1825 and 7 Sept. 1829, to the Windsor Castle 74, Capts. Hugh Downman and Edw. Durnford King, and St. Vincent 120, Capt. Edw. Hawker, both lying at Plymouth – 1 May, 1830, to the Caledonia 120, Capts. Rich. Curry, Edw. Curzon, and Jas. Hillyar, employed, until the spring of 1833, on various particular services – 14 Aug. 1840, to the Southampton 50, as Flag-Lieutenant to Sir E. D. King, Commander-in-Chief at the Brazils and Cape of Good Hope – and, 5 April, 1841, to the command, on the same station, of the Wizard 10, which vessel he brought home and paid off in 1842. He has since been on half-pay.
SOMERVILLE, Lord. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 12; h-p., 34.)
The Right Honourable Kenelm Lord Somerville, born 14 Nov. 1787, is third son of the Hon. Hugh Somerville, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, by his second wife, Mary, eldest daughter of the Hon. Wriothesley Digby, of Meriden, co. Warwick. He succeeded his brother as 17th Baron 3 June, 1842.
This officer entered the Navy, in May, 1801, as a Volunteer, on board the Mars 74, Capt. Robt. Lloyd, bearing the flag in the Channel of Rear-Admiral Edw. Thornbrough. He served next, from Sept. 1801 until Dec. 1804, in the Narcissus 32, Capts. Ross Donnelly and Percy Fraser, in the North Sea and Mediterranean; and from Feb. 1805 until Sept. 1807, in the Medusa 32 and Revenge 74, both commanded by the late Sir John Gore. In the Narcissus he was present as Midshipman at the capture, in July, 1803, of L’Alcyon national corvette of 16 guns and 96 men; in the Medusa he escorted the Marquis Cornwallis to India, whence he returned to England, a distance of 13,831 miles, in the extraordinarily short period of 82 days; and in the Revenge he witnessed, while at the blockade of Rochefort, the capture, 25 Sept. 1806, of four French frigates by a squadron under the orders of Sir Sam. Hood. He was made Lieutenant, 11 Nov. 1807, into the Falcon 16, Capts. John Price and Lord Viscount Neville; and, on being next, 16 Nov. 1808, appointed to the Phoebe of 44 guns and 271 men, Capts. Hassard Stackpoole and Jas. Hillyar, he assisted at the reduction of the Isle of France, and, prior to joining in the expedition against Java, was present, 20 May, 1811 (during a cruize off Madagascar in company with the Astraea and Galatea, frigates nearly equal in force to the Phoebe, and 18-gun brig Racehorse) at the capture – after a long and trying action with the French 40-gun frigates Renommée, Clorinde, and Néréide – of the Renommée; and, on 25 of the same month, of the Néréide, and the settlement of Tamatave. On the surrender of the island of Java he was nominated Acting-Commander of the Sourabaya 14, one of the vessels there taken. He was presented by the Admiralty with a second promotal commission dated 1 Feb. 1812; and was lastly, from 11 Oct. 1813 until Oct. 1814, employed, on the coast of North America, in the Thames troop-ship. In Aug. of the latter year he was intrusted with a command in the flotilla sent up the Patuxent to act against the gun-boats under Commodore Barney; and for his conduct on that occasion he obtained the “warmest acknowledgments” of Rear-Admiral Cockburn, and was by him recommended to the favourable notice of Sir Alex. Cochrane, the Commander-in-Chief.[1] His Lordship, whose Post-commission bears date 7 June, 1814, accepted the Retirement 1 Oct. 1846.
He married, 3 Sept. 1833, Frances Louisa, only daughter of John Hayman, Esq., and has issue two sons and four daughters. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.
SOMERVILLE. (Commander, 1848.)
Philip Somerville entered the Navy, 11 Sept. 1824; passed his examination in 1830; obtained his first commission 15 March, 1841; and was then nominated Additional-Lieutenant of the Wellesley 72, Capt. Thos. Maitland. His succeeding appointments appear to have been – in the course of the same year, to the Transport service – in 1842, to the Cornwallis 72, flag-ship of Sir Wm. Parker, again to the Transport service, and to the Belleisle 72, Capt. John Kingcome – and, 7 May, 1844, to the Collingwood 80, fitting for the flag of Sir Geo. Fras. Seymour, Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific. On the paying off of the latter ship, of which he had been nominated Acting-Commander 8 Feb. 1847, he was officially promoted, 4 Aug. 1848, to the rank he now holds. In the attack upon Canton in May, 1841, he had charge of the boats of the Minerva, Sulimany, and Marion transports;[2] and in Oct. of the same year he was honourably mentioned in the despatches of Sir Hugh Gough for the able manner in which he assisted in landing the troops at the taking of Chusan.[3] In May, 1842, he was similarly employed at the capture of Chapoo.[4]
SOMERVILLE. (Commander, 1842. f-p., 16; h-p., 5.)
Philip Hodge Somerville is son of Retired Commander Geo. Field Somerville, R.N.
This officer entered the Royal Naval College 2 Feb. 1826; and embarked, 29 Dec. 1827, as a Volunteer, on board the Mersey 26, Capt. Alex. Barclay Branch, fitting for the West Indies. In Jan. 1828 he removed to the Maidstone 42, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Skipsey, at the Cape of Good Hope; where he became Midshipman, in Jan. 1829, of the Sparrowhawk 18, Capt. Thos. Sanders. That vessel being paid off in the ensuing April, he was appointed, in May of the same year, Admiralty Midshipman of the Ariadne 28, Capt. Fred. Marryat, stationed in the Channel. He was employed next – from 9 Aug. 1829 until 3 March, 1832, in the Nimrod 20, Capt. Sam. Radford, on the coast of Ireland – from 30 March, 1832, until 16 May, 1833, as Midshipman and Mate (he passed his examination 27 Oct. 1832) in the Caledonia 120, Capt. Jas. Hillyar, stationed off Lisbon during the war between Pedro and Miguel – from 18 May, 1833, until 15 Sept. 1837, again in the Caledonia under the flag, in the Mediterranean, of Sir Josias Rowley – and from 10 May, 1838, until 16 Jan. 1839, a second time off Lisbon, in the Russell 74, Capt. Sir Wm. Henry Dillon. He obtained his first commission 10 Jan. 1840; served from 19 Feb. following until he invalided 21 Oct. 1841, the greater part of the time as First-Lieutenant, in the Persian 16, Capts. Wm. Henry Quin and Thos. Rodney Eden, on the coast of Africa; and on 26 Feb. 1842, was appointed to his former ship the Caledonia, bearing the flags of Sir Graham Moore and Sir David Milne at Plymouth. While attached to the Persian he was much employed in her boats, and was in command of them at the capture, 23 June, 1841, after a severe action and a loss of 2 men killed and 1 wounded, of the piratical slaver Astraea. For this service he was eventually promoted to the rank of Commander 24 June, 1842. His last appointment was, 31 Jan. 1846, to the Wanderer 12, fitting for the coast of Africa, where he was superseded in Feb. 1847. Agents – Messrs. Chard.
SOMERVILLE. (Retired Commander, 1840. f-p., 20; h-p., 36.)
William Somerville, born 3 July, 1775, is son of the late Mr. John Somerville, R.N., who was gunner of the Guardian, when that ship ran foul of an island of ice on her passage to New South Wales in 1788.
This officer entered the Navy, 20 April, 1791, as A.B., on board the Catherine yacht, Capt. Sir Geo. Young; in which vessel and in the Mary and Princess Augusta yachts, Capts. Hon. P. Perceval, Wm. Browell, and Edw. Riou, he continued employed in the river Thames until transferred, in May, 1796, to the Isis 50, Capts. Robt. Watson and
