Admiral Roddam at Spithead, and soon attained the rating of Midshipman. In Nov. 1791 he joined the Hector 74, Captain (afterwards Rear-Admiral) Geo. Montagu; prior to following whom into the London 98, he assisted in the unfortunate attack made, in June, 1793, on the island of Martinique. Towards the close of 1794 he was received on board the Porcupine 24, Capt. Alex. Fraser, stationed in the North Sea; and in the following year he sailed in the Dictator 64, Capt. Thos. Totty, for the West Indies; where he became, in Aug. and Nov. 1796, Master’s Mate of the Alfred 74, also commanded by Capt. Totty, and Queen 98, flag-ship of Sir Wm. Parker, and, in Jan. 1797, Acting-Lieutenant of the Success and Hermione frigates, each under the orders of Capt. Hugh Pigot. He was confirmed, 10 Feb. 1797, into the Ambuscade 32, Capts. Thos. Twysden and Henry Jenkins, in which ship he returned to England; and he was subsequently appointed – 8 Oct. 1798, to the Russel 74, Capts. Sir Henry Trollope and Herbert Sawyer, attached to the Channel fleet – 22 April, 1800, to the Glenmore frigate, Capts. Geo. Duff, John Talbot, and John Maitland, on the Irish station, where he remained until July, 1802 – 1 Nov. 1803, to the Téméraire 98, Capt. Elias Harvey, in the Channel, 4 April, 1805, to the Venus 32, Capt. Henry Matson, in which frigate he was employed until July, 1807, on the coast of Ireland, off Deal, and in the West Indies – 2 Aug. 1808, for four months, to the Ephira 10, in the North Sea – and, 10 July, 1809, to the command, which he retained until March, 1816, of the Signal station at Land’s End. He was placed on the Senior List of Retired Commanders 31 Dec. 1838.
RATTRAY. (Captain, 1815. f-p., 15; h-p., 32.)
James Rattray, born in 1790, is eldest son of the late David Rattray, Esq., M.D., by Dora, daughter of John Arnold, Esq.; and brother of Colonel David Rattray, of the 63rd regt., who married a daughter of General Hamilton, of Dalzell, N.B. His grandfather, Jas. Rattray, of Runnygullion, Drimmie, and Corb, co. Perth – a gentleman devoted to the cause of the Royal House of Stuart, who remained amongst the last of the adherents of Charles Edward on the field of Culloden – was son and heir of Sir Rullion Rattray, of Runnygullion (a descendant of the ancient Scotch family of that name), and married a daughter of Sir Jas. Kinloch, Bart.
This officer entered the Navy, 12 June, 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Courageux 74, commanded by the late Sir Sam. Hood, whom, after attending the expedition to Ferrol, he followed, in Jan. 1801, into the Venerable 74, part of the force engaged in the following July under Sir Jas. Saumarez in the actions off Algeciras and Cadiz. In May, 1802, after having served for nearly five months at Portsmouth in the Texel 64, Capt. Robt. Incledon, and Ajax 74, Capt. Bradley, he joined the Achille 74, Capt. John Okes Hardy, lying at Plymouth, whence in a short time he sailed for the West Indies with that officer in his old ship the Courageux. In June, 1803, he assisted at the reduction of Ste. Lucie. He next, on his return to England, joined, in Nov. of the same year, the Britannia 100, Capt. (afterwards Rear-Admiral) the Earl of Northesk, under whom he fought as Master’s Mate at the battle of Trafalgar 21 Oct. 1805. In June, 1806, he became attached to the Royal George 100, Capt. Chas. Gill, lying at Plymouth, and, about a month afterwards, to the Centaur 74, Commodore Sir Sam. Hood, with whom he cruized among the Western Islands and off Rochefort until made Lieutenant, 24 March, 1807, into the Bulwark 74, Capt. Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming. During the three following years he served in the West Indies and Mediterranean; and in April, 1810, he was detached in a bomb-vessel to assist in the defence of Fort Matagorda, near Cadiz, before which latter place and Tarifa he was for nearly two years employed in command of a gunboat, with his name on the books of the Alfred 74, Capt. Joshua Sydney Horton. In April, 1812, having been advanced to the rank of Commander on 1 of the preceding Feb., he returned to England. His last appointments were, 25 Nov. 1812 and 18 Aug. 1815, to the Contest 12 and Childers 16. In the former vessel we find him, besides cruizing in the West Indies and Channel, serving with activity in the Chesapeake. In command of her boats and of those of the Mohawk 18 he succeeded, 14 July, 1813, in cutting out the U.S. gun-vessel Asp, of 3 guns and 25 men, hauled up close to the beach, under the protection of a large body of militia, after an action in which the British had 2 killed and 6 wounded, and the enemy 10, including their Commander, killed and wounded. He attained his present rank 20 Sept. 1815; and accepted the Retirement 1 Oct. 1846.
Capt. Rattray is a Magistrate for co. Warwick. He married, 2 June, 1828, Emily, third daughter of the late John Vivian, Esq., of Portland Place, London, and Claverton, co. Somerset, by whom he has issue.
RAVEN. (Retired Commander, 1845. f-p., 13; h-p., 34.)
Michael Raven entered the Navy, 1 Oct. 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Monmouth 64, Capt. Geo. Hart, in which ship he accompanied the expedition of 1801 to Egypt, and continued employed as Midshipman in Yarmouth Roads, part of the time under the flag of Rear-Admiral Thos. Macnamara Russell, until transferred, in Oct. 1804, to the Tribune frigate, Capts. Rich. Henry Alex. Bennett and Thos. Baker, under the latter of whom we find him, when in company with the Iris 36, assisting at the destruction, 29 April, 1807, of the greater part of a convoy of 30 sail passing from Ferrol to Bilbao under the protection of several gun-boats. In Dec. of the latter year he removed to the Cumberland 74, Capt. Philip Wodehouse; he attained the rank of Lieutenant 28 May, 1808; and from 6 Dec. following until he invalided in July, 1813, he served in the West Indies and Mediterranean on board the Castor 32, Capts. Wm. Roberts and Chas. Dilkes. Under Capt. Roberts he contributed, in 1809-10, to the capture of the French 74-gun ship D’Haupoult and the reduction of the island of Guadeloupe. He accepted the rank of Commander on the Retired List 30 April, 1845.
RAWDON. (Lieut., 1822. f-p., 10; h-p., 25.)
Charles Wyndham Rawdon entered the Navy, 10 June, 1812, as a Volunteer, on board the Antelope 50, Capt. Jas. Carpenter, bearing the flag of Sir John Thos. Duckworth at Newfoundland; and from Feb. 1813 until Jan. 1815 was employed in South America in the Phoebe of 46 guns and 300 men, Capt. Jas. Hillyar. On 28 March, 1814, he assisted, off Valparaiso, at the capture of the American frigate Essex of 46 guns and 265 men, after a warm action of two hours, productive of a loss to the British of 4 men killed and 7 wounded, and to the enemy of 24 killed and 45 wounded. On leaving the Phoebe he joined the Cornwallis 74, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Burlton in the East Indies, where he removed, in Sept. 1815, to the Doris 42, Capts. Robt. O’Brien and John Harper. In March, 1816, having returned to England, he was received on board the Minden 74, Capt. Wm. Paterson, with whom he again, subsequently to the bombardment of Algiers, proceeded to India. In 1819 he came home as a Supernumerary in the Malabar 74, Capt. John Clavell. He was next, in the spring of 1820, ordered to South America in the Conway 26, Capt. Basil Hall, of which vessel he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant about Dec. 1821. He went on half-pay in Sept. 1822, having been officially promoted on 11 of the preceding June, and has not been since afloat. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
