Royal Naval Biography/Bentham, George
GEORGE BENTHAM, Esq.
Knight of the Royal Sardinian Military Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus.
[Post-Captain of 1816.]
Son of Lieutenant-General William Bentham, R.A.
This officer entered the navy in 1799; and served the whole of his time, as midshipman, under the late Lord Gardner, in the Ruby 64, Resolution 74, and Hero of similar force. The latter ship formed part of the fleet under Sir Robert Calder, at the capture of two Spanish line-of-battle ships, July 22, 1805; and sustained a loss of 10 killed and 51 wounded in Sir Richard J. Strachan’s action with Mons. Dumanoir le Pelley, on the 4th Nov. following[1].
Mr. Bentham’s first commission bears date Dec. 24, 1805; between which period and Aug. 1810, he successively served in the Hero, Temeraire 98, Bellerophon 74, Pallas 36, and Amelia 38. On the 19th June, 1809, he assisted in storming a Russian land battery, of 4 long 24-pounders, garrisoned by 103 men[2].
In the autumn of 1810, Mr. Bentham, then flag-lieutenant to Lord Gardner, at Yarmouth, was appointed, by his early friend and patron, acting commander of the Briseis brig, mounting 8 eighteen-pounder carronades and 2 long sixes, with a complement of 75 officers, men, and boys. On the 16th Oct. he addressed an official letter to that officer, of which the following is an extract:
“His Majesty’s sloop fell in with an enemy’s schooner, at noon on the 14th instant, 80 miles W. by S. of Horn Reef, and, after an anxious chase of eight hours, we succeeded in bringing her to action, which she maintained with determined desperation for an hour, most part of the time the vessels touching. The severe loss on both sides speaks for itself, the enemy before he surrendered having 8 men killed and 19 wounded; and, I lament to say, 4 have been killed, and 11 badly wounded, on board the Briseis. The prize proves to be the French privateer Sans Souci, of 10 twelve-pounder (carronades) and 4 long 2-pounders, with a complement of 55 men.”
On receiving the report of this capture, the Admiralty confirmed Capt. Bentham’s appointment to the Briseis, by commission dated back to the day of the action. His subsequent appointments were, in Dec. 1812, to the Urgent, of 12 guns; Oct. 7, 1813, to the Carnation 18; Nov, 29, 1819, to the North Star 20, on the Jamaica station; and July 6, 1816, to the Heron; which latter sloop was attached to the squadron under Lord Exmouth, at the memorable battle of Algiers[3]. The order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus was conferred upon her commander, in consequence of his having been selected to carry from thence a large sum of money reclaimed by the King of Sardinia.
Captain Bentham’s post commission bears date Sept. 16, 1816. He married, June 7, 1827, Emma Pellew, daughter of the Rev. John Parker, and niece to Admiral Viscount Exmouth.
Agents.– Messrs Maude and Co.