A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Pearson, Charles (a)
PEARSON. (Retired Commander, 1846. f-p., 12; h-p., 34.)
Charles Pearson is brother of Lieut.-General Sir Thos. Pearson, Kt., C.B., K.C.H., Colonel of the 85th Regt.; another brother, George, who had been severely wounded in the Bellerophon at Trafalgar, and had been subsequently employed under Sir Sam. Hood, died a Lieutenant in India towards the close of the war.
This officer entered the Navy, about Feb. 1801, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the St. George 98, Capts. Thos. Masterman Hardy and Wm. Grenville Lobb; in which ship, bearing at first the flag of Lord Nelson, he served in the Baltic, off Cadiz, and in the West Indies, until July, 1802. Joining next, in Aug. 1803, the Spencer 74, Capt. Hon. Robt. Stopford, he fought and was wounded in the action off St. Domingo 6 Feb. 1806, and in 1807 accompanied the expedition against Copenhagen, where, during an attack upon the in-shore squadron, the boat he commanded was sunk. In consideration of the wound he received at St. Domingo, Mr. Pearson was presented with a grant from the Patriotic Fund. On 21 May, 1808, a short time after he had been removed to the Victory 100, flag-ship in the Baltic of Sir Jas. Saumarez, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Thunder bomb, Capt. Jas. Caulfeild; under whom we find him, 9 June following, present (while in charge of a homeward-bound convoy, and in company with the Charger, Piercer, and Turbulent gun-brigs, the latter of which was captured) in a very severe running action of four hours with 25 Danish gun-boats off the island of Saltholm. Being confirmed a Lieutenant, 8 Nov. in the same year, in the Orion 74, Capt. Sir Arch. Dickson, he sailed in the year following with the armament destined to act against Flushing, during the operations against which place he was intrusted with the charge of an armed brig. In Sept. 1809, on the application of Rear-Admiral Stopford, he was appointed to that officer’s flagship, the Scipion 74; and in Jan. 1812, after having co-operated in the reduction of Java, he was selected to officiate as his Flag-Lieutenant; a post which, on the eve of the Scipion’s return from the Cape of Good Hope to England, he was induced by the Admiral to resign for the purpose of effecting the advancement of a near connexion of the latter, a Midshipman, but upon the understanding that it was not to interfere with his promotion on the flag being hauled down. He was doomed, however, to disappointment. He served from 1813 to 1815 in the President 38, Capts. Sam. Warren, Fras. Mason, and Arch. Duff; and has since been on half-pay. Under Capt. Mason he was employed on shore in the batteries at the siege of St. Sebastian. He accepted his present rank 27 Jan. 1846.
Commander Pearson married, in 1831, a niece of Col. Knight, of Coolrass, co. Limerick, and has issue three children. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.