A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Norcott, Edmund
NORCOTT. (Commander, 1838. f-p., 20; h-p., 22)
Edmund Norcott entered the Navy, 15 July, 1805, as Sec.-cl. Vol., on board the Belliqeux 64, commanded by the late Viscount Torrington, in which ship, after witnessing the reduction of the Cape of Good Hope, he assisted, 27 Nov. 1806, at the capture and destruction of a Dutch frigate, seven brigs of war, and about 20 armed and other merchant-vessels, in Batavia Roads. In Aug. 1810, two years after he had attained the rating of Midshipman, he removed to the Sir Francis Drake frigate, Capt. Geo. Harris; and on next joining the Minden 74, Capt. Edw. Wallis Hoare, he co-operated in the reduction of Java, and was wounded in an affray with the Malay pirates. After a short servitude in the Illustrious 74, Commodore Wm. Robt. Broughton, he returned, in Sept. 1812, to England in the Akbar 50, Capt. Henry Drury. Rejoining Lord Torrington in Feb. 1813 on board the Warrior 74, he escorted the Prince of Orange in the following Nov. to Holland, and then sailed for the West Indies; where, in Nov. 1814, at which period he was serving with Rear-Admiral Wm. Brown in the Argo 44, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Arachne 16, Capt. Wm. McKenzie Godfrey. He was confirmed a Lieutenant 10 Feb. 1815, and subsequently appointed – 10 Oct. 1825, to the Albion 74, Capt. John Acworth Ommanney, part of the force engaged at the battle of Navarin, 20 Oct. 1827 – 15 Oct. 1828, to the Coast Blockade, as Supernumerary-Lieutenant of the Hyperion 42, Capt. Wm. Jas. Mingaye – 20 Nov. 1829, to the Trinculo 18, Capt. Sam. Price, on the Cork station – 30 April, 1831, as Senior, to the Druid 46, Capts. Gawen Wm. Hamilton and Sam. Roberts, with whom he served in South America and off Lisbon until paid off in 1833 – 4 Oct. 1834, to the Coast Guard – and, 21 April, 1835, to the command of the Curlew 10, on the coast of Africa, whence he returned soon after his promotion to the rank of Commander, 28 June, 1838.
He was nominated Governor of the settlements on the Gambia 20 Nov. 1843. Agents – Messrs. Chard.