since he left the Icarus, he accepted, 9 April, 1847, the rank he now holds. Agents – Burnett and Holmes.
ROOKE. (Commander, 1841.)
Charles Thomas Rooke entered the Navy, 11 April, 1821; and obtained his first commission 10 May, 1827. His succeeding appointments were – 26 June, 1827, and 20 Nov. 1830, to the Isis 50 and Belvidera 42, Capts. Sir Thos. Staines and Hon. Rich. Saunders Dundas, both in the Mediterranean – and 11 Feb. 1833, to the Victory 104, flag-ship of Sir Thos. Williams at Portsmouth, where he remained until superseded in the spring of 1835. He does not appear to have been since employed. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place 23 Nov. 1841.
ROOKE. (Lieut., 1846. f-p., 8; h-p., 3.)
Francis Rooke is fourth son of Capt. Fred. Wm. Rooke, R.N.
This officer entered the Royal Naval College in July, 1836; and embarked, in May, 1837, as a Volunteer, on board the Talavera 74, Capt. Wm. Bowen Mends. After visiting the Mediterranean and the coast of North America, he became Midshipman, in the early part of 1839, of the Pylades 18, Capt. Talavera Vernon Anson, and proceeded to China; where, in command of a boat, he assisted at the capture of one of three piratical junks, whose fierce resistance occasioned to themselves a loss, out of 200 men, of 53 killed, and to the British of 3 killed and 5 wounded. During a successive attachment to the Pylades, Wellesley 72, Capt. Thos. Maitland, and Blenheim 72, Capt. Sir Thos. Herbert, Mr. Rooke took part in the chief operations connected with the Chinese campaign. In two severe engagements he was a volunteer, and for his gallantry he obtained two special certificates and was twice mentioned in the Gazette. In March, 1843, seven months after he had passed his examination, he returned to England. He was subsequently, from July, 1844, until Jan. 1845, and from Jan. 1846 until promoted, for his services, to the rank of Lieutenant 10 March, 1846, employed at Portsmouth, in the St. Vincent 120, under the flags of Sir Chas. Rowley and Sir Chas. Ogle. His appointments have since been – 15 May and 7 Aug. 1846, to the Devastation and Gorgon steam-sloops, Capts. Sir Chas. Hotham and Edw. Crouch – 9 April, 1847, to the Avenger steam-frigate of 650 horse-power, Capts. Sidney Colpoys Dacres and Chas. Geo. Elers Napier, employed at first on particular service, and next in the Mediterranean, where he was wrecked, 20 Dec. following, on the Sorelle rocks, and was one of the very few who escaped – and, 7 March, 1848, to the Blenheim of 450 horse-power, Capt. Horatio Thos. Austin, steam guard-ship at Portsmouth.
ROOKE. (Retired Captain, 1845. f-p., 15; h-p., 36.)
Frederick William Rooke entered the Royal Naval Academy in May, 1796; and embarked, 1 March, 1797, as Midshipman, on board the Cumberland 74, Capt. Bartholomew Sam. Rowley, lying at Portsmouth. In the following July he removed to the Sirius 36, Capt. Rich. King, stationed in the North Sea; from Feb. 1798 to March, 1799, he cruized with Capt. Rowley, in the Channel and off the coast of Ireland, in the Ramillies 74; and he was then again, for two years, employed under Capt. King in the Sirius. He was in consequence, in company with L’Oiseau 36 and Amethyst 36, at the capture, 28 Jan. 1801, after a chase of two days, of the French 36-gun frigate La Dédaigneuse. After serving for about 14 months in the Boadicea 38, Capt. Chas. Rowley, stationed, as had latterly been the Sirius, in the Bay of Biscay, he was appointed, in July, 1802, Admiralty-Midshipman of the Clyde 38, Capt. John Larmour. In that ship he served in the North Sea and Baltic until Dec. 1803. He then became Acting-Lieutenant of the Ariadne 24, commanded, off Havre-de-Grace, by the late Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming; and, on 12 Jan 1805, after he had afresh served as Midshipman in the Veteran 64, Capts. Rich. King and Jas. Newman Newman, and had taken part in the boats of that ship in an attack on the Boulogne flotilla, he was nominated Sub-Lieutenant, in the West Indies, of the Attentive gun-brig, commanded at first by Lieut. John Harris and next by himself as Acting-Lieutenant; in which capacity he returned, in the ensuing summer, to England in the Proselyte 24, Capt. John Chas. Woolcombe. He was confirmed a Lieutenant 15 Nov. 1805; and was subsequently appointed – 12 Dec. 1805, to the Achille 74, Capt. Sir Rich. King, attached to the Channel fleet – 10 Oct. 1806, to the charge, which he retained for six months, of the Signal-station at Swanage – 14 July, 1807, again to the Achille, employed in the Channel, off the coast of Spain, and at the siege of Flushing, where he served on shore – and, 3 Aug. 1810, after 10 months of half-pay, occasioned by a severe attack of Walcheren fever, to the San Juan 74, bearing the broad pendant at Gibraltar of Commodore Chas. Vinicombe Penrose. While on the books of the ship last mentioned he served in the flotilla, and was in constant action with the enemy, during the siege of Cadiz. He commanded a division of gun-boats, too, at the defence of Tarifa; and for his services at both places was advanced to the rank of Commander 21 March, 1812. He accepted his present rank 25 March, 1845.
Capt. Rooke is a Magistrate for co. Wilts, and served as High-Sheriff in 1842. His eldest son is a Captain in the 47th Regt. of the line; and his fourth, Francis, a Lieutenant R.N.
ROOKE. (Captain, 1842. f-p., 17; h-p., 20.)
Leonard Charles Rooke, born 10 Aug. 1797, is youngest son of the late Hon. Mr. Justice Rooke, by Harriet Sophia, daughter of Colonel Wm. Burrard and sister of the late Admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale, Bart., G.C.B.
This officer entered the Navy, 24 July, 1810, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Hamadryad 36, Capt. Sir Thos. Staines, under whom we find him cruizing off the Western Islands, escorting troops to the mouth of the Tagus, and accompanying a fleet of East Indiamen from St. Helena to the Downs. In Oct. 1811 he removed to the Tisiphone sloop, Capt. Wm. Love, lying off South Yarmouth; and from 13 May, 1812, until 17 Dec. 1816, he served on the Home and East India stations, as Midshipman, in the Boyne 98 and Ville de Paris 110, flag-ships of his uncle Sir Harry Burrard Neale, Belle Poule 38, Capt. Geo. Harris (part of the force employed at the forcing of the Gironde in April, 1814), Ville de Paris again, Glasgow 50, Capt. Hon. Henry Duncan, and Amphion 32 and Magicienne 36, both commanded by Capt. John Brett Purvis. He then became Acting-Lieutenant of the Bacchus 18, Capt. John Pengelly Parkin; in which vessel (being confirmed to her by commission dated 15 Oct. 1818) he continued, on the East India station, until 1820. His succeeding appointments were – 24 June, 1820, to the Forte 44, Capt. Sir Thos. John Cochrane, fitting at Chatham – 25 July following, to the Cambrian 48, Capt. Gawen Wm. Hamilton, whom he accompanied to the Mediterranean – and, 20 March, 1823, to the Revenge 78, as Flag-Lieutenant, on that station, to Sir H. B. Neale. He attained the rank of Commander 14 Oct. 1824; served in that capacity in the Jasper 10, from 28 April, 1827, until wrecked on the north end of Sta. Maura 13 Oct. 1828; and was lastly, in 1830-1, employed as an Inspecting Commander in the Coast Guard. He was advanced to bis present rank 4 April, 1842. Capt. Rooke married, 24 June, 1830, Elizabeth, youngest daughter of the late Lieut.-Colonel Wm. Home, of the Isle of Wight, by whom he has issue seven children. One of his sons is a Midshipman in the service.
ROOTES. (Lieut., 1810. f-p., 17; h-p., 34.)
John Rootes, born 23 Feb. 1780, at Elham, co. Kent, is eldest son of the late Chas. Rootes, Esq., Surgeon, of that place.
