A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Sewell, Henry Frederick
SEWELL. (Lieut., 1810. f-p., 23; h-p., 21.)
Henry Frederick Sewell, born 19 Dec. 1790, is third son of the late Robt. Sewell, Esq., of Oak End Lodge, Bucks, Attorney-General at Jamaica; and grandson of the late Sir Thos. Sewell, Kt., Master of the Rolls.
This officer entered the Royal Naval Academy 16 Sept. 1803; and embarked, 7 March, 1807, as Midshipman, on board the Africaine 38, Capt. Rich. Raggett. In that frigate he accompanied the expedition to Copenhagen, witnessed the surrender of Madeira, brought home a General (whose life he had saved when attacked by a Portuguese mob), after the Convention of Cintra, and conveyed the future King of the French to Malta. After serving for 12 months with Capt. John Poo Beresford in the Theseus and Poictiers 74’s (the former employed in the attack upon Walcheren), he again, in June, 1810, joined the Africaine, then commanded by Capt. Robt. Corbett; with whom he sailed for the East Indies. On his passage out he took part in a very gallant although unsuccessful attempt made, 11 Sept. 1810, by two boats under Lieut. Geo. Forder, to capture a schooner near the Isle of France; on which occasion the British sustained a loss of 2 men killed, and 16, including himself severely, wounded. Three days subsequently to this event the Africaine came to close action with the French frigates Iphigénie and Astrée, carrying between them 86 guns and 618 men, and, after a brave but unequal contest of two hours and a half, in which she endured a loss of 49 men killed and 114 (including her Captain mortally) wounded, and occasioned the enemy one of 10 killed and 35 wounded, was compelled to strike her colours. Being, however, retaken a few hours afterwards, Mr. Sewell continued to serve in her under the flag of Vice-Admiral Albemarle Bertie until the following Oct.; in the course of which and of the following month he joined the Russell 74 and Phaeton 38, flag-ships of Rear-Admiral Wm. O’Brien Drury. He attained the rank of Lieutenant 10 Dec. in the same year; returned in 1811 to England in the Diomede 50, Capt. Hugh Cook; and between July, 1812, and June, 1815, was employed on the Home and Brazilian stations in the Diomede 50, Capt. Hugh Cook, Cornwall 74, Capt. John Broughton, Inconstant 36, Capt. Sir Edw. Tucker, Valiant 74, Capt. Zachary Mudge, and Duncan 74, flag-ship of Sir John Poo Beresford. Since 30 March, 1835, he has been in charge of a station in the Coast Guard. On 9 Dec. in that year he captured a smuggling smack, crew, and cargo; on 9 Nov. 1840 he was presented with a gold medal from the Royal National Shipwreck Institution for having saved the lives of the crew of the smack 'Sarah', wrecked, 21 Sept. preceding, on St. John’s Point, co. Down; and on 9 Oct. 1846 he was instrumental, by Dennett’s Rockets, in saving the lives of the passengers and crew of the ship Templeman, wrecked off Kilmore.
Lieut. Sewell married Esther, eighth daughter of the late John Dawsnn, Esq., of Mossley Hill, near Liverpool, and sister-in-law of Vice-Admiral W. H. B. Tremlett. By that lady he has issue three sons and one daughter. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.