A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Percy, William Henry
PERCY. (Rear-Admiral, 1846. f-p., 11; h-p., 35.)
The Honourable William Henry Percy was born 24 March, 1788. He is a younger brother of Rear-Admiral Hon. Josceline Percy, C.B.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 May, 1801, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Lion 64, Capt. Henry Mitford, and on his return from a voyage with convoy to Canton; became Midshipman, in Nov. 1802, of the Medusa 32, Capt. John Gore. In that ship, after participating in the service mentioned in the note attached to our memoir of his brother, he sailed with the Marquis Cornwallis for India, and returned from the Ganges to the Lizard, a distance of 13,831 miles, in the surprisingly short period of 84 days. After serving for some months on the Home station in the Tribune 36, Capts. Rich. Henry Alex. Bennett and Thos. Baker, Royal William flag-ship of Admiral Geo. Montagu, and Fame 74, Capt. R. H. A. Bennett, he was made Lieutenant, 6 July, 1807, into the Décade frigate, Capt. John Stuart, on the coast of Ireland. His next appointment was, 15 Nov. 1809, to the Hibernia 110, Capt. Robt. Jenner Neve, in the Mediterranean. Being advanced to the rank of Commander, 2 May, 1810, Capt. Percy, from 28 Dec. following until Posted 21 March, 1812, served in that capacity in the Mermaid 28, armée en flûte, employed in the conveyance of troops to Portugal and Spain. His only other appointment appears to have been, 4 April, 1814, to the Hermes 20, which vessel, after 25 of her men had been killed and 24 wounded in an unsuccessful attack upon Fort Bowyer, Mobile, was set on fire and destroyed to prevent her falling into the hands of the Americans, 15 Sept. in the same year. Capt. Percy had under his orders at the time, besides his own ship, the Carron [errata 1] 20, and Sophie and Childers of 18 guns each. Of all blame in the loss of the Hermes he was by Court-martial honourably acquitted 18 Jan. 1815. On 9 March following he arrived at the Admiralty, with despatches from Sir Alex. Cochrane, reporting the defeat of the British army before New Orleans. He accepted his present rank 1 Oct. 1846.
Rear-Admiral Percy has been for some years a Commissioner of Excise. He sat in Parliament as Member for Stamford, co. Lincoln.