 1816, and the date of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, 4 May, 1821, served, on the Home station, in the Pelican 16, Capt. Robt. Lisle Coulson, and Ganymede 20 and Severn 40, both commanded by Capt. Wm. M‘Culloch. His commission was presented to him at the instance of the Commander-in-Chief at Chatham, as a reward for his conduct in having, on 21 of the preceding Feb., attacked, with the present Lieut. Edw. Digby, an overwhelming body of armed smugglers at Brookland, in Kent, and captured two of the principal among them, one of whom was executed. In the course of the same year Mr. Newton, who had been wounded, was presented with a sword by the committee at Lloyd’s for saving the crew of a vessel wrecked on Dungeness beach. His appointments as Lieutenant were – 22 Sept. 1821, to the Brisk 10, Capts. Edw. Stewart and Adolphus FitzClarence, on the Home Station – 12 April, 1824, for a few months, to the Infernal bomb, Capt. Robt. Heriott Barclay, part of the time under Sir Harry Burrard Neale, in his demonstration before Algiers, where he had charge of a rocket-boat – 10 April, 1826, to the Prince Regent 120, successive flag-ship of Sir Robt. Moorsom and Hon. Sir Henry Blackwood, at Chatham – 11 May, 1832 (two years after he had left the Prince Regent), and 12 July, 1833, as a Supernumerary, to the Spartiate 76, Capt. Robt. Tait (flag-ship for some time of Sir Michael Seymour), and Dublin 50, Capt. Lord Jas. Townshend, both in South America – and, 25 Feb. 1834, to the Challenger 28, Capt. Michael Seymour, on the same station, whence he returned in 1835. He attained his present rank 28 June, 1838, and was afterwards employed, from 4 July, 1839, until the summer of 1844, in the Coast Guard; and from 14 Dec. in the latter year until paid off in July, 1847, in command of the Lily 16, on the coast of Africa.
Commander Newton married, in 1830, the only daughter of D. H. Day, Esq., of Wilmington Hall, co. Kent, by whom he has issue two children.