Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/221

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207

COCKRELL—COCKSEDGE—CODD—CODRINGTON.

and 32-pounders – a measure which had been rendered necessary from the circumstance of a native-attack having been made on the British factories, a fire opened on the Albert’s boats, and an attempt made to seize Mr. Cockraft’s person. In acknowledgment of his services on the occasion he was presented by the residents, under the sanction of the Admiralty, with a sword valued at a hundred guineas. On at length invaliding home, he was confirmed in his present rank by commission dated 23 Sept. 1844. He has been employed, since 2 March, 1846, in the Brilliant 22, Capt. Rundle Burges Watson, at the Cape of Good Hope.



COCKRELL. (Lieutenant, 1830.)

James Patrick Cockrell entered the Navy 14 Feb. 1809; passed his examination in 1816; attained his present rank 22 July, 1830; was appointed, 14 Oct. following, to the Success 28, Capt. Wm. Clarke Jervoise, on the East India station; joined the Coast Guard 14 Aug. 1832; and, since 1835, has been unemployed.



COCKSEDGE. (Lieut., 1816. f-p., 14; h-p., 35.)

George Edward Cocksedge entered the Navy, 14 Nov. 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Impétueux 78, Capt. Sampson Edwards, in which ship, and the St. George 98, commanded by the same officer, he served, on the Channel and Mediterranean stations, until Feb. 1801. During the next four years he successively joined, as Midshipman, the San Josef 110, bearing the flag of Lord Nelson, Lapwing 28, Capt. Edw. Rotheram, and Plantagenet 74, Capts. Graham Eden Hamond and Hon. Michael De Courcy; and while in the latter vessel, besides convoying a fleet of Indiamen to St. Helena, assisted in capturing, 27 July, 1803, L’Atalante corvette, of 22 guns. On subsequently removing to the Polyphemus 64, Capt. Robt. Redmill, flag-ship afterwards of Rear-Admiral Geo. Murray, he further bore a part in the battle fought off Cape Trafalgar 21 Oct. 1805, and witnessed, in July, 1807, the unsuccessful attack made on Buenos Ayres by Lieut.-General Whitelocke. Between 1809, in which year he obtained a commission, and 1813, Mr. Cocksedge next served, in the West Indies, North America, and German Ocean – nearly the whole time as First-Lieutenant – on board the Shark sloop, Capt. Groves, Dispatch 18, Capt. Jas. Lillicrap, Franchise 36, Capt. Chas. Dashwood, Gorgon armée en flûte, Capt. Alex. Milner, Calliope 20, Capt. John M‘Kerlie, and Cretan brig, Capt. Chas. Fred. Payne. He was then placed on half-pay, and has not since been afloat.



CODD. (Commander, 1844. f-p., 22; h-p., 5.)

Edward Codd entered the Navy, 11 Sept. 1820, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Northumberland 78, Capt. Thos. Harvey, on the Home station; became Midshipman, 4 Aug. 1821, of the Argus 18, Capts. Septimus Arabin and John Burnett Dundas, employed in North America and the West Indies; and, from Oct. 1825 until March, 1833, was borne on the books, latterly – having passed his examination 11 Sept. 1827 – as Mate and Acting-Lieutenant of the Warspite 76, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Wm. Hall Gage, the broad pendant afterwards of Sir Jas. Brisbane, and then the successive flags of Sir Edw. Codrington and Rear-Admiral Thos. Baker, during which period he visited every portion of the globe, and was very creditably employed, while in command for 19 months of the Adelaide tender, in recovering at Cape Frio the stores and specie wrecked in H.M.S. Thetis. After an additional attachment to the Asia 84, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Wm. Parker off Lisbon, and Victory 104, and Britannia 120, flag-ships of Sir Thos. Williams at Portsmouth, he was officially promoted 8 Jan. 1836. His next appointments were, on the Mediterranean station – in the course of the same year, to the Caledonia 120, bearing the flag of Sir Josias Rowley, Edinburgh 74, Capt. Jas. Rich. Dacres, and Caledonia again – 16 Nov. 1837, to the Princess Charlotte 104, bearing the flag of Sir. Robt. Stopford – and, 13 March, 1838, to the Talbot 28, Capts. Henry John Codrington and Robt. Fanshawe Stopford. While in the latter frigate, previously to joining which he had for 15 months commanded the Hind cutter, and had, in Feb. 1838, been dismasted and nearly lost in a Channel gale, Mr. Codd, as Second-Lieutenant, assisted in the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre, and took part in the various sounding and other operations which preceded the fall of that fortress. His last appointment was, 27 June, 1843, to the Cornwallis 72, flag-ship at China of Sir Wm. Parker, on the paying off of which, being at the time First-Lieutenant, he was advanced to his present rank by commission dated 11 Nov. 1844. He has since been on half-pay. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.



CODRINGTON, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.L., K.S G., G.R.G., F.R.S. (Admiral of the Red, 1837. f-p., 28; h-p., 36.)

Sir Edward Codrington, born in 1770, is third son of the late Edw. Codrington, Esq. (a descendant of John Codrington, standard-bearer to King Henry V. in his French wars), by Miss Ann Sturgeon; grandson of Sir Edw. Codrington, of Dodington, co. Gloucester, the first Baronet of that name; and cousin of the present Sir Wm. Raimond Codrington, Bart.

This officer entered the Navy, 18 July, 1783, on board the Augusta yacht. Until confirmed in the rank of Lieutenant, 28 May, 1793, he afterwards served, on the Halifax, Mediterranean, and Home stations, in the Brisk sloop, Assistance 44, Commodore Herbert Sawyer, Leander 50, bearing the flag in succession of the same officer and of Rear-Admiral Peyton, Ambuscade 32, and Formidable and Queen Charlotte, flag-ships of Admirals Leveson Gower and Earl Howe. In the course of 1793 he was next appointed to the Santa Margaritta 36, and also, for the purpose of repeating the signals of the latter nobleman, to the Pegasus 28. He then rejoined his lordship in the Queen Charlotte, and after participating in the actions of 28 and 29 May, and 1 June, 1794, was intrusted with the duplicate despatches containing the details of the victory and of the safe arrival of the fleet and prizes off Dimnose. On 7 Oct. following, Mr. Codrington was in consequence promoted to the command of the Comet fire-ship, in which he continued until posted into the Babet, of 22 guns, 6 April, 1795. In the next June he bore a part in Lord Bridport’s action with the French fleet off Ile de Groix, and on removing, in July, 1796, to the Druid 32, cruized for some time off Lisbon, and was in company with the Unicorn and Doris frigates at the capture, 7 Jan. 1797, of the troop-ship La Ville de l’Orient. From that period we do not again find Capt. Codrington employed until appointed, 24 May, 1805, to the Orion 74, for his conduct in which ship at the battle of Trafalgar he received a gold medal. In Nov. 1808 (having left the Orion in Dec. 1806) he obtained command of the Blake 74, and being ordered in the following year to accompany the expedition against Walcheren, hoisted on that occasion the flag of Lord Gardner, by whom he was mentioned in the highest terms of praise for his assistance at the forcing of the Scheldt on 14 Aug., on which day the Blake, having no pilot on board, grounded under the batteries of Flushing, and suffered, during a consequent engagement with the enemy of two hours and three quarters, a loss of 2 men killed and 9 wounded, besides being twice set on fire.[1] While afterwards at the defence of Cadiz, in Aug. 1810, we find the subject of this memoir, as a measure rendered necessary by the rapid advances of the besieging army, charged with the premature removal of four Spanish line-of-battle-ships to Minorca, the whole of which, although old and leaky, quite destitute of men to navigate them, only half-provisioned, and crowded with refugee

  1. Vide Gaz. 1809, p. 1325.