A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Parker, William George
PARKER, Bart. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 14; h-p., 39.)
Sir William George Parker was born 19 Aug. 1787, and died 24 March, 1848, at Plymouth. He was eldest son of the late Vice-Admiral Sir Wm. Parker, Bart.,[1] by Jane, eldest daughter of Edw. Collingwood, Esq., of Greenwich. One of his sisters, Jane, married the late Capt. Geo. Cook, R.N.; a second, Sarah, the late Rear-Admiral Joseph Bingham; a third, Susannah, the late Capt. Wm. Hawkwell Bowen, R.N.; and a fourth, Mary, Colonel Peter Roberton. Sir W. G. Parker was uncle of the present Commander Parker Duckworth Bingham, R.N., and also of Lieut. A. F. J. Bowen.
This officer entered the Navy, in Oct. 1794, on board the Raisonnable 64, Capt. Rich. Parker, fitting for the flag of his father, Rear-Admiral Wm. Parker; with whom, in Feb. 1795, he sailed for the West Indies, and in July, 1796, returned to England in the Swiftsure 74. Rejoining the Rear-Admiral, in the following Dec., on board the Prince George 98, he fought with him in the action off Cape St. Vincent 14 Feb. 1797; shortly after which event he left the Prince George. He rejoined her, however, in Oct. 1798; and after serving for a time with his father off Cadiz, and with him in the America 74 at Halifax, was received on board the Boston 32, Capt. John Erskine Douglas. On 10 Oct. and 9 Nov. 1802 he was successively nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Cumberland and Leviathan 74’s, Capts. Wm. Henry Bayntun and Rich. Dalling Dunn; to the latter of which ships, bearing the flag of Sir John Thos. Duckworth at Jamaica, he was confirmed 2 Feb. 1803. His succeeding appointments were – 2 April, 1803, to the De Ruyter 68, Capt. Volant Vasnon Ballard, cruizing in the Atlantic – 14 Oct. following and 25 Jan. 1805, to L’Aimable and La Renommée frigates, Capts. Wm. Bolton and Sir Thos. Livingstone, employed off Flushing and Boulogne, and in the Mediterranean – 25 Nov. 1806, to the Royal George 100, flag-ship of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, whom he accompanied in the expedition to the Dardanells – and, 1 May, 1810, after two years of half-pay, to the Antelope 50, as Flag-Lieutenant to the same officer at Newfoundland. While attached to La Renommée, Sir Wm. Parker assisted at the capture, 4 April, 1806, under the fire of Fort Callaretes, of the Vigilante Spanish brig-of-war, of 18 guns and 109 men. He next, on 4 of the ensuing May, with the boats of the same ship and of the Nautilus 18 under his orders, boarded, carried, and brought out from under the fire of the guns of the town and Torre de Vieja, and also from under the fire of more than 100 musketeers, the Spanish schooner Giffanta, of 9 guns and 38 men. “When it is considered,” says the official report of his Captain, addressed to Lord Collingwood, “that this schooner was moored with a chain within half-pistol shot of the shore, that she had boarding nettings up, and was in every way prepared to receive our boats, as were also the batteries and musketeers, too much praise cannot be given to the officers and men employed; and I am confident their conduct will meet your Lordship’s approbation.”[2] On the night of 21 Oct. following the boats of La Rénomée, under the direction of Sir Wm. Parker, entered the port of Colon, in the island of Majorca, and, in the face of a fire from the vessels lying there, and of one from the town of Falconara, gallantly hoarded and took a Spanish tartan, mounting 4 guns, and two settees, deeply laden with grain, one of them armed. The latter were with great difficulty brought out; but the tartan, having got on shore, was set fire to and destroyed. In the execution of this enterprise the British had only one man wounded. During the ensuing night Sir Wm. Parker brought off, from under the guns of Falconara, a settee, carrying 2 guns. On the occasion he was much annoyed by a fire of musketry from behind the bushes, which wounded one of his men; and in order to put a stop to the mischief he landed with a few sailors and marines, killed 1 Spaniard, and drove away the remainder.[3] Being awarded a second promotal commission dated 29 Nov. 1810, he succeeded, 1 Feb. 1812 and 21 May, 1813, in obtaining command of the Rinaldo 10 and Fly 16. In the former vessel he contributed, 4 May, 1812 (in a manner that procured him the official thanks of the Senior officer present, Capt. A. Cunningham, of the Bermuda sloop), to the capture, under the fire of a battery near Boulogne, of the Apelles brig-of-war;[4] and in the Fly he made a voyage to Brazil. He acquired Post-rank 6 June, 1814; and accepted the Retirement 1 Oct. 1846.
Sir Wm. Geo. Parker married, 29 Aug. 1808, Elizabeth, daughter of Jas. Chas. Still, Esq., of East Knoyle, Wilts, and has left a large family.
- ↑ Sir Wm. Parker was born in Kent in 1743. Prior to 1778, in which year he was advanced to Post-rank, he served, we believe, under Lord Shuldham and Admiral Byron. During the war with America he commanded the Deal Castle, Maidstone, and Iphigenia frigates; as he subsequently did the Dictator 64, Jupiter 50, Formidable 98, and Audacious 74. In the Jupiter he was for three years Commodore and Commander-in-Chief on the Leeward Island station; and in the Audacious he distinguished himself by the gallant manner in which, during Lord Howe’s action of 28 May, 1794, he defeated the French 110-gun ship Révolutionnaire after a close and furious engagement of nearly two hours. As a reward for his valour he was presented, in the course of the same year, with a gold medal, was promoted to Flag-rank, and appointed Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica. Being subsequently sent to reinforce the fleet under Sir John Jervis. he fought with that officer in the action off Cape St. Vincent 14 Feb. 1797; and in acknowledgment of his services on the occasion, was raised, 24 June following, to the dignity of a Baronet, besides being presented by the King with a gold medal and chain, and by the City of London with its freedom in a gold box. His last appointment was on the Halifax station, where he commanded in chief from March 1800 until some time in the following year. He died of apoplexy at Ham, near Richmond, co. Surrey, 31 Dec. 1802.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1806, p. 828.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1806, p. 1558.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1812, p. 853.