Henry Duncan (24 November 1735 – 7 October 1814) was an officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

, who saw service in the American War of Independence. Duncan was born in

Dundee, Scotland Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

to Alexander Duncan,

Town Clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...

of Dundee, and Isobel Crawford.

Career

Duncan began his sea life in the merchant service, possibly in that of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

, but entered the

on in 1755 joining . Duncan later joined . On 3 January 1759, Duncan passed his examination for lieutenant and joined . Duncan then joined HMS ''Prince'' in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, but was soon transferred to and then . He married Mary French in Dartmouth, on 27 November 1761. He participated in the capture of

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

in 1762 and was moved to . During this time he had two children, Isabella (born 23 August 1764) and Arthur French (born 9 February 1769). Duncan already had an older son, Henry, who later served in the Navy from 1781 until being lost off the coast of Newfoundland in 1802 with HMS ''Scout''. On 26 May 1768, Duncan was promoted to commander and joined . Soon after he was promoted to captain. In January, 1776, William Howe was appointed as Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America and chose Duncan to join him as

flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First ...

of . His career in North America lasted for the next six to seven years. On the commands of General Howe, Duncan commanded an invasion fleet of 26 ships carrying 2,000 men led by General

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

from New York to

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

, to raid Continental Army supply depots in Danbury, Connecticut, on 22 April 1777, resulting in the

Battle of Ridgefield The Battle of Ridgefield was a battle and a series of skirmishes between American and British forces during the American Revolutionary War. The main battle was fought in the village of Ridgefield, Connecticut, on April 27, 1777. More skirmishin ...

. Duncan later returned to Europe to participate in the relief of Gibraltar in 1781. He was appointed Commissioner at Halifax. He participated in the

North British Society The North British Society (also known as "The Scots" and "Scots Club") was founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1768, the oldest Scottish heritage society outside Great Britain. North British is an adjective used as an alternative to "Scottish". ...

. He was appointed to the

Nova Scotia Council Formally known as "His Majesty's Council of Nova Scotia", the Nova Scotia Council (1720–1838) was the original British administrative, legislative and judicial body in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Council was also known as the Annapolis Counci ...

in 1788, resigning in 1801. Duncan remained at Halifax until 1799, when he returned to England, to be appointed Commissioner at Sheerness, and Deputy-Comptroller of the Navy in January, 1801. He retired ifrom the post in 1806 and resided at Dartmouth until his death on 7 October 1814. His widow Mary survived until 25 September 1823.

Notes

a. The parish records of Dundee indicate that the birth date of "24 November 1735" is incorrect The Parish Records of Dundee, Angus, Scotland
Born 24 January 1739 Baptised 27 January 1739
Henry son of Mr Alexr Duncan, Clerk and Isabel Crawford
In commemoration of Henry Crawford late of Monorgan, grandfather, Henry Crawford of Monorgan, uncle

References

* Laughton, J. K. "Journals of Henry Duncan, Captain, Royal Navy 1776–1782." ''The Naval Miscellany, Vol. I.'' *"Captain Henry Duncan RN 1735–1814." Clan Duncan Society. 13 May 2008. 20 May 2008. originally from . , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Henry 1735 births 1814 deaths Military personnel from Dundee Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy officers 18th-century Royal Navy personnel