A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Pryce, Henry
PRYCE. (Commander, 1821.)
Henry Pryce was born 23 June, 1786. He is one of six brothers who were devoted to the service of their country.
This officer entered the Navy, 20 May, 1796, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the London 98, Capt. Edw. Griffith, bearing the flag of Sir John Colpoys on the Home station, where he removed, in 1799, to the Pompée 74 and Neptune 98, both commanded by Capt. Jas. Vashon, and continued employed as Midshipman until Jan. 1801. Joining shortly afterwards the Fortunée 36, Capts. Lord Amelius Beauclerk and John Ferrier, he was on board that frigate in 1802 when she was cast away on the Haak Sand at the entrance of the Texel. After serving for about 12 months in the Révolutionnaire frigate, Capt. Walter Locke, and Hercule 74, flag-ship of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, under whom he took part in the unfortunate attack upon Curaçoa, and shared in a variety of cutting-out affairs, he was nominated, as a reward for his exertions during a hurricane, Acting-Lieutenant, 17 Aug. 1804, of the Port Mahon 18, Capt. Sam. Chambers. He was confirmed, 15 April, 1805, into the Fairy 18, Capt. Geo. Adey Creyke, then on the eve of her passage home from the West Indies; and was subsequently appointed – 24 Oct. 1805, to the Amethyst 36, Capts. John Wm. Spranger and Michael Seymour, on the Irish station – 7 Jan. 1809, as First-Lieutenant (after four months of half-pay), to the Nymphen 36, Capts. Keith Maxwell and John Hancock, in which ship he accompanied the expedition to the Walcheren (where he assisted in forcing the passage between the batteries of Flushing and Cadsand), and was for upwards of four years and a-half employed in the North Sea – 11 Sept. 1813, in a similar capacity, to the Centaur 74, Capts. John Chambers White and Thos. Gordon Caulfeild, under the former of whom (prior to sailing for North America and the Cape of Good Hope) he landed at the head of a party of seamen, and aided, in April, 1814, in destroying the enemy’s batteries on the right bank of the Garonne – 2 Dec. 1815, again as Senior, to the Spencer 74, Capt. Wm. Robt. Broughton, lying at Plymouth, where he remained until July, 1816 – and, 30 Nov. and 7 Dec. 1818, to the Tonnant 80 and Windsor Castle 74, both commanded by Capt. T. G. Caulfeild on the Home station. He continued in the Windsor Castle, as First-Lieutenant, until promoted to the rank of Commander on the occasion of the coronation of George IV., 19 July, 1821. Since that period he has been at times employed in the Rendezvous service at Liverpool, North and South Shields, Newcastle, Newport, and Bristol, and has raised nearly 5000 men for the fleet.
During the late hostilities in Portugal Commander Pryce, who has commanded two 50-gun frigates, and holds a commission as Captain of a line-of-battle ship in the Portuguese service, fitted out an expedition for the Queen of Portugal, and received from Don Pedro the decoration of the Tower and Sword. He has also had command of some of the finest Indiamen out of the port of London. He married, 11 May, 1816, Eliza Lawrence, daughter of Robt. Keys, Esq., of Southampton, and has issue seven sons and three daughters. Agent – Frederick Dufaur.