Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/119

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105

BOWEN.

examination for seamanship in 1830; was in Canada throughout the whole period of the rebellion; came home, after repeated applications, and passed his examination at the Royal Naval College early in 1836; was promoted, in consequence of the long and arduous nature of his services, on 30 April in the same year; and resumed immediately afterwards the survey of the coast of Labrador and the southern part of the St. Lawrence. He obtained leave in 1840 to return to England, and is at present unemployed. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.



BOWEN. (Captain, 1825. f-p., 17; h-p., 31.)

Charles Bowen entered the Navy, 18 Jan. 1799, as a Boy, on board the Achille 74, Capts. Hon. Edwin Henry Stanhope and Geo. Murray, on the Channel station; attained the rating of Midshipman 21 Oct. 1800; and, on removing with the last-mentioned officer to the Edgar 74, was present, under Lord Nelson, in the battle of Copenhagen, 2 April, 1801. He next accompanied Capt. Murray into the London 98, and afterwards, from Nov. 1802, until Feb. 1806, served in the Juno 32, Capt. Henry Richardson, attached to the fleet in the Mediterranean. In Nov. 1806, Mr. Bowen rejoined his former Captain, then Rear-Admiral Murray, as Master’s Mate, in the Polyphemus 64, in which ship we find him, from May to Aug. 1807, employed, latterly as Acting-Lieutenant, during the hostile operations in the Rio de la Plata. He was confirmed, on 30 of the latter month, into the Hermes sloop-of-war, Capt. Edw. Reynolds Sibly, and subsequently appointed – 20 Aug. 1808, to the Thisbe 28, bearing the flag in the Thames of Hon. Sir Henry Edwin Stanhope – 11 Sept. 1809, to the Nereus 36, Capt. Peter Heywood, in which vessel he returned home from the Mediterranean, with the remains of Lord Collingwood, in April, 1810 – 8 Nov. following to the Northumberland 74, Capt. Henry Hotham, under whom (the Growler gun-brig in company) he assisted at the destruction, with a loss to the Northumberland of 5 killed and 28 wounded, of the two French 40-gun frigates L’Arienne and L’Andromaque, of 450 men each, and Mamelouck brig, of 18 guns and 150 men, defended by numerous galling batteries at the entrance of L’Orient, 22 May, 1812 – and, 5 Feb. 1813, to the Indus 74, Capt. Wm. Hall Gage, employed off the Texel, and also in the Mediterranean, whence he returned in Sept. 1814. Being promoted to the command, 19 July, 1822, of the Driver sloop, he served for about two years in that vessel on the coast of Africa, where he acquired great credit, as evinced by the acknowledgments of Commodore Sir Robt. Mends, for his disinterested zeal and active exertions during the Ashantee war, particularly in mounting and equipping the guns of Cape Coast Castle in 1823; and likewise for his co-operation, in May, 1824, with the troops under Lieut.-Col. Sutherland.[1] He was advanced to Post-rank 27 June, 1825, and placed upon retired half-pay 1 Oct. 1846.

Capt. Bowen married Mary Hannah, youngest daughter of the late Geo, Fisher, Esq., of Hillside, co. Gloucester, by whom he has issue.



BOWEN. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 14; h-p., 34.)

George Bowen entered the Navy, 17 March, 1799, as a Supernumerary, on board the Bulldog bomb, Capts. Adam Drummond and Barrington Dacres, stationed in the Mediterranean, where, on 14 Jan. 1800, he became Midshipman of the Theseus 74, Capt. John Styles. He further served in the Leyden 68, Capt. Wm. Bedford, attached to the fleet in the North Sea; for some time, as Master’s Mate, in the Centurion 50, bearing the flag in the East Indies of Vice-Admiral Peter Rainier; and, in the same capacity also, in the Namur 74, Capt. Lawrence Wm. Halsted, under whom he was present, 4 Nov. 1805, at the capture, by Sir Rich. Strachan’s squadron, of the four French ships of the line escaped from the battle of Trafalgar. On 7 Feb. 1806, Mr. Bowen was made Lieutenant into the Conqueror 74, commanded in the Mediterranean by Capt. Israel Pellew. He afterwards joined, 10 Nov. 1807, the Kangaroo sloop, Capt. John Baker, lying in the Downs – 2 Nov. 1808, the Thames 32, Capt. Hon. Granville Geo. Waldegrave – 5 May, 1809, the Dreadnought 98, bearing the flag in Basque Roads of Rear-Admiral Thos. Sotheby – 20 Jan. 1810, the Dictator 64, Capt. Rich. Harrison Pearson, employed in the North Sea and Baltic – and 2 May following, as First Lieutenant, the Apollo 38, Capts. Bridges Watkinson Taylor and Thos. Graham. In that frigate, during a continuance of four years in the Mediterranean, he saw a vast deal of active service. He assisted in capturing, 13 April[errata 1], 1812, the French frigate-built store-ship Merinos, of 20 guns and 126 men, under the batteries of Corsica, and, on 20 Sept. in the same year, the national xebec Ulysse, of 6 guns – took, 21 Dec. ensuing, in command of the Apollo’s boats, supported by those of the Weasel sloop, under Lieut. Michael Quin, the tower of St. Cataldo, the strongest between the Brindisi and Otranto[2] – obtained mention for his distinguished share in the reduction of the islands of Augusta and Curzola, in the Adriatic, 29 Jan. and 3 Feb. 1813[3] – and witnessed the taking of those of Malero and Paxo, 14 April, 1813, and 13 Feb. 1814. Since his advancement to his present rank, which took place on 15 June in the latter year. Commander Bowen has not been employed.



BOWEN. (Lieut., 1808. f-p., 20; h-p., 260)

Peregrine Bowen entered the Navy, 28 Jan. 1801, as Midshipman, on board the Chapman, hired armed ship, Capts. Robt. Keen and Thos. Brown; removed very shortly afterwards into the San Josef 110, Capts. Wm. Wolseley and Carpenter; and from July, 1803, until the year 1807, served in the Prince 98, Capts. Rich. Grindall, Daniel Oliver Guion, Wm. Lechmere, and Alex. Fraser, under the first of whom he was present, 21 Oct. 1805, in the battle of Trafalgar. He next accompanied Capt. Fraser into the Vanguard 74, one of the ships employed with the fleet under Lord Gambler at the bombardment of Copenhagen in Sept. 1807; and, on 21 Oct. in that year, was appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Bellette 18, Capt. John Phillimore. He was confirmed, 23 Feb. 1808, into the Barfleur 98, bearing the flags in the Tagus and off Lisbon of Rear-Admirals Wm. Albany Otway and Chas. Tyler, to the latter of whom he appears to have officiated for some time as Flag-Lieutenant. From the Barfleur Mr. Bowen was appointed, 7 Dec. 1808, to the Venus 32, in which frigate he continued to serve, under Capts. Anderson, Jas. Coutts Crawford (with whom he assisted at the reduction of Vigo in March, 1809), and Kenneth Mackenzie, off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, Norway, and Greenland, and in the West Indies, until paid off, 14 Feb. 1814. Since 10 June, 1839, he has been employed as Admiralty Agent in a contract steam-vessel on the Liverpool station.



BOWEN. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 10; h-p., 31.)

Richard Bowen entered the Navy, in June, 1806, as A.B., on board the Glatton 50, Capts. Thos. Seccombe, Henry Hope, and Geo. Miller Bligh, employed in the Mediterranean, on which station he removed, as Midshipman, in Sept. 1809, to the Active, of 46 guns, Capt. Jas. Alex. Gordon. While belonging to that frigate he took part, 13 March, 1811, in the brilliant action off Lissa, where a British squadron, carrying in the whole 156 guns and 879 men, completely routed, after a conflict of six hours, and a loss to the Active of 4 killed and 24 wounded, a Franco-Venetian armament, whose force amounted to 284 guns and 2655 men; and on 29 Nov. in the same year he further shared in a hard-fought action of an hour and 40 minutes which, in rendering the Active captor of La Po-

  1. Correction: April should be amended to Feb. : detail

  1. Vide Gaz. 1824, pp. 1011, 1273.
  2. Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 1122.
  3. Vide Gaz. 1813, pp. 1093, 1307.