Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/438

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424

GRAVE—GRAVES—GRAY.

This gentleman, in 1844, was High Sheriff for co. Rutland. He married, 25 July, 1811, the Hon. Emily Grace Fortescue, youngest daughter of the late Eight Hon. Jas. Fortescue, M.P., of Ravensdale Park, co. Louth, and niece of the late Earl of Claremont.



GRAVE. (Lieut., 1818. f-p., 9; h-p., 29.)

John Castellow Grave entered the Navy, 6 Aug. 1809, as L.M., on board the Nereus 36, Capt. Peter Heywood, with whom, after bringing home from the Mediterranean the remains of Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood in April, 1810, he proceeded as Midshipman to South America. In July, 1813, he accompanied Capt. Heywood into the Montagu 74; which ship, bearing the flag for some time of Rear-Admiral Edw. Jas. Foote, appears to have been employed, first with the force off Flushing, next in escorting Louis XVIII. to France, afterwards in conveying part of the British army from Bordeaux to England, and finally as one of the fleet in the grand naval review held at Portsmouth on the cessation of hostilities. From Dec. 1814 until Feb. 1817 we find Mr. Grave serving in the East Indies on board the Cornwallis 74, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Burlton, and Tyne 24, Capts. John Allen and another. He then joined the Cadmus 10, Capt. John Gedge, on the Home station; and on 20 Jan. 1818, while employed as Admiralty-Midshipman of the Amphion 32, bearing the broad pendant in South America of Commodore Wm. Bowles, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. We are not aware that he has been since afloat.

Lieut. Grave is Senior of 1818. He married, in Dec. 1835, Mary, widow of the late J. Treacher, Esq., of Chiselhurst, co. Kent.



GRAVES. (Captain, 1846.)

Thomas Graves entered the Navy 9 March, 1816; passed his examination in 1823; and obtained his first commission 30 April, 1827. He joined, 14 Aug. following, the Adventure surveying-vessel, Capt. Philip Parker King, on the South American station; and on 11 May, 1832, and 2 Aug. 1836, was successively invested with the command of the Mastiff and Meteor, alias Beacon, vessels employed in the survey of the Mediterranean. He obtained a second promotal commission, 22 Feb. 1841, but did not leave the Beacon until appointed, 2 April, 1846, to the Ceylon receiving-ship at Malta. He was advanced to his present rank 3 Aug. following; and is now on half-pay.

Capt. Graves married, 29 Feb. 1839, Frances Sarah, daughter of Major C. A. Bayley, Lieut.-Governor of Gozo. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.



GRAY. (Commander, 1846.)

Edward Evans Gray passed his examination in 1821; and obtained his first commission 13 Nov. 1827. He was afterwards appointed – 19 Sept. 1834 and 25 April, 1837, as First, to the Raleigh and Ringdove sloops, Capts. Michael Quin, Horatio Stopford Nixon, and Hon. Keith Stewart, on the East India, and North America and West India stations – and, 13 Jan. 1842 and 8 Dec. 1845, to the successive command of the Bonetta and Viper brigantines, employed off the coast of Africa, and in North America and the West Indies. He left the last-mentioned vessel on attaining his present rank, 9 Nov. 1846. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.



GRAY. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 20; h-p., 24.)

Francis Gray has lost three brothers in the Navy, all of whom had attained the rank of Lieutenant, viz. George, who fell in the Defiance at Copenhagen, 2 April, 1801, aged 26 – Richard, who, after having captured, in command of the Active schooner, a Spanish polacre of very superior force, died, from the effects of a tropical climate, while on his passage home on board La Prompte, in May, 1801, at the age of 18 – and William, who obtained a pension for wounds, and died in 1835.

This officer entered the Navy, in 1803, as Fst.-cl. Boy, on board the Pégase, Lieut.-Commander Edw. Crouch; and on becoming Midshipman, in 1805, of the Orion 74, Capt. Edw. Codrington, officiated as that officer’s sole Aide-de-Camp at the battle of Trafalgar. Continuing to serve in the Orion, under Sir Archibald Collingwood Dickson, until Dec. 1813, he next accompanied the expeditions of 1807 and 1809 to Copenhagen and the Walcheren. He was ordered, after the surrender of the Danish shipping, to assist Lieut. Geo. Hilton in navigating to England the Perlen of 44 guns; and during the siege of Flushing he was arduously employed on board a gun-vessel. On the Orion being paid off, Mr. Gray took a passage from Plymouth in the Fortune hoy, for the purpose of joining the Venerable 74, then fitting at Portsmouth for the flag of Rear-Admiral Philip Chas. Durham, but he was unfortunately wrecked during the voyage, on the Shag-stone, when, out of about 70 persons who were on board, not more than 11 were saved. On that occasion, perceiving that the only chance of escape was in keeping the vessel on the reef, Mr. Gray nobly refused a place in the boat he had assisted in launching, that he might remain on board, and afford to those who were left the benefit of his advice and exertions towards effecting that object. As a reward for this singularly intrepid act of humanity, he was rewarded by being placed first upon Rear-Admiral Durham’s list for promotion. He had previously distingmshed himself in the month of Oct. 1809, in jumping overboard when the Orion was refitting in Portsmouth Harbour, and rescuing the life of a boy named Edw. Simmons, who had fallen overboard, and could not swim. Shortly after joining the Venerable, and when off Madeira, we find Mr. Gray contributing to the capture, on 16 and 20 Jan. 1814, of the French 40-gun frigates Iphigénie and Alcmene – the latter of whom he was among the first to board. On 7 of the following June, having passed Ms examination nearly five years, he was appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Pique 36, Capt. Hon. Anthony Maitland, to which frigate the Admiralty confirmed him on 26 of the next Aug. The Pique, stationed in the West Indies, being placed out of commission in Aug. 1815, he remained unemployed until 6 June. 1831, when he joined the Ordinary at Chatham. During his continuance in that service, which he did not quit until 1 Oct. 1834, he appears to have been twice deputed to assist Capt. John Marshall in the conduct of the Quarantine Establishment at Standgate Creek. From 11 Jan. 1834 until Nov. 1835, he next had the direction of the Police department of Chatham Dockyard. He then went on half-pay for the purpose of joining the merchant-service, and has not been since officially employed.

Lieut. Gray is married, and has issue two sons and three daughters.



GRAY. (Lieutenant, 1844.)

Herbert Blachford Gray entered the Navy 18 Feb. 1816; was wounded, 20 Oct. 1827, at the battle of Navarin, while serving on board the Genoa 74, Capt. Walter Bathurst;[1] passed his examination 4 Nov. 1829; procured an appointment in the Coast Guard 4 Dec. 1839; and obtained his commission 5 Jan. 1844. He has since joined – 2 Feb. 1844, the Penelope steam-frigate, Capt. Wm. Jones, on the coast of Africa – 16 July, 1844, the Hydra steam-sloop, Capt. Horatio Beauman Young, on the same station – 3 March, 1846, the Tortoise store-ship at Ascension, Capt. Arthur Morrell – and 2 Dec. 1846, as Senior, the Resistance troop-ship, Capt. Geo. Lowe. Lieut. Gray is. Senior of 1844.



GRAY. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 12; h-p., 30.)

Matthew (Philpot Berry) Gray, born 13 Dec. 1793, at Ballinrobe, co. Mayo, is son of the late Capt. Owen Wynne Gray, of the 6th Dragoon Guards. He is brother of Lieut. Chas Gray, of the 30th Regt., who was killed at the storming of

  1. Vide Gaz. 1827, p. 2325.