the Northumberland 74, and on 22 May, 1812, was present in company with the Growler gun-brig, at the destruction, at the entrance of L’Orient, of the French 40 gun frigates L’Arienne and L’Andromache and 16-gun brig Mamelouck; whose united fire, conjointly with that of a heavy battery, killed 5 and wounded 28 of the Northumberland’s people. In the course of the same year we find him joining the Minden 74, Capt. Alex. Skene, and Nisus 38, flag-ship of Hon. R. Stopford, both on the Cape station, where he was nominated, 26 Nov. 1812, Acting-Lieutenant of the Racehorse 18, Capts. Geo. Fred. Rich and Jas. De Rippe. He was confirmed, 26 Oct. 1813, into the Lion 64, Capt. Henderson Bain; and was subsequently appointed – 11 July, 1814, to the Opossum 10, Capt. Thos. Woolrige, with whom he served in the Channel and off the north coast of Spain until sent, in the following Oct., to the Hospital at Plymouth – 9 Jan. 1815, to the Penelope 36, which frigate his health did not permit him to join – and, 29 June, 1821, for a short time, to the Windsor Castle 74, Capt. Chas. Dashwood, lying at Plymouth. He was placed on the out-pension of Greenwich Hospital 30 Jan. 1826.
SAMWELL. (Retired Commander, 1841. f-p., 22; h-p., 35.)
Peter Samwell, born 8 May, 1775, is brother of the late Retired Commander Wm. Samwell, R.N.; and uncle of the present Lieut. Wm. Samwell, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 6 April, 1790, on board the Spider cutter, Lieut.-Commander Lanyon, stationed on the coast of Ireland and in the Channel. In 1791 he became in succession attached, as Midshipman, to the Cambridge 74 and St. George 98, flagships of Sir Rich. Bickerton at Plymouth; and he next, from Feb. 1793 until May, 1797, served, in the same capacity and as Master’s Mate, in the Captain 74, Capts. Sam. Reeve, Thos. Seccombe, John Smith, Stewart, and Ralph Willett Miller. In 1793-4 he served ashore at the occupation of Toulon, and cooperated in the reduction of Corsica, where he assisted in dragging guns up the hills and in erecting batteries. In 1795 he was present in Admiral Hotham’s two partial actions. On the first occasion, 14 March, the Captain was for an hour and 20 minutes in close action with Ça Ira 80 and Censeur 74, whose united broadsides killed and wounded several of her people, besides inflicting considerable damage on her hull, masts, and rigging. On the memorable 14 Feb. 1797, when Sir John Jervis defeated the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent, Mr. Samwell fought as Master’s Mate under the broad pendant of Commodore Nelson, and was one of those who with the hero boarded the San Nicolas 80 and San Josef 112. After serving for a few weeks with Sir John Jervis in the Ville de Paris 110, he was nominated, 16 June, 1797, Acting-Lieutenant of the Mutine 18, Capts. Thos. Masterman Hardy and Wm. Hoste; in which vessel, being confirmed to her by commission dated 6 Feb. 1798, he performed the duties of First-Lieutenant at the battle of the Nile. He continued to serve in her – participating intermediately in many cutting-out afiairs on the south coast of France – until July, 1801, where the effects of a severe hurt, received in the preceding year, obliged him to invalid. His last appointments were – in March, 1804, for five months to the Goliath 74, Capt. Chas. Brisbane, stationed in the Channel – 6 April, 1805, to the Sea Fencible service – and, in April, 1807, to the charge of a Signal-station in the island of Sheppy, where he remained (with the exception of an interval of 18 months in 1814-15) until 23 March, 1816. He became a Retired Commander on the Junior List 26 Nov. 1830; and on the Senior 9 June, 1841. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
SAMWELL. (Retired Commander, 1833. h-p., 19; h-p., 50.)
William Samwell died 22 Dec. 1846, aged 80. He was brother of the present Retired Commander Peter Samwell, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, in Nov. 1777, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Shrewsbury, Capt. L. Ross, stationed in the Channel, where he served until Dec. 1779. He was next in succession employed, chiefly in the capacity of Midshipman and Master’s Mate – from 10 April, 1782, until 20 July, 1783, in the Jason frigate, Capt. Jas. Pigott, on the coast of America – from 27 March until 1 Nov. 1787, in the Helena sloop, Capt. Benj. Hulk, off Milford – from 18 Oct. 1789 until 8 May, 1793, in a cutter, commanded at Plymouth and in the Mediterranean by Lieuts. Humphrey West and Rich. Bagot – and from the latter date until nominated, 28 Jan. 1795, Acting-Lieutenant of the Caesar 80, Capt. Chas. Edm. Nugent, in the Montagu 74, Capt. Jas. Montagu, and Queen Charlotte 100, bearing the flag of Earl Howe. In the Montagu he fought in the action of 1 June, 1794. He was confirmed a Lieutenant, 17 March, 1795, in the Boston 32, Capts. Jas. Nicll Morris, Jas. Irwin, and John Erskine Douglas, under whom he served for about three years on the Home and Baltic stations; and he was subsequently appointed – 8 July, 1799, for a few weeks, to the Sensible 36, Capt. Robt. Sauce, lying at Portsmouth – 19 Jan. 1800, to the Europa 50, Capt. Stevenson, which ship his health obliged him to leave in the following April – and, 29 Sept. 1804, to the Sea Fencibles at Penzance, where he remained until the corps was disbanded in Feb. 1810.
He was placed upon the Junior List of Retired Commanders 26 Nov. 1830; and on the Senior 23 March, 1833. Commander Samwell has left a son in the service, the present Lieut. Wm. Samwell.
SAMWELL. (Lieut., 1829. f-p., 26; h-p., 9.)
William Samwell, born 9 Nov. 1798, at Devonport, is son of the late Retired Commander Wm., and nephew of the present Retired Commander Peter, Samwell, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 30 April, 1812, as Sec.-cl. Vol., on board the Favorite 20, Capts. Robt. Forbes and John Maxwell, under whom he was for about two years employed in the Channel and on the west coast of Africa, where he assisted in destroying several slave-factories up the River Pongo. From March, 1814, until Jan. 1816, he served, again on the African coast, in the Ariel 16, Capt. Dan. Ross; he fought, while attached, between July and Oct. of the latter year, to the Impregnable 104, Capt. Edw. Brace, at the battle of Algiers; and he afterwards joined – 15 Dec. 1817, as Master’s Mate, the Heron 18, Capt. Herbert Brace Powell, on the Milford station, where he served until paid off in Feb. 1819 – 13 Feb. and 21 Nov. 1820, the Tamar 26, Capts. Arthur Stow and Geo. Rich. Pechell, and Carnation 18, Capt. Roger Hall, attached to the force in the West Indies and North America – 26 Sept. 1821,[1] the Ramillies 74, Capt. Edw. Brace, lying at Portsmouth – 9 April, 1822, the Active 46, Capts. Andrew King and Hon. Robt. Rodney, in which frigate he was present under Sir Harry Burrard Neale in the demonstration made before Algiers in 1824 – and, 1 Oct. 1825 and 24 Nov. 1827, the Detad 42, Capts. Hon. R. Rodney and Hon. Alfred Crofton, and Camelion 10, Capts. Christopher Wyvill, Sir Thos. Sabine Pasley, and Alfred Luckraft, on the Lisbon and Mediterranean stations. In the latter vessel, of which he was confirmed a Lieutenant (after having three times acted as such) 25 Aug. 1829, he assisted, in company with the Isis 50, Cambrian 48, Rattlesnake 28, and Zebra 18, in reducing a fort and destroying several vessels belonging to a horde of Greek pirates at Carabusa, in the island of Candia, 31 Jan. 1829. The Cambrian being wrecked on that occasion, he was for five months engaged in recovering her stores, guns, &c. He left the Camelion in March, 1830; and since 26 Sept. 1836, has been in charge of a station in the Coast Guard.
Lieut. Samwell married, in 1842, Emma, eldest daughter of the late ___ Woolf, Esq., of Plymouth.
- ↑ He had passed his examination 31 Jan. preceding.
