A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Purchas, William Jardine
PURCHAS. (Capt., 1828. f-p., 17; h-p., 27.)
William Jardine Purchas, born in 1788, at Cambridge, is second and youngest son of John Purchas, Esq., of that place, by Elizabeth Sharpe, daughter of a clergyman in co. Suffolk; and brother of Capt. John Purchas, who served as a Subaltern of H.M.’s 20th Regt. at the battle of Maida, commanded a company of the 76th during the Peninsular war, and fell before Plattsburg, on Lake Champlain, towards the close of the late contest between Great Britain and America.
This officer entered the Navy, 7 Nov. 1803 (under the auspices of Admiral Sir Henry Trollope), as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Hero 74, Capts. Hon. Alan Hyde Gardner and John Poo Beresford; as Midshipman of which ship we find him present in Sir Robt. Calder and Sir Rich. Strachan’s actions, 22 July and 4 Nov. 1805, and at the capture, 13 March, 1806, of the Marengo 80, bearing the flag of Admiral Linois, and 40-gun frigate Belle Poule. In June, 1807, he removed to the Ville de Paris 110, flag-ship of Lord Gardner in the Channel; and in June, 1808, he was again placed under the orders of his first Captain, whose flag was flying in the North Sea on board the Bellerophon 74. For his conduct as Senior Midshipman in the boats of that and other ships at the brilliant capture, 7 July, 1809 [errata 1], of the six Russian gun-boats mentioned in our history of the services of Capt. Chas. Allen, he was promoted, as soon as he had passed his examination, to a Lieutenancy, 9 Dec. in the same year, in the Erebus sloop, Capts. Wm. Autridge, Geo. Brine, and Henry Jas. Lyford, on the Baltic station. Independently of the affair last mentioned, Mr. Purchas appears, during his servitude in the Bellerophon, to have acted a part in many affairs of a cutting-out description. His appointments after he left the Erebus were – 13 Oct. 1813, to the Carnation 18, Capt. Geo. Bentham, on the Jamaica station, whence he returned in June, 1815 – 25 March, 1817, to the Alert sloop, Capt. John Smith, in the North Sea – and 5 Sept. following to the Scamander 42, Capt. Wm. Elliott, in the Leeward Islands. Being advanced, shortly after the paying off of the Scamander, to the rank of Commander, 7 Dec. 1818, Capt. Purchas was in that capacity appointed, 9 Sept. 1824, to the Esk 20, fitting for the coast of Africa, where, between 17 July, 1825, and 8 Feb. 1827, he succeeded in capturing nine Brazilian, Dutch, and Spanish vessels, carrying in the whole 2249 slaves. He subsequently assisted in completing the establishment at Fernando Po; conveyed stock from St. Helena to Ascension; and brought home a quantity of gold-dust and ivory, with which he arrived at Spithead 1 May, 1828. In consideration of the representation made by the present Sir Fras. Aug. Collier, then Commodore of the squadron employed on the coast of Africa, that the Esk had captured more slaves than any other vessel of her class, and had invalided and lost fewer men having only buried 4 in three years – Capt. Purchas was awarded a Post commission bearing date 16 of the same month. May, 1828. He has since been on half-pay.
Capt. Purchas is a Magistrate for the borough and county of Cambridge. He married, 18 Aug. 1820, Jane, youngest daughter of the late Wm. Hills, Esq., of Chancery Lane, London.