A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Richardson, William
RICHARDSON, K.I.C. (Captain, 1838. f-p., 24;[1] h-p., 27.)
William Richardson is nephew of the late Rear-Admiral Rich. Raggett; and only brother of Capt. John Geo. Richardson, R.M. (1831).
This officer, who had served as Midshipman on board the Alfred 74, Capt. John Bazeley, in Lord Howe’s action, 1 June, 1794, joined, 6 Nov. 1796, the Prince George 98, Capt. John Irwin, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Wm. Parker, under whom he fought in the action off Cape St. Vincent, 14 Feb. 1797. He left the St. George in the ensuing Sept.; and during the next six years was employed off Cadiz, and in the Channel, West Indies, and Mediterranean, principally with the rating of Midshipman, in the Boston 32, Capt. John Irwin, Formidable 98, Queen Charlotte 100, and Barfleur and Téméraire 98’s, flag-ships of Admirals Sir Chas. Thompson and Jas. Hawkins Whitshed, Calcutta 50, Capt. Dan. Woodriff, and Dreadnought 98 and Victory 100, bearing the flags of Hon. Wm. Cornwallis and Lord Nelson. By the latter nobleman he was nominated, 5 Oct. 1803, Acting-Lieutenant of the Termagant sloop, Capt. Robt. Pettet. He was confirmed to that vessel 30 April, 1804. He joined next, 15 May, 1807, the Goshawk sloop, Capt. Alex. Innes, part of the force employed in the expedition to Copenhagen; and was subsequently appointed, in the capacity of First-Lieutenant – 27 May, 1808, 1 Aug. and 18 Dec. 1811, and 2 Oct. 1812, to the Bombay, Rodney, and America 74’s, and Menelaus 38, Capts. Wm. Cuming, Edw. Durnford King, Sir Josias Rowley, and Sir Peter Parker, all in the Mediterranean, where he came into frequent contact with the enemy’s squadron and batteries in the neighbourhood of Toulon – 12 June, 1813 (having left the Menelaus in the preceding Dec), to the Medusa 32, Capt. Geo. Bell, attached to the force in the Channel – 5 Feb. 1814, to the York 74, Capt. Alex. Wilmot Schomberg, with whom he made a voyage to Quebec – and (after five months of half-pay, caused by ill health) 17 June and 18 Aug. 1815, to the Caledonia 120, flagship of Sir Graham Moore, and Rochfort 80, Capt. Sir Arch. Collingwood Dickson, both on the Home station. On 19 May, 1812, he commanded with credit the boats of the America, Leviathan 74, and Éclair sloop, at the capture of 16 and the destruction of two deeply-laden vessels, which had taken shelter under the town and batteries of Languelia, on the coast of Italy, and had been secured by various contrivances to the houses and beach – an exploit that occasioned the British a loss of 16 men killed and 20 wounded.[2] Three months after the paying off of the Rochfort Mr. Richardson, who had for nine years filled the post of First-Lieutenant in different ships, was advanced, 7 Dec. 1818, to the rank of Commander. He was afterwards employed, from 12 May, 1827, until May, 1828, as Second-Captain, in the Windsor Castle 74, Capt. E. D. King, under whom he brought troops home from Lisbon – and from 14 April, 1835, until the close of 1838, in command of the Clio 16. For services performed in the latter vessel (in which he also visited the shores of Africa) on the coasts of Catalonia and Valencia, during the civil war in Spain, he was promoted, 28 June, 1838, to Post-rank, and created by Maria Christina, the Queen-Regent, a Knight of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, the insignia whereof he was permitted by his own sovereign to accept and wear. Since the Clio was put out of commission he has not been afloat.
Capt. Richardson is Honorary Secretary to the Naval Benevolent Society, and has on several occasions received a vote of thanks from the Board of Directors. He married, in 1816, a niece of Vice- Admiral Geo. M‘Kinley, and has issue a daughter and two sons – the one, Rich. M‘Kinley Richardson, a Lieutenant R.N. – the other, C. Richardson, a Clerk in the Admiralty at Somerset House. Agent – J. Hinxman.