Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Capel, Thomas Bladen
CAPEL, Sir THOMAS BLADEN (1776–1853), admiral, youngest son of William, fourth earl of Essex, by his second wife, Harriet, daughter of Colonel Thomas Bladen, was born 25 Aug. 1776, and, according to the fiction then in vogue, entered the navy on board the Phaeton frigate as captain's servant on 22 March 1782. It was ten years later before he joined in the flesh, and after serving on the Newfoundland and home stations and being present as midshipman of the Sans Pareil in the action off L'Orient, 23 July 1795, he was, on 5 April 1797, promoted to a lieutenancy and appointed to the Cambrian frigate, on the home station. In April 1798 he was appointed to the Vanguard, bearing the flag of Sir Horatio Nelson, and, during the Mediterranean cruise which culminated in the battle of the Nile, acted as Sir Horatio's signal officer. On 4 Aug. 1798 he was appointed by Nelson to the command of the Mutine brig, and sent home with duplicate despatches, which, in consequence of the capture of the Leander [see BERRY, Sir EDWARD], brought the first news of the victory to England, 2 Oct. His commander's commission was at once confirmed, and on 27 Dec. he was advanced to post rank. On 5 Jan. 1799 he was appointed to the Arab frigate, for the West India station. In July 1800 he was transferred to the Meleager, which on 9 June 1801 was wrecked in the Gulf of Mexico. In August 1802 he was appointed to the Phœbe of 36 guns, in which he served in the Mediterranean for the three following years, and was present at the battle of Trafalgar. ‘The extraordinary exertion of Captain Capel,’ wrote Collingwood on 4 Nov., ‘saved the French Swiftsure; and his ship, the Phœbe, together with the Donegal, afterwards brought out the Bahama’ (Nicolas, Nelson Despatches, vii. 219).
On his return to England he sat as a member of the court-martial on Sir Robert Calder [q. v.], and on 27 Dec. was appointed to the Endymion of 40 guns, in which he again proceeded to the Mediterranean, carrying out as a passenger Mr. Arbuthnot, the English ambassador, to Constantinople, where he continued while the negotiations were pending, and on their failure brought Mr. Arbuthnot back to Malta. The Endymion was afterwards one of the fleet which, under Sir John Duckworth, forced the passage of the Dardanelles, 19 Feb., 3 March 1807, in which last engagement she was struck by two of the enormous stone shot, upwards of 2 feet in diameter, and weighing nearly 800 lbs.; fortunately without sustaining much damage.
In December 1811 Capel was appointed to the Hogue, on the North American station, where he continued during the war with the United States. In June 1815 he was nominated a C.B., and in December 1821 was appointed to the command of the Royal Yacht, where he remained till advanced to be rear-admiral, 27 May 1825. On 20 May 1832 he was made a K.C.B., and from May 1834 to July 1837 was commander-in-chief in the East Indies, with his flag in the Winchester of 50 guns. He became a vice-admiral on 10 Jan. 1837; he was further advanced to be admiral on 28 April 1847, and on 7 April 1852 to be G.C.B; He was in command at Portsmouth 1848–52. He died on 4 March 1853. He married, in 1816, Harriet Catherine, only daughter of Mr. Francis George Smyth, but had no issue.
[Marshall's Roy. Nav. Biog., iii. (vol. ii.) 195; O'Byrne's Nav. Biog. Dict.; Gent. Mag. (1853), vol. cxl. pt. i. p. 540.]
Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.53
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
| Page | Col. | Line | |
| 19 | i | 25 | Capel, Sir Thomas B.: omit This was his last service |
| 29 | after G.C.B. insert He was in command at Portsmouth 1848–52 |