Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/644

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630
LANG—LANGDON—LANGFORD—LANGLEY—LANGTON.

latterly as Acting-Lieutenant, in the Guachapin, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Weoland, Elizabeth 74, Capts. Hon. Henry Curzon and Thos. Searle, Theseus 74, Capt. Wm. Prowse, Narcissus 32, Capt. John Rich. Lumley, Tribune 36, flag-ship of Sir Fras. Laforey, and Grampus 50, Capt. F. A. Collier, on the Home, West India, and China stations. On leaving the latter ship in Aug. 1815, he took up a commission dated on 13 of the previous March. His appointments have since been – 8 Nov. 1815, to the Alban 12, Capt. Hugh Fatten, from which vessel, employed in the Solway Frith, he was superseded at his own request 29 Jan. 1817 – 17 Jan. 1828, and 29 March, 1829, to the Wasp and Raleigh sloops, Capts. Hon. Wm. Wellesley, Thos. Edw. Hoste, and Sir Wm. Dickson, attached to the force in the Mediterranean, whence he returned home, and was paid off in Dec. 1829 – 19 June, 1833, to the Coast Guard, in which he continued for a period of 11 years – and 8 June, 1846, to the Caledonia 120, Capt. Manley Hall Dixon, with whom he is now serving in the Channel.



LANG. (Lieutenant, 1842.)

Edward Wollaston Lang entered the Navy (from the Royal Naval College) 13 Jan. 1833; passed his examinatiqp 5 April, 1837; and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant while serving as Mate in the Southampton 50, flag-ship at the Cape of Good Hope of Sir Edw. Durnford King, 12 May, 1842. He was then appointed to the Fantome 16, Capt. Philip Geo. Haymes, on the South American station; and since 16 May, 1843, has been employed in the Pacific on board the Fisgard 42, Capt. John Alex. Duntze. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.



LANGDON. (Lieut., 1811. f-p., 10; h-p., 33.)

William Langdon was born 6 Nov. 1790, at Montacute Vicarage, co. Somerset.

This officer entered the Navy, 13 April, 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Weymouth 44, Capt. John Draper, and after serving for a year and a half, the chief part of the time as Midshipman, on the East India and Brazilian stations, removed, in April, 1806, to the Monarch 74, Capts. John Clarke Searle and Rich. Lee. On 15 of the following July we find him employed with a detachment of boats at the cutting out, in face of a desperate and well-concerted resistance, at the entrance of the river Gironde, of the French corvette Le César, mounting 16 guns, with a complement of 86 men, who, with a loss to themselves of 14 killed and wounded, occasioned the British one altogether of 9 killed and 39 wounded. He was also, on 25 Sept. in the same year, present at the capture, by a squadron under Sir Sam. Hood, of four heavy French frigates off Rochefort; on which occasion the Monarch enacted a very conspicuous part, compelled La Minerve, of 44 guns and 650 men, to surrender, and experienced a total loss of 4 killed and 25 wounded. In the Champion 24, Capts. Jas. Coutts Crawford and Robt. Henderson, to which vessel he removed in Aug. 1807, Mr. Langdon came frequently into contact with the batteries on the coast of France, and contributed to the capture of a French privateer near St. Maloes. Removing, as Master’s Mate, in Jan. 1810, to the Badger 10, Capt. John Lampen Manley, he served for 14 months in that vessel in the North Sea and in the rivers Elbe, Ems, and Weser. In Aug. 1811, after he had been for five months borne as a Supernumerary on the books of the Dragon 74, bearing the flag in the West Indies of Sir Fras. Laforey, he became Acting-Lieutenant of the Ringdove 18, Capt. Wm. Dowers – to which vessel he was confirmed by commission dated 29 of the ensuing Oct. He invalided in May, 1812, and was lastly, from the next Oct. until Sept. 1814, employed in the Bermdda 10, Capts. Jas. John Gordon Bremer and Wm. Wolrige, on the Downs station (where he was often in action with the Boulogne batteries, and assisted in making several captures), and also off Gottenborg and the north coast of Sweden.

Lieut. Langdon married Anne, daughter of Wm. Elliott, Esq., of co. Somerset, by whom, who died 20 May, 1844, he has issue an only child, Anne Elliott, now the wife of Sir Thos. Howland Roberts, Bart., of Brightfieldstown, co. Cork. Agents – Pettet and Newton.



LANGFORD. (Commander, 1829.)

Thomas Netherton Langford, born in 1805, is second son of Edw. Langford, Esq., of Trungle, co. Cornwall, Captain in the Royal Cornwall Militia, and late of H.M. 49th Regt. of Foot, by Mary, eldest daughter of Henry Whitmarsh, Esq., of Batt’s Place, near Taunton, J.P.

This officer entered the Navy 3 Oct. 1818; passed his examination in 1824; obtained his first commission 30 Nov. 1826; and was successively appointed – 15 Feb. 1827, to the Badger 10, Capt. Chas. Crowdy, in the North Sea – 18 March, 1828, to the Sapphire 28, Capt. Henry Dundas, in South America – and, 13 Nov. 1828, to the Ganges 84, as Flag-Lieutenant to Sir Robt. Waller Otway, on the same station. He was promoted, on being paid off, to his present rank 19 Sept. 1829; and has since been on half-pay.

Commander Langford married, 11 Feb. 1835, Caroline, eldest daughter of the late Hon. and Rev. Jas. St. Leger, brother of Viscount Doneraile, and by that lady has issue. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.



LANGLEY. (Lieut., 181.5. f-p., 10; h-p., 32.)

William Langley entered the Navy, 2 April, 1805, as Master’s Mate, on board the Sir Edward Hughes 38, Capts. Hood Hanway Christian, Gilbert Heathcote, and Edw. Ratsey, attached to the force in the East Indies. Removing, in Oct. 1807, to the Cumberland 74, he was for five years employed in that ship on the Mediterranean and North Sea stations under the orders of Capts. Hon. Philip Wodehouse, Elias Harvey, Robt. Clephane, Robt. Waller Otway, and Thos. Baker; after which we find him, from Oct. 1812 until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 3 Feb. 1815, serving on board the Impètueux 74, flag-ship off Lisbon of the late Sir Geo. Martin, Magicienne 36, Capt. Hon. Wm. Gordon (under whom he witnessed the fall of St. Sebastian in Sept. 1813), and Prince 98, and Montagu 74, commanded at Spithead and Cork by Capts. Geo. Fowke and Peter Heywood. He has since been on half-pay.



LANGTON. (Lieut., 1823. f-p., 24; h-p., 15.)

Thomas William Langton was born in the autumn of 1796 at Leicester.

This officer entered the Navy, 23 Dec. 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Amphion 32, Capt. Wm. Hoste, stationed in the Adriatic. While in that frigate, besides participating in much boat-service, it was his fortune to be present, 13 March, 1811, in the celebrated action off Lissa, where a British squadron, carrying in the whole 156 guns and 879 men, completely routed, after a battle of six hours, and a loss to the Amphion of 15 killed and 47 wounded, a Franco-Venetian armament, whose force amounted to 284 guns and 2655 men. On that occasion Mr. Langton was one of only three out of 10, composing the Midshipman’s berth, who escaped without injury. When subsequently with the same Captain in the Bacchante 38, he commanded a boat under Lieut. Silas Thomson Hood, and was spoken of in the highest possible terms for his conduct at the capture, 12 June, 1813, from under the town of Gela-Nova, on the coast of Abruzzo, of seven large gun-boats mounting each 1 long 18-pounder in the bow, 3 smaller gun-vessels with a 4-pounder in the bow, and 14 sail of merchantmen, four of which also had guns in the bow. The British, as they advanced, were exposed to a heavy fire of grape and musketry; and it was not until they were fairly alongside the gun-boats that the crews of the latter slackened their fire: they were then driven from their vessels with great loss – one, the