A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Seale, Charles Henry
SEALE. (Captain, 1841. f-p., 21; h-p., 26.)
Charles Henry Seale, born in Sept. 1790, at Boone House, Dartmouth, is second and youngest son of the late John Seale, Esq., by Sarah, daughter of Chas. Hayne, Esq., of Lupton; and brother of the late Sir John Henry Seale, Bart., M.P. for Dartmouth, and Lieut.-Colonel of the South Devon Militia.
This officer entered the Navy, 11 Jan. 1800, as a Volunteer, on board the Cambrian 40, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge, employed, until Jan. 1802, in the Channel and in attendance upon George III. off Weymouth. He then joined the Achille 74, Capt. Sir Edw. Buller, stationed off Rochefort; and after serving for one year and nine months at Newfoundland and in the North Sea, the chief part of the time as Midshipman and Master’s Mate in the Galgo 16, Capt. Michael Dodd, and Unicorn 32, Capt. Lucius Ferdinand Hardyman, was received, in April, 1804, on board the Scorpion 18, Capt. Philip Carteret. While in that sloop he commanded one of her boats at the destruction of some vessels in the harbour of Schiermonikoog, on the coast of Holland, was again in the boats at the taking of a fort and privateer, near La Guira, on the Spanish Main, and, after chasing the French fleet under M. Willaumez, witnessed, 14 Sept. 1806, the destruction, off Cape Henry, of the 74-gun ship Impétueux. Removing, in July, 1807, to the Comus, mounting 24 long 9-pounders and 8 3-pounder carronades, with a complement of 145 men, Capt. Edm. Heywood, he assisted, in the following month, immediately prior to the attack upon Copenhagen, at the capture of the Danish frigate Frederickscoarn, carrying 32 12 and 6 pounders, 6 12-pounder carronades, and 226 men, after a close action of 45 minutes, attended with a loss to the enemy of 12 killed and 20 wounded, but to the British of only 1 wounded. Having navigated the prize to the British fleet before Copenhagen, and witnessed the fall of the Danish capital, he followed Capt. Heywood, in Nov. 1807, into the Astraea 32, and sailed for the West Indies; where, under the command of Lieut. Edm. Potenger Greenlaw, he was wrecked on the rocks near the island of Anagada 24 May 1808. He then joined the Subtle, Lieut.-Commander Chas. Brown, and Neptune 98, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane; and in March, 1809, was nominated Acting-Senior-Lieutenant of the Star 20, Capts. Wm. Paterson, John Hendrie, and Jas. Kearny White. Continuing in the latter vessel (to which he was confirmed 15 July, 1809), until paid off in Dec. 1811, he was afforded an opportunity of aiding at the reduction of the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe and their dependencies. His succeeding appointments were – 25 Aug. 1812, to the Warspite 74, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood, in the Channel – in May, 1813, to the command, for 13 months, of gun-boat No. 3, on the river Elbe, where he took part in the operations connected with the capture of Cuxhaven, Glückstadt,[1] and Hamburgh, and was slightly wounded in the left arm – 12 May, 1815, to the York 74, Capt. Alex. Wilmot Schomberg, stationed off the coast of France for the interception of Napoleon Buonaparte – 27 Jan. 1816, as First, after four months of half-pay, to tile Cyrus 20, Capt. Wm. Fairbrother Carroll, with whom he served on the coast of Ireland until sent, in March, 1817, to the hospital from ill health – and 8 June, 1824, to the Ramillies, Coast Blockade ship, Capt. Wm. M‘Culloch. During the illness, which proved fatal, of the latter officer, Mr. Seale, as First-Lieutenant, had charge of the whole Coast Blockade. He was in consequence promoted to the rank o Commander 8 June, 1826. His last appointments were – 8 Aug. 1837, as Second-Captain, to the San Josef 110, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Fred. Warren, Admiral-Superintendent at Plymouth, where he remained three years – and, 30 Aug. 1841, to the Serpent 16, from which vessel, fitting at Chatham, he was superseded on being advanced, 23 Nov. following, to Post-rank.
Capt. Scale married, 23 July, 1827, Eliza, fourth daughter of Sir Wm. Jervis Twysden, of Roydon Hall, co. Kent, by whom he has issue a son and daughter.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1814, p. 127.