A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Roberts, John
ROBERTS. (Lieut., 1816. f-p., 11; h-p., 28.)
John Roberts entered the Navy, 8 May, 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Invincible 74, Capts. Ross Donnelly and John Hollinworth, the latter of whom he followed as Midshipman into the Resistance 36, commanded afterwards by Capts. Philip L. J. Rosenhagen and Chas. Hole. In the Invincible he served in the North Sea and at the blockade of Toulon; and in both ships he took an active part in the defence of Cadiz, where he came into frequent contact with the enemy’s batteries and witnessed the siege, by the French, of Fort Matagorda. After he had been for a while employed with Capt. Hole in the Badger 10, he returned to England in the Resistance under the command of Capt. Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew. He served subsequently in the Devonshire 74, Capt. Ross Donnelly, fitting at Sheerness – Jason 32, Capt. Hon. Jas. Wm. King, flag-ship for some time of H.R.H. the Duke of Clarence, under whom, we believe, he escorted Louis XVIII. to the coast of France – Centaur 74, Capt. Thos. Gordon Caulfeild, in which ship he made a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope – Eridanus 36, Capt. Wm. Paterson, lying at Plymouth – and Minden 74, fitting for the flag of Sir Rich. King, Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, previously to proceeding whither he fought under the officer last mentioned as Admiralty-Midshipman (a rating he had filled on board the Eridanus) at the battle of Algiers. For his conduct on the occasion he was promoted, 16 Sept. 1816, to the rank of Lieutenant. His last appointments were, in June, 1817, and Feb. 1819, to the Orlando 36 and Malabar 74, both commanded by Capt. John Clavell on the East India station, whence he returned in Oct. 1819. The Lieutenant is now Postmaster at Chesterfield.