A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Rogers, Robert Henley
ROGERS. (Captain, 1816. f-p., 17; h-p., 34.)
Robert Henley Rogers, born in Aug. 1783, at Blachford House, near Plymouth, is third son of the late Sir Fred. Leman Rogers, Bart., M.P. for, and Recorder of, Plymouth, by Miss Jane Lillicrap; and grandson of Sir Fred. Rogers, Bart., Capt. R.N., Commissioner of the Dockyard at Plymouth, and also Recorder of that borough, who married the widow of Vice-Admiral Durell, and died in 1772. He is brother of the present Sir John Leman Rogers, Bart., of Fred. Leman Rogers, Esq., Chief Inspector of the Audit Office, Somerset House, and of Colonel Wm. Cooper Rogers, late of the 2nd Dragoon Guards. His eldest sister, Mary, married the late Colonel Templer, of the 10th Dragoons; and his youngest, Harriet, widow of the Rev. Rich. Strode, of Newnham Park, co. Devon, married a second time Lleut.-General Sir Chas. Phillips, of Lyndhurst, co. Hants. His great-grandfather, and his granduncle, the second and third Baronets (the former of whom married a daughter of Sir Robt. Henley, of the Grange, co. Southampton), both represented Plymouth in Parliament.
This officer entered the Navy, in the spring of 1796, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Concorde 36, Capt. Anthony Hunt, whom he followed, in Aug. of the same year, inta La Virginie 38. After cruizing on the Irish and Baltic stations, he sailed for the East Indies, where, from Sept. 1798 until his return to England in April, 1803, he served on board the Suffolk and Victorious 74’s, flag-ships of Vice- Admiral Peter Rainier, and Orpheus 32, commanded by the late Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming. Of the latter ship he was confirmed a Lieutenant, after having acted for more than 13 months in that capacity, 4 Feb. 1803. His succeeding appointments were – 14 May, 1803, to the Impétueux 74, Capt. Thos. Byam Martin, attached to the Channel fleet – 21 Feb. 1805, to the Drake 16, Capt. Drury, with whom he proceeded to the West Indies – 23 May and 2 Dec. following, to the Penguin sloop, Capt. Geo. Morris, and Hercule 74, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Jas. Rich. Dacres, on the same station – 18 June, 1806, to the Veteran 64, as Signal-Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral Dacres – 14 Sept. 1807, to the acting-command of the Hunter sloop – 4 March, 1808, as before, to the Veteran – and 17 June, 1809, as Senior (after 10 months of half-pay) to the Rhin 38, Capt. Chas. Malcolm. For his active services in the last-mentioned ship in the Channel and on the north coast of Spain he was promoted, 1 Feb. 1812, to the rank of Commander. His last appointment was to the Dover troop-ship, the command of which he retained from 30 July, 1814, until 6 Aug. 1816. During that period, besides visiting the West Indies and Baltic, he accompanied the expedition against New Orleans, where he served on shore in the breaching batteries and in command of a division of seamen, and was particularly noticed for his exertions by the present Sir Edw. Thos. Troubridge.[1] He attained the rank of Captain 2 Sept. 1816; and accepted the Retirement 1 Oct. 1846. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1815, p. 451.