One of his brothers was killed on board the Monarch 74, Vice-Admiral Onslow’s flag-ship, in the action off Camperdown, 11 Oct. 1797, and was buried with the honours of war at Minster Church, near Sheerness, where a monument was erected to his memory by his brother officers. A brother-in-law of the Commander was killed in action while defending H.M. packet Montagu, of 6 guns and 30 men, against the American privateer Globe, of 16 guns and 160 men, which vessel was in the end beaten off.
This officer entered the Navy, 25 May, 1798, as Midshipman, on board the Monarch 74, Capt. Edw. O’Brien, bearing the flag of Sir Rich. Onslow in the North Sea. In Nov. 1800 he joined the Révolutionnaire 38, Capt. Thos. Twysden, on the Cork station; and he next, from Sept. 1801 until Feb. 1806, served, chiefly in the capacity of Mate, on board the Donegal 74, Capts. Sir Rich. John Strachan and Pulteney Malcolm. He assisted during that period at the capture, in 1804, of the Spanish 44-gun frigate Amfitrite, and of a ship with a cargo on board worth 200,000l. – accompanied Lord Nelson in pursuit of the combined fleets to the West Indies and back in 1805 – contributed, in the same year, to the capture of El Rayo, of 100 guns, one of the ships previously defeated at Trafalgar – and participated in the victory gained by Sir John Thos. Duckworth off St. Domingo, 6 Feb. 1806. On 14 of the latter month, as a reward for the conduct he had exhibited in the recent action, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of Le Jupiter 74, Capt. Chas. Gill, one of the ships taken from the French; and in the ensuing months of July and Feb. he was successively appointed Midshipman, on promotion, of the Royal George 100, and Ocean 98, flag-ships in the Mediterranean of Sir J. T. Duckworth and Lord Collingwood. He was confirmed a Lieutenant, 14 April, 1807, in the Queen 98, bearing the flag, also in the Mediterranean, of Rear-Admiral Geo. Martin, whom, in the course of the same year, he followed into the Canopus 80. He afterwards commanded the boats of a squadron at the capture of a French flotilla of 12 gun-boats from Gaeta, bound to Naples; and in Oct. 1809 joined in the pursuit which led to the self-destruction, off Cette, of the French ships-of-the-line Robuste and Lion. He also, in July, 1809 [errata 1], commanded the flotilla employed at the taking of Ischia and Procida. Being appointed Senior Lieutenant, in April, 1810, of the Termagant 18, Capts. Henry Evelyn Pitfield Sturt, Rich. Buck, Chas. Squire, and Gawen Wm. Hamilton, he commanded the boats of that sloop, and received a musket-ball in the body, in a cutting-out affair during the defence of Messina against the French. For this service he was created a Knight of the Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit by the King of the Two Sicilies, was presented with a gratuity from the Patriotic Fund, and was awarded a pension, subsequently increased to 150l. per annum. During his stay in the Termagant, of which he held for three months the acting command, he succeeded in one morning (22 July, 1812) in cutting out two privateers, one of which was L’Intrepide, of 3 guns and 40 men, taken near Malaga. He invalided home in Sept. 1812, and afterwards commanded the transports at the embarkation of the British army at Bourdeaux. Since his promotion to the rank of Commander, 15 June, 1814, he has been on half-pay.
Commander Moorman has been four times wounded. He married, 12 April, 1820, Miss Catherine Hill Millett, and by that lady has issue one son and three daughters. The son, a Midshipman R.N., was lately serving in the West Indies on board the Spartan 26, Capt. Hon. C. G. J. B. Elliot. Agents – Pettet and Newton.
MOORMAN. (Commander, 1845. f-p., 18; h-p., 6.)
Richard Moorman (b), born 19 April, 1810, at Tregony, co. Cornwall, is fourth and youngest son of Wm. Moorman, Esq., of Falmouth; and nephew of Commander Rich. Moorman (a), R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, ,27 Nov. 1823, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Semiramis 42, Capt. Peter Ribouleau, bearing the flag of Lord Colville at Cork; and, from Aug. 1825 until Nov. 1831 (in the course of which month he passed his examination), was employed, chiefly as Midshipman, in the Pandora 18 and Success 28, both commanded by Capt. Wm. Clarke Jervoise, and Calcutta 84, Capt. Peter Fisher, on the East India station. In Nov. 1829 the Success was all but lost on a reef, while making for Cockburn Sound, Western Australia. Five days elapsed before she could be got off, and then only by dint of the most determined exertions. The spirited and undaunted manner in which Mr. Moorman and his brother Midshipmen performed the very arduous duties that fell to their lot had the effect of officially eliciting the warmest praise and admiration on the part of Capt. Jervoise. In Feb. 1832 he was appointed Mate of the Pigeon, and in Sept. 1834 (after an interval of 15 months) of the Seagull, Falmouth packets, Lieut.-Commanders John Binney and John Parsons. On leaving the latter vessel, in Sept. 1835, he took command of a Liverpool West Indiaman, and continued trading from that port for a period of two years. In April, 1838, he joined the Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Sir T. Hastings; and, on 1 June, 1839, he entered the Royal Naval College, on the occasion of its being opened for the instruction of Mates and half-pay officers. He removed, in the capacity of Gunnery-Mate, to the Calcutta 84, Capt. Sir Sam. Roberts, 26 Sept. 1840; and, on 28 Sept. 1841, owing to the strong recommendation of Sir Thos. Hastings, and as a mark of the especial importance attached by their Lordships to the cultivation of gunnery, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. On his return to England from the Mediterranean he was reappointed, 7 Dec. 1841, to the Excellent, in which ship he continued employed, in the capacity of Gunnery-Lieutenant, until advanced to the rank of Commander, 30 Aug. 1845. He has been in command, since 14 Sept. 1847, of the Hecate steam-sloop, of 240-horse power.
MOORSOM. (Captain, 1818. f-p., 18; h-p., 25.)
Constantine Richard Moorsom, born 22 Sept. 1792, is son of the late Admiral Sir Robt. Moorsom, K.C.B.,[1] by Eleanor, daughter of Thos. Scarth, Esq., of Stakesby, near Whitby. One of his brothers, Robert, died in command of the Jasper sloop in 1826; and another was a Captain in the Army.
This officer (whose name had been borne, between Oct. 1804 and Jan. 1806, on the books of the Majestic and Revenge 74’s, both commanded by his father) entered the Royal Naval College 21 July, 1807, and (after having carried off three mathematical prizes, together with the first medal) embarked, 13 Nov. 1809, on board the Revenge, commanded at first by Capt. Hon. Chas. Paget, and subsequently by Capts. John Nash and Chas. Philip Butler Bateman, under whom he served at the defence of Cadiz – latterly as Signal-Mate to Rear-Admiral Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge – until May, 1812. He then
- ↑ Sir Robert Moorsom was born in June, 1760, and embarked, in 1777, on board the Ardent 64, commanded by the late Lord Mulgrave. Removing with the same officer to the Courageux 74, he was afforded an opportunity of participating, as Midshipman, in the battle off Ushant, under Admiral Keppel; the relief of Gibraltar, under Admiral Darby, and also under Lord Howe; and the action off Cape Spertel, and the capture, by Admiral Kemperfelt, of part of a convoy going to the West Indies with Admiral de Guichen. Attaining Post-rank in 1790, he commanded, during the war of 1793, the Niger and Astrea frigates, and Hindostan 50; and during that of 1803, the Majestic and Revenge 74’s. In the latter ship he served at the battle of Trafalgar 21 Oct. 1805. In the course of 1809 he was successively appointed a Colonel of Marines, a Lord of the Admiralty, and Master-General of the Ordnance. He became a Rear-Admiral in 1810, a Vice-Admiral in 1814, a K.C.B. in 1815, and a full Admiral in 1830. He commanded in chief at Chatham from 1824 to 1827; and died about April, 1835.
