Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/284

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270

DAVIS—DAVISON—DAVY.

Ville de Paris 110, he continued to serve, on the North Sea, Baltic, Lisbon, and Mediterranean stations, chiefly as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, until Dec. 1812. He assisted, while in the Resolution, in the operations against Walcheren and Copenhagen, in 1807 and 1809. After a further servitude, in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Ireland, and in the West Indies, as Master’s Mate of the Resistance 36, Capt. Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew, and of the Sultan 74, Capt. John West, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 18 Feb. 1815. He has since been on half-pay.



DAVIS. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 9; h-p., 32.)

Robert Davis entered the Navy, 1 Feb. 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Quebec 32, Capts. Geo. M‘Kinley and Lord Falkland, stationed in the North Sea. In March, 1807, he rejoined Capt. M‘Kinley, as Midshipman, on board the Lively 38; in which ship, after participating in various operations on the river Tagus, and contributing to the reduction of Vigo and Santiago in 1809, he was eventually wrecked, off the island of Malta, in Aug. 1810. Between the following Nov. and the year 1812 Mr. Davis was further employed, off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, and Holland, in the Comus 22, Capt. Matthew Smith, Comet 18, Capt. Rich. Henry Muddle, and Defiance 74, Capt. Rich. Raggett. He then, as Master’s Mate, joined the Bellona 74, commanded by his old Captain, M‘Kinley, with whom he served, off St. Helena and the coast of France, until transferred, in Feb. 1813, to the Scamander 36, Capt. Gilbert Heathcote, appointed to cruize off the Western Islands. Since his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, 3 Feb. 1815, Mr. Davis appears to have been unemployed.

He married, 17 Nov. 1828, the Right Hon. the Dowager Lady Kirkcudbright, of Raeberry Lodge, Southampton. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.



DAVISON. (Lieut., 1807. f-p., 22; h-p., 27.)

Edward Baker Davison was born in Dec. 1782, at Jamaica, and died about the commencement of 1847.

This officer entered the Navy, 31 July, 1798, as A.B., on board the Haerlem 68, Capt. Geo. Burlton, employed off the coast of Ireland, and in Dec. following became Midshipman of the Dragon 74, Capts. Geo. Campbell, Fred. Lewis Maitland, John Aylmer, and Edw. Griffith. After serving for some time in the Channel and off the north coast of Spain, he proceeded to the Mediterranean; and in the course of 1800 was wounded while on boat-service at Elba. On 9 April, 1805, Mr. Davison removed, as Sub-Lieutenant, to the Fervent 10, Lieut.-Commander John Edw. Hare, with whom he cruized in the Straits of Gibraltar until appointed, 25 April, 1807, full Lieutenant of the Imogene 16, Capts. Thos. Garth and Wm. Stephens. He invalided home from the Mediterranean in Dec. 1808; and was next appointed in succession, 13 Oct. 1812, and 12 April, 1813, to L’Oiseau, prison-ship at Plymouth, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Needham, and Gladiator 44, bearing the flag at Portsmouth of Rear-Admiral Edw. Jas. Foote, under whose orders he continued to serve until 18 May, 1815. From 5 Oct. 1831, until 28 July, 1842, Lieut. Davison was subsequently, with partial intermissions, employed as Agent for Transports Afloat on board the Maitland, Stentor, Parmelia, and Prince George. In command of the latter vessel he officiated, on 26 Aug. and 1 Oct. 1841, at the reduction of Amoy, and the recapture of Chusan. At the period of his death he had been on half-pay since 1842.



DAVISON. (Lieutenant, 1842.)

James Sandford Davison is the grandson of a Captain in the Royal Navy who served as Lieutenant in the action of 1 June, 1794.

This officer entered the Navy 29 Aug. 1829; and passed his examination in March, 1836. He served on board the Hastings 72, Capt. John Lawrence, throughout the operations on the coast of Syria, where he appears to have been employed in the boats at the destruction, in the face of a heavy fire of musketry from the enemy, of a quantity of powder stowed in the Castle of Beyrout, 2 Oct. 1840.[1] He was made Lieutenant 21 Sept. 1842, as being Senior Mate of the Royal George yacht, Capt. Lord Adolphus FitzClarence, on the occasion of the Queen’s visit to Scotland. Mr. Davison – whose next appointment was, 13 Oct. 1842, to the Wasp 16, Capt. Andrew Drew, on the North America and West India station – has been in command, since 1 Aug. 1844, of a station in the Coast Guard.



DAVISON. (Lieut., 1811. f-p., 15; h-p., 29.)

Kilgour Davison entered the Navy, 15 April, 1803, as Schoolmaster, on board the Ethalion 38, Capts. Chas. Stuart, Joseph Spear, Wm. Chas. Fahie, and Thos. John Cochrane, under which officers he successively served, latterly as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, until Dec. 1808. He assisted, during that period, at the capture of the Danish West India islands of St. Thomas and Sta. Croix in Dec. 1807, and, pending the last five months of his attachment to the Ethalion, was absent in a prize. On next joining the Neptune 98, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane, he served at the taking, in Feb. and April, 1809, of the islands of Martinique and the Saintes, and of the French 74-gun ship D’Haupoult. While in the Neptune, he also, we believe, aided in cutting out a schooner under a heavy fire from the batteries of St. Eustatius. Being appointed, 29 June, 1809, to an Acting-Lieutenancy in the Vimiera brig, Capt. Edw. Scobell, Mr. Davison, in Feb. 1810, further contributed to the reduction of St. Martin, St. Eustatius, and Saba. He removed on 5 July following to the Scorpion 18, Capts. Hon. John Gore and Robt. Giles, and, being confirmed in that vessel 17 July, 1811, continued to serve in her, on the Spanish Main, and off the coast of Africa, until March, 1813. He subsequently held an appointment in the Coast Guard from 14 May, 1831, until 1836; but has since been on half-pay.



DAVY. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 11; h-p., 33.)

John Davy, born 5 June, 1789, is only surviving son of the late Rev. Wm. Davy, of Ingoldsthorpe, co. Norfolk, by his first-cousin, Elizabeth, daughter of Edw. Davy, Esq., of Milsham. One of his brothers, Henry, in the Royal Engineers, was killed at Corunna, with Sir John Moore, in Jan. 1809; and another, William, also an officer in the army, was drowned at St. Helena in Dec. 1818.

This officer entered the Navy, 10 June, 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Colossus 74, commanded by the present Sir Geo. Martin, whom he afterwards followed, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, into the Glory, Barfleur, and Queen 98’s, and into the Canopus 80. While in the Barfleur, he took part in Sir Robt. Calder’s action, 22 July, 1805; and, when in the Canopus in 1807-9, he saw much gun-boat service in the Faro of Messina, and beheld the reduction of the islands of Ischia and Procida. On next removing to the Ville de Paris 110, bearing the flag of Lord Collingwood, he served in the boats under Lieut. John Tailour, on the night of 31 Oct. 1809, at the capture and destruction, after a fearful struggle, and a loss to the British of 15 men killed and 55 wounded, of the French armed store-ship Lamproie, of 16 guns and 116 men, bombards Victoire and Grondeur and armed xebec Normande, with a convoy of seven merchant-vessels, defended by numerous strong batteries in the Bay of Rosas. He was appointed, 5 Nov. following, Acting-Lieutenant of the Cumberland 74, Capt. Hon. Philip Wodehouse, to which ship the Admiralty confirmed him by commission dated 5 Jan. 1810. He returned home from the Mediterranean in April, 1811, on board the Pylades 18, Capt. Geo. Ferguson; subsequently to which he cruized, early in 1812, off the coast of Ireland, in the Hamadryad 36, Capt. Sir Thos. Staines. From 20 May, 1812, until promoted

  1. Vide Gaz. 1840, p. 2610.