A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Shephard, William
SHEPHARD. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 10; h-p., 32.)
William Shephard was born 8 Sept. 1783.
This officer entered the Navy, 13 Oct. 1805, as Clerk, on board the Diligence 16, Capt. Thos. Holmes Tidy; and in the course of the same year was present in the rocket attack made by Sir Wm. Sidney Smith on the Boulogne flotilla. He proceeded afterwards to the Baltic, where, and in the Downs and North Sea, he served from June, 1807, until May, 1810, as A.B., Quartermaster’s Mate, Midshipman, and Master’s Mate, in the Pandora 18, Capt. Henry Hume Spence. In Aug. and Sept. 1807 he was employed in the operations against Copenhagen; and on 13 Jan. 1808 he contributed to the capture, under the batteries of Cape Gris-Nez, of the French privateer lugger Entreprenant, of 16 guns and 53 men. The crew of that vessel being afflicted with ophthalmia, the disease was communicated to Mr. Shephard, who in consequence totally lost the sight of his right eye. In 1809 he was present in the expedition to the Walcheren. After serving for two years with Capt. Wm. Kent as Master’s Mate in the Agincourt 64, on the Lisbon station, he followed that officer, in June, 1812, in a similar capacity, into the Union 98, commanded afterwards by Capt. Robt. Rolles. He was afforded an opportunity thus of assisting at the destruction, in June, 1813, of the fort of St. Philippe, in the Col de Balaguer, armed with 12 pieces of ordnance including 2 10-inoh mortars and 2 howitzers, with a garrison of 101 officers and men; of participating in Sir Edw. Pellew’s partial engagements with the Toulon fleet 5 Nov. 1813 and 13 Feb. 1814; and of witnessing the fall of Genoa. In Oct. 1814, three months after he had left the Union, he joined, again as Master’s Mate, the Achates 18, Capt. Thos. Lamb Polden Langhame, employed in the Bay of Biscay. Since the receipt of his commission, which bears date 8 Feb. 1815, he has been on half-pay.
Lieut. Shephard married in Dec. 1817, and has issue three sons, the second of whom, Chas. Douglas Shephard, Assistant Surgeon, R.N. (1845), is at present serving on the south-east coast of America in the Raleigh 50, Commodore Sir Thos. Herbert.