A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Parker, Charles (b)
PARKER. (Lieut., 1816. f-p., 12; h-p., 27.)
Charles Parker (b) was born 31 March, 1794. This officer entered the Navy, 20 Jan. 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Childers sloop, of 14 12-pounder carronades and 65 men; and on 14 March following was present in a gallant action of six hours, which terminated in that vessel beating off, on the coast of Norway, with a loss to the British of 2 men killed and 8 (including himself in the hand and stomach) wounded, the Danish man-of-war brig Lougen, of 20 18-pounder guns and 160 men. In consideration of the injury he sustained on the occasion he was voted by the Patriotic Society a sum of 15 guineas. In Nov. of the same year, after he had been for six months borne as a Supernumerary on the books of the Texel 64 and Royal William, flag-ships of Admirals Vashon and Montagu at Leith and Spithead, he became Midshipman of the Dotterel sloop, successively commanded, on the Channel and Lisbon stations, by Capts. Anthony Abdy, Thos. Goldwire Muston, John Smith Cowan, A. Abdy, Thos. Hanloke, and Wm. Westcott Daniel. In that vessel, in 1809, he witnessed the destruction of three heavy French frigates under the batteries of Sable d’Olonne, and also of the shipping in Basque Roads. Quitting her in Dec. 1811 he served during the next three years off the Western Islands and in the West Indies on board the Pique 36, Capt. Hon. Anthony Maitland. On his return to England in the spring of 1815 in the Palma 38, Capt. Jas. Andrew Worth, he was received first on board the Prince 98, flag-ship of Sir Edw. Thornbrough at Portsmouth, and then on board the Boyne 98, flagship of Lord Exmouth in the Mediterranean; where, on following that nobleman, as Master’s Mate, into the Queen Charlotte 100, he was afforded an opportunity of assisting in the bombardment of Algiers 27 Aug. 1816; for his conduct on which occasion, particularly in steering the explosion vessel under the lighthouse battery, he was rewarded with a commission bearing date 17 Sept. in the same year. His last appointments were – 4 Oct. 1817, for a few months, to the Cadmus 10, Capt. John Gedge, on the Yarmouth station – and, 8 Dec. 1821, as Senior-Lieutenant, to the Redwing 18, Capt. Hon. Geo. Rolle Walpole Trefusis, with whom, until superseded at his own request in March, 1814, he served off Milford, made a voyage to the Havana, and was employed off Jersey and Yarmouth. Lieut. Parker married 3 Dec. 1827, and has issue one daughter.