Royal Naval Biography/Collingwood, Francis Edward
FRANCIS EDWARD COLLINGWOOD, Esq.
[Commander.]
Is descended from a very ancient family, the Collingwoods, of Eslington, co. Northumberland, who, led by their attachment to the House of Stuart, suffered a great reverse of fortune, in 1715. His grandfather, Edward, successively master-attendant of the dock-yards at Plymouth, Portsmouth, Chatham, and Deptford, (the first person of the name of Collingwood whom we find mentioned in our naval annals), sailed round the world, as midshipman, with Anson, by whom he was ever afterwards patronised, and was master of the Victory, first rate, flagship of Admiral Sir John Balchen, a short time previous to her loss, in Oct. 1744[1].
Mr. F. E. Collingwood, only son of Francis Collingwood, of Greenwich, Esq., by Sarah, sister to the late Captain Thomas Richbell, R.N., chief magistrate of the Thames Police, was born at Milford, co. Pembroke, Mar. 23d, 1785; and entered the royal navy, as midshipman on board the America 64, commanded by his uncle-in-law, the late Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., in 1799[2]; and subsequently served in the Pheasant sloop, Beaulieu and Alligator frigates. Elephant 74, and Victory of 100 guns, the latter ship bearing the flag of the immortal Nelson, whose death he avenged by shooting the French rifleman who had, after repeated attempts, succeeded in mortally wounding that illustrious hero at the ever memorable battle of Trafalgar. During that tremendous conflict, he was sent from his quarters on the poop, where the carnage was most dreadful, with a few men, to assist in extinguishing a fire on board the French 74-gun ship, le Redoubtable, which service he performed in a manner highly satisfactory to his captain, the present Sir Thomas M. Hardy. His promotion to the rank of lieutenant took place on the 22d Jan. 1806.
After serving for some time in the Queen 98, flag-ship of Lord Collingwood, and Bahama 74, one of the Spanish ships captured off Trafalgar, this officer was appointed to the. Pallas 32, in which frigate we find him present, under the command of Captain (now Sir George F.) Seymour, at the destruction of five French men-of-war, in Aix Roads, April 12th, 1809[3]. In the ensuing summer, he accompanied the grand expedition sent against Antwerp, and was constantly employed, in guard boats and on shore, during the occupation of Walcheren. His next appointment was, Dec. 13th, 1809, to be first lieutenant of the Iris 30, in which ship he continued for a period of five years.
The Iris was principally employed in co-operation with the patriots on the north coast of Spain, where Lieutenant Collingwood appears to have been a constant volunteer for boat and shore service; and on many occasions obtained the particular approbation of Captain Sir George Collier, senior officer of the squadron on that station. A sketch of the transactions in which he was engaged in the years 1811, 1812, and 1813, will be found in Vol. II. Part II. pp. 521–532.
In 1813, the Iris, then commanded by Captain H. H. Christian, captured three American letters of marque. In Nov. 1814, Mr. Collingwood was appointed first lieutenant of the Niger 38, Captain Peter Rainier, under whom he served for a short time on the Cape of Good Hope station. In Dec. 1820, he obtained the command of the Kite revenue cruiser, employed on the coast of Ireland, where he continued for the usual period of three years. During this time he had two ribs and his breast bone fractured, was wounded by a pike through the leg, and received two severe contusions on the head, hie was also washed overboard in a heavy gale of wind, and must have perished, all his boats having been previously lost, had not a following sea thrown him on the square-sail brace, to which he clung until assisted in-board. His promotion to the rank of commander took place Jan. 15th, 1828.
This officer married, in May 1822, Ellen second daughter of the late Rev. Samuel Collis, of Fort William, co. Kerry, by whom he has several children. His only surviving sister was the wife of Dr. J. D. Burke, late surgeon of H.M. dockyard at Pembroke, and is now the widow of the Rev. Hugh Taylor.
- ↑ On the 3d Oct, 1744, the fleet under Sir John Balchen, then returning home from Gibraltar, encountered a violent storm, in which several of the ships were much shattered. On the 4th, the Victory separated from her consorts, and was never more heard of. It is supposed that she struck upon a ridge of rocks off the Caskets; as from the testimony of the men who attended the lights, and the inhabitants of the island of Alderney, many guns were heard on the nights of the 4th and 5th, but the weather was too tempestuous to hazard boats out to their assistance. In this ship perished near one thousand men, besides fifty volunteers, sons of the first nobility and gentry in the kingdom.
- ↑ See Suppl. Part III. p. 265.
- ↑ See Vol. I. Part I. p. 84.