80
BILLINGSLEY—BINDON—BINGHAM.
late John Bignell, Esq., upwards of 43 years a Purser, R.N.; and a relative of Commander E. H. Kenney, R.N., and of Dr. Jas. Anderson (b), R.N., Deputy Medical Inspector of Haslar Hospital. This officer entered the Navy, 1 June, 1795, as Midshipman, on board the Andromeda 32, Capt. Wm. Taylor, on the Halifax station, where, and in the Channel, he served with the same officer, latterly in the Magnanime 44, until 1800. In March, 1801, after an intermediate attachment to the Assistance 50, Capt. Robt. Hall, he became Acting-Lieutenant of the London 98, Capt. Robt. Waller Otway, and on the occasion of the battle of Copenhagen, 2 April following, commanded a flat-bottomed boat alongside the Elephant, Lord Nelson’s flag-ship, and was instrumental to the after-destruction of the Danish shipping. He continued to serve in the London, to which ship he was confirmed on 10 Sept. in the same year, until the peace; and was subsequently appointed – 11 April, 1803, to the Spartiate 74, Capt. Sir Eras. Laforey, under whom he fought at Trafalgar, was employed in guarding the coast of Sicily and in landing troops in the Bay of Naples, and co-operated in the reduction of the islands of Ischia and Procida – 26 Dec. 1809, to the Formidable 98, Capt. Jas. Nicoll Morris, stationed in the Baltic and off Lisbon – and, 23 June, 1812, to the Dover troop-ship, Capt. Aug. Vere Drury, in the boats of which he retook a schooner on the banks of Newfoundland, and then proceeded to Quebec. He afterwards volunteered his services on the Canadian Lakes, and on 10 Sept. 1813, while in command of the Hunter brig, of 10 guns, participated, with a flotilla under the orders of Commodore Robt. Heriot Barclay, and exhibited the greatest intrepidity, in a hard-fought and disastrous engagement with a superior American force on Lake Erie, under Commodore Perry.[1] He had the misfortune on that occasion to be very severely wounded; and, being taken prisoner in common with the rest of the British, was detained, as a hostage for some deserters who had been sent to England to be tried for their lives, until July, 1814. He attained his present rank 19 Sept. 1815, but has not since been employed.
Commander Bignell enjoys a pension of 150l., awarded him for his wounds, 16 Feb. 1816. He married, 25 May, 1816, Miss Charlotte Patch, and by that lady has issue six children.
BILLINGSLEY. (Lieut., 1820. f-p., 29; h-p., 6.)
John Billingsley was born 18 March, 1796.
This officer entered the Navy, 22 May, 1812, as Sec.-cl. Vol., on board the Junon 38, Capt. Jas. Sanders, under whom we find him for some time very actively employed on the coast of North America, particularly at the blockade of Chesapeake and Delaware rivers. On 8 Dec. [errata 1] 1813, he served with a division of boats, under Lieut. Kelly Nazer, at the capture, in gallant style, of the Lottery letter-of-marque, carrying 6 12-pounder carronades and 28 men, an exploit for which, in common with the other officers and men employed, he received the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief. While afterwards attached with Capt. Thos. Forrest to the Sybille 44, Mr. Billingsley cruised, as Midshipman, for the protection of the trade off Madeira, and then proceeded to the latitude of Greenland in quest of the American Commodore Rodgers. After serving for nearly three years and a half in the Vengeur 74, guard-ship at Portsmouth, Capts. Tristram Robt. Ricketts and Thos. Alexander, he joined, in Nov. 1818, the Parthian 10, Capts. Wilson Braddyll Bigland and Whitworth Lloyd, of which vessel, stationed in the West Indies, he was confirmed a Lieutenant 12 June, 1820. The Parthian being paid off in April, 1822, Mr. Billingsley was next in succession appointed, 27 Feb. 1823, 25 Jan. 1825, and 2 April, 1828, to the Eclair 18, Cambridge 82, and Pearl 20, Capts. Wm. Jas. Hope Johnstone, Thos. Jas. Maling, and Geo. Chas. Blake, on the South American and Irish stations. The latter ship was put out of commission 16 April, 1831. Lieut. BilLgsley, since 21 July, 1835, has been employed in the Coast Guard.
He married, 24 June, 1839, Charlotte, eldest daughter of the late Robt. Hicks, Esq., banker, of Ringwood, by whom he has issue one daughter.
BINDON. (Retired Commander, 1843. f-p., 21; h-p., 33.)
John Read Bindon entered the Navy, from the R N. Academy, 21 June, 1793, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Captain 74, Capt. Sam. Reeve. He served on shore in August following at the occupation of Toulon, and in December witnessed the destruction of the French shipping in that port; was further employed, as Midshipman, with the landforce at the reduction of St. Fiorenza and Bastia, in the island of Corsica, in Feb. and May, 1794; and, on 14 March and 13 July, 1795, participated in Hotham’s partial actions with the French fleet. In 1796 Mr. Bindon joined the Andromache 32, Capt. Chas. John Moore Mansfield, one of the in-shore squadron off Cadiz, and, on 31 Jan. 1797, during a close and destructive engagement of 40 minutes with an Algerine ship of similar force, when an attempt was made by the latter to board the British frigate, he received several sabre and gun-shot wounds. We are informed that, on 14 of the following month, he was also present in the action off Cape St. Vincent. Proceeding to the West Indies in the early part of 1799, Mr. Bindon was there promoted, from the Prince of Wales 98, bearing the flag of Lord Hugh Seymour, to a Lieutenancy, on 31 July in the same year, in the Invincible 74, Capt. Wm. Cayley, while under whose command he served on shore with the army during the operations which led to the conquest of the Dutch colony of Surinam. His subsequent appointments appear to have been – 26 June, 1800, to the Cyane 18, Capt. Hen. Matson, also stationed in the West Indies – 26 March, 1801, to the Daphne 20, Capt. Rich. Matson, in which vessel he returned to England – 1 Feb. 1803, to the Russell 74, Capt. Robt. Williams, whom he accompanied to the East Indies – 13 April, 1805, to the Stately 64, Capt. Geo. Parker, employed in the North Sea – and, in Sept. 1806, to the command of a signal-station on the west coast of Ireland, which he retained until 20 June, 1814. Since the latter date – with the exception of some time towards the close of 1821, when, owing to the disturbed state of the co. of Limerick, he was selected to command five armed boats on the river Shannon, and proved of great public utility – he has not been employed. He was placed on the Junior List of Retired Commanders 26 Nov. 1830, and on the Senior 23 Dec. 1843.
Commander Bindon holds an appointment in the Irish Constabulary. He married, 31 Jan. 1806, Sarah Eliza Vereker, cousin of the late Lord Gort, and niece of the late Col. Wm. Odell, M.P. for the co. of Limerick, and a Lord of the Treasury, by whom he has issue an only daughter.
BINGHAM. (Commander, 1840. f-p., 27; h-p., 7.)
Henry Hope Bingham, whose family is a branch of that of Bingham of Melcombe Bingham, co. Dorset, is second son of the Rev. Rich. Bingham, Canon of Chichester, Vicar of Hale Magna, in the diocese of Lincoln, and Incumbent of Gosport Church, by Lydia Mary Ann, eldest daughter of the late Rear-Admiral Sir Chas. Douglas, R.N., and sister of the late Vice-Admiral Sir Wm. Hen. Douglas, Bart., as also of the present Lieut.-General Sir Howard Douglas, Bart., G.C.M.G.[2] He is elder brother of Commander J. E. Bingham, R.N.; nephew
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1814, pp. 331-2.
- ↑ Sir Chas. Douglas was created a Baronet in 1777, for the extraordinarily service he had rendered, the year before, in forcing a passage for his squadron through the ice in the River St. Lawrence to the relief of Quebec, then closely besieged by the Americans. He served as Captain of the Fleet in Rodney’s action of 12 April, 1782, and to him is attributed the advice which induced that nobleman to establish the precedent of breaking the enemy’s line – a main cause of the signal victory which that day attended the British arms.
