A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Paynter, Charles
PAYNTER. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 12; h-p., 32.)
Charles Paynter, born in Jan. 1791, is second son of the late Chas. Paynter, Esq., of Penzance, co. Cornwall, himself the son of Fras. Paynter, Esq., of Boskenna, near that place. An heiress of the house of Paynter, Margaret Paynter, of Trelissick, became the wife of John Hearle, Esq., and was the mother of three daughters, co-heiresses, who allied themselves to families of eminence, one espousing Commissioner Wallis, the circumnavigator, another Henry Hawkins Tremayne, Esq., of Heligan, and the third Col. Fras. Rodd, of Trebartha. Lieut. Paynter is cousin of Commander John Pender Paynter, R.N.; and a distant relation of Capt. Wm. Pender Roberts, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 12 July, 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the San Josef 110, Capts. John Tremayne Rodd and Tristram Robt. Ricketts, bearing the flag in the Channel of Sir Chas. Cotton. On leaving that ship, of which he had been nominated Midshipman in Oct. 1803, he was again, in Jan. 1806, placed under the orders of Capt. BRdd on board the Indefatigable 44, commanded afterwards by Capt. Hen. Edw. Reginald Baker. Uniting, 15 July following, with the boats of a squadron under Sir Sam. Hood, he assisted at the cutting-out, in face of a desperate and well-concerted resistance, at the entrance of the river Gironde, of the French corvette Le César, mounting 16 guns, with a complement of 86 men, who, with a loss to themselves of 14 killed and wounded, occasioned one to the British of 9 killed and 39 wounded. In April, 1809, we find the Indefatigable forming part of the force employed in Lord Cochrane’s operations against the French fleet in Aix Roads, where, on 12 of that month, she was for upwards of 10 hours exposed to the fire of the enemy’s batteries, and was for 50 minutes engaged in close action with La Ville de Varsovie of 80 guns, which ship, during the preceding night, had run on shore. The only injury sustained by the Indefatigable on the occasion was the loss of her maintopmast. On 15 Jan. 1810, having been placed in charge of a schooner captured on the coast of Spain, Mr. Paynter had the misfortune to be wrecked on the Penmarck rocks and taken prisoner. The hardships he at first experienced were such as to throw him on a bed of sickness. In the course of time, however, he recovered; but it was not until the month of Dec. 1813 that he was restored to liberty. He then, having effected his escape, made the best of his way to Holland, whence he embarked for England. On his arrival in Feb. 1814 he was ordered on board the Prince 98, flag-ship of Sir Rich. Bickerton at Portsmouth, where, in the course of the following month, he passed his examination. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 27 June in the same year; and was lastly, from the ensuing Nov. until paid off in Sept. 1815, employed with Capt. J. T. Rodd on board the Warrior 74. During the passage home of that ship from the West Indies, in the summer of the latter year, she was caught in a violent hurricane, was totally dismasted, received 11 feet water in her hold, and all but foundered.