Henry Meriton (1762–1826) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

sea captain who worked for the British

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 Southea ...

(EIC). During his service he was involved in a famous shipwreck and three naval engagements. Henry was born in Rotherhithe. He first went to sea as an apprentice sailing on ''John and Richard'', which was involved in the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. In 1783 he began his career with the EIC, starting as Third Mate on . He was second mate on '' Halsewell'', which foundered off Purbeck on 6 January 1786. He wrote an account of the shipwreck with John Rogers, Third Mate. He was subsequently

Chief Mate A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the shi ...

on , , and also on . Meriton was captain of ''Exeter'' on her fourth voyage. It was this voyage that gave Meriton his order of rank in the EIC. His rank as commander dated from 16 October 1799, when he was given command of ''Exeter''.’’Naval Chronicle’’, Vol. 2, p. 643. It was on this voyage that Meriton participated in a notable naval action in which Meriton and ''Exeter'' captured a French

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

. Meriton was still captain of ''Exeter'' on her fifth voyage when she participated in the Battle of Pulo Aura on 14 February 1804. A fleet of East Indiamen bluffed a French naval squadron into withdrawing, believing that the East Indiamen were a stronger British naval squadron. After this voyage Meriton would go on to make several others for the EIC in different ships, with the result that in all he would hold the record of 12 voyages for the company. Meriton was wounded and captured in the action of 3 July 1810 while captain of . This was his last voyage. He then served for a number of years as the Marine Superintendent for the EIC in Bombay. He died in Greenwich on 7 August 1826.

Works

* (1786) ''A circumstantial narrative of the loss of the Halsewell, East-Indiaman ... Compiled from the communications ... of Mr. Henry Meriton and Mr. John Rogers'' London: William Lane

Citations and references

Citations References * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meriton, Henry British East India Company 1762 births 1826 deaths People from Rotherhithe Sea captains