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A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Tyler, George

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1985183A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Tyler, GeorgeWilliam Richard O'Byrne

TYLER, Kt, K.H. (Captain, 1822. f-p., 11; h-p., 30.)

Sir George Tyler, born 28 Dec. 1792, is eldest son of the late Admiral Sir Chas. Tyler,[1] G.C.B., by his second wife, Margaret, daughter of Alex. Leach, Esq., of Corsan, co. Pembroke; and half-brother of the late Retired Captain Chas. Tyler, R.N. His grandfather, Peter Tyler, a Captain in the 52nd Regt., married the Hon. Anne Roper, daughter of Henry eighth Lord Teynham.

This officer entered the Royal Naval College 6 Oct. 1806; and embarked, 7 Dec. 1809, on board the Lively 38, Capt. Geo. M‘Kinley; under whom, after conveying Sir Chas. Cotton to Cadiz and escorting the outward-bound trade to Portugal and the Mediterranean, he was wrecked, 10 Aug. 1810, on a reef of rocks, near Point Coura, in the Mediterranean. He had previously attained the rating of Midshipman. In the following Nov. he joined the Spartan 38, Capt. Edw. Pelham Brenton, stationed on the coast of France; and on 11 May, 1811, while engaged in a cutting-out affair in Quiberon Bay, he had the misfortune to lose his right arm. In Sept. of the same year, three months after he had left the Spartan, he was received on board the Salvador del Mundo, flag-ship of Sir Robt. Calder at Plymouth; he next, in May and Oct. 1812, joined the Hermes 20 and Reindeer 18, Capts. Philip Browne and Wm. Manners; he went back, about Jan. 1813, to the Salvador del Mundo; and on 6 Feb. 1813, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. On 10 of the month last mentioned he became Flag-Lieutenant, in the Lion 64, to his father at the Cape of Good Hope; where he continued employed in the same capacity in the Semiramis 36 and Medway 74 until made Commander 7 Feb. 1815, into the Harpy sloop. He was in the Medway at the capture, in July, 1814, of the United States brig-of-war Syren of 18 guns and 137 men. The Harpy made prize of a vessel, laden with slaves, bound from Madagascar to the Isle of France; and formed one of a squadron sent, on Buonaparte’s escape from Elba, to protect the island of Bourbon. She was paid off in March, 1816. On 8 of the following May Capt. Tyler was granted a pension of 200l. per annum for the loss of his arm. After officiating for 12 months as Inspecting-Commander of the coast of Norfolk, he was appointed, 8 Dec. 1821, to the Fly 18; in which vessel, prior to being ordered to the coast of Scotland, he was sent on a special mission to Jersey and to Gravelines for the purpose of entering into a negotiation with the French relative to the oyster-fishery on that part of the coast of France. He was advanced to his present rank 10 Oct. 1822; and has since been on half-pay.

From Jan. 1833 until Nov. 1840, a period including that of the general abolition of slavery in the British colonies. Sir Geo. Tyler (who was nominated a K.H. 4 March, 1833, and invested with the honour of Knighthood in Nov. 1838) filled the appointment of Lieutenant-Governor of the island of St. Vincent. He is a Deputy-Lieutenant for co. Glamorgan. He married, 21 Sept. 1819, Harriet Margaret, daughter of the late Right Hon. John Sullivan, of Richings Lodge, co. Bucks, by Lady Harriet, daughter of George, third Earl of Buckinghamshire; and has issue seven sons and four daughters. Agents – Messrs. Chard.


  1. Sir Chas. Tyler attained the rank of Commander prior to the conclusion of the first American war. He served in that capacity in the Queen armed ship, and Trimmer sloop; and was advanced to Post-rank 21 Sept. 1790. He commanded the Meleager 32 at the occupation of Toulon; and as a reward for his distinguished conduct in her at the reduction of Corsica, he was appointed to the St. Fiorenzo, a prize-frigate of 40 guns, which, although sunk, had been weighed, chiefly through his exertions. He served afterwards in the Diadem 64 (part of Vice-Admiral Hotham’s fleet in the partial action off Genoa, 14 March, 1795), Aigle 38 (wrecked near Tunis, 18 July, 1798), Warrior 74, and Tonnant 80. In the Diadem he had charge of a small squadron in the Adriatic; and in the Warrior he was sent, in Jan. 1802, with three other 74’s under his orders, from Gibraltar to the West Indies, to watch the motions of a French armament which had been despatched thither immediately after the suspension of hostilities. In the early part of 1801 the Warrior had formed part of Sir Hyde Parker’s expedition to the Baltic. In 1803 Capt. Tyler obtained the superintendence of a district of Sea Fencibles; and on being ultimately appointed to the Tonnant, he fought,and was severely wounded, at the battle of Trafalgar. For his services on that occasion he was presented with a gold medal. He acquired the rank of Rear-Admiral 28 April, 1808; hoisted his flag soon afterwards as second in command at Portsmouth; was present, 3 Sept. 1808, at the surrender, in the Tagus, of the Russian Rear-Admiral Seniavin (the first division of whose fleet he escorted in safety to Spithead); and from 1812 until 1815 was Commander-in-Chief at the Cape of Good Hope, He became a Vice-Admiral 4 Dec. 1813, a K.C.B. 2 Jan. 1816, a full Admiral 27 May, 1825, and a G.C.B. 29 Jan. 1833. He died an Admiral of the White 28 Sept. 1835, at the Spa, Gloucester, aged 75.