A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Tills, William
TILLS. (Lieut., 1827. f-p., 18; h-p., 19.)
William Tills was born 7 May, 1791.
This officer (he had previously been in the service of the Hon.E.I.Company, and had witnessed, in the Comet Indiaman, the surrender of the Cape of Good Hope to Sir Home Popham) entered the Navy, 26 Feb. 1810, as Midshipman, on board the Grampus 50, Capt. Wm. Hanwell. On his return home, after escorting convoy to the East Indies, he removed, in Nov. 1811, to the Warrior 74, Capts. Lord Viscount Torrington and John Tremayne Rodd. Under those officers he was at the blockade of various ports in the Channel, North Sea, and Baltic; contributed to the capture of several armed and other vessels; escorted the Prince of Orange to Holland in Nov. 1813; and made a voyage to the West Indies – experiencing during his passage home a furious hurricane, in which the ship was dismasted, received 11 feet water in her hold, and all but foundered. While the Warrior was stationed in the Baltic he assisted in her boats, with those of the Aetna bomb, at the cutting out of an enemy’s gun-vessel. After he left her he joined in succession – 25 Nov. 1815, the Granicus 36, Capt. Wm. Furlong Wise, part of the force engaged at the bombardment of Algiers – 29 Oct. 1816 (in the course of which month he passed his examination), the Pandora 18, Capts. Hon. Fred. Noel and Geo. Matthew Jones, on the coast of Ireland – 22 Jan. 1818, the Spartan 46, Capt. Wm. Furlong Wise, employed on the Mediterranean, West India, and Halifax stations – 1 Feb., 1821, the Pyramus 42, Capt. Fras. Newcombe, again in the West Indies, where he twice acted as Lieutenant – 20 June, 1825, the Albion 74, Capt. John Acworth Ommanney, off Lisbon – and, 27 July, 1826, and 27 Aug. 1827, the Glasgow 50, Capt. Hon. Jas. Ashley Maude, and Asia 84, flag-ship of Sir Edw. Codrington, both in the Mediterranean.[1] The very day after the battle of Navarin Mr. Tills was promoted, 21 Oct. 1827, to a death vacancy in the Asia. He was superseded on his return to England in March, 1828, and has since been on half-pay.
He married, first, 10 April, 1828, Miss Charlotte Augusta Brown; and, secondly, 8 March, 1837, Mrs. Maria Wright, widow. By the former lady he has issue three children. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
- ↑ He served as Admiralty-Midshipman in the Pandora and Spartan; and in the Pyramus, Albion, Glasgow, and Asia, deducting the time he acted as Lieutenant, he performed the duties of Mate.