A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Thornton, Samuel
THORNTON. (Capt., 1827. f-p., 14; h-p., 22.)
Samuel Thornton, born 2 March, 1797, is third and youngest son of the late Sam. Thornton, Esq., of Clapham and Albury Park, co. Surrey, M.P. for that shire, and previously for Hull, and for 56 years a Director of the Bank of England, by Eliza, daughter of Robt. Milnes, Esq., of Wakefield, and only sister of Rich. Slater Milnes, Esq., of Fryston Hall and Great Houghton, co. York, M.P. for the city of York. He is nephew of the late Robt. Thornton, Esq., M.P. for Colchester, and the late Henry Thornton, Esq., M.P. for Southwark; and of the late Countess of Leven and Melville, mother of the present Earl, who is a Rear-Admiral.
This officer entered the Navy, 17 May, 1811, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Amazon 38, Capt. Wm. Parker, stationed in the Channel, where he removed, in Feb. 1812, to the Armide 38, Capt. Rich. DaUing Dunn. In the Amazon he witnessed the capture and destruction of a French convoy near the Penmarok rocks; and in both ships, as well as in their boats, he saw much active service and came repeatedly into conflict with the enemy’s batteries. Joining, in Nov. 1812, the Phoebe of 46 guns and 300 men, Capt. Jas. Hillyar, he sailed soon afterwards for the Pacific, and was there, 28 March, 1814, present, in company with the Cherub sloop, at the capture, off Valparaiso, of the American frigate 'Essex' of 46 guns and 265 men, of whom, in the course of a warm action of two hours, 24 were killed and 45 wounded, with a loss to the Phoebe of 4 killed and 7 wounded. From Dec. 1814 until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant a few weeks after his return to England 21 May, 1819, Mr. Thornton was employed in the Cornwallis 74, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Burlton, Iphigenia 42, Capts. John Reynolds and John Tancock, Conway 26, Capt. Edw. Barnard, Minden 74, bearing the flag of Sir Rich. King, and, for rather more than six months as Acting-Lieutenant, in the Conway 26, Capt. Wm. Hill, all on the East India station, whither, on being appointed, 22 Oct. 1821, to the Liffey 50, Commodore Chas. Grant, he again proceeded. Uniting subsequently in the hostilities against the Burmese, he assisted, 11 May, 1824, at the capture of Rangoon, and had the honour of hoisting the British flag (the first one that had been victoriously displayed since the commencement of the war) on the enemy’s fort. In March, 1825 (he had exchanged, 18 Jan. preceding, into the Alligator 28), he ascended the river Irawady with despatches for his Captain, Thos. Alexander, under whom we find him, in the course of that month, present at the taking of Donoobew. In the ensuing operations against Maha Bandoola he commanded the Alligator’s cutter, attached to the invading flotilla.[1] After the occupation of Prome he was sent up the river as far as Patanagoh, with a small detachment under his orders, for the purpose of liberating any family or other boats that might be found detained by the Burmese warriors, and of endeavouring to open a communication with the Arracan army under Brigadier-General Morrison. While so engaged he aided in surveying 90 miles of the Irawady. Having been promoted by the Admiralty, 8 April, 1825, to the command of the Slaney 20, he ultimately, in Jan. 1826, joined that vessel at Madras. He then hastened back to Rangoon, and on his arrival there was left by Capt. Henry Ducie Chads to carry on the naval duties while the men-of-war boats, under the present Capt. John Fitzgerald Studdert, were employed in escorting to that place the troops from the evacuated posts up the river. Since his advancement to Post-rank, which took place 30 April, 1827, he has been on half-pay.
Capt. Thornton published, in 1833, a ‘History of the East India Company, from their First Charter to the Present Time.’ He married, 8 Sept. 1840, Emily Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the late Rev. John Morgan Rice, of Tooting, co. Surrey, and niece of Sir Ralph Rice, Kt., formerly Recorder of Prince of Wales Island, and afterwards a Judge at Bengal and Bombay. By that lady he has issue. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1825, p. 2277.