Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Sir Henry William Bayntun GCB (1766 – 16 December 1840) was a senior officer in 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 F ...

, whose distinguished career in the

French Revolutionary The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...

and

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

was a catalogue of the highest and lowest points of the Navy during the conflict. His record includes extensive operations in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

followed by shipwreck, the

battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

and the disastrous expedition to Buenos Aires in 1807.

Early career

Born in 1766 in

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

, where his father was

Consul general A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

, Bayntun joined the navy at a young age and received his lieutenancy at just seventeen on 15 April 1783.Heathcote (p.1) When

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

broke out with

Revolutionary France The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

in 1793, Bayntun was sent to the

under Admiral Sir John Jervis and, after taking part in the capture of Martinique, he was given command of the sloop . Bayntun was also present during the invasion of Guadeloupe and on 4 May 1794, he was appointed post captain of HMS ''Undaunted'', the former French frigate, ''La Bienvenue'', captured during the Battle of Martinique. Bayntun was subsequently given command of the 36-gun ''HMS Reunion'', which was wrecked in December 1796. In January 1799, he was appointed to .Winfield (p.217) He then commanded

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...

, including and , with which he won acclaim during a successful blockade of the French Caribbean islands following their return to France under the terms of the

Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on perio ...

. In 1803 he captured the French frigate ''Créole'', along with her convoy and hundreds of troops aboard returning to France.Heathcote (p.2)

Trafalgar campaign

In 1804 Bayntun returned to England after ten years in the West Indies, and was given command of the fast

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third r ...

. She joined Nelson's fleet off Brest and subsequently sailed to the West Indies again in pursuit of the French fleet. After learning that the French had returned to European waters, ''Leviathan'' sailed to

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 ...

before arriving off

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

on 8 October 1805. Bayntun was in this way unusual amongst Trafalgar captains, many of whom had only just arrived on station for the blockade. At the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

on 21 October, Bayntun in ''Leviathan'' was fifth in Nelson's weather column, after , , and HMS ''Conqueror''. ''Leviathan'' raked the French flagship before engaging the massive . Seeing the distant approach of Rear-Admiral Dumanoir's squadron from the north, Captain

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

ordered ''Leviathan'' and other ships to close with the enemy. ''Leviathan'' engaged the Spanish ship , which was supported by ''Intrepide''. ''Conqueror'' then joined the fight and Bayntun was able to lay his ship alongside the badly damaged ''San Augustin'' whilst continuing to fire into ''Intrepide''. As the 74-gun HMS ''Orion'' passed, Bayntun shouted at her captain,

Edward Codrington Sir Edward Codrington, (27 April 1770 – 28 April 1851) was a British admiral, who took part in the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Navarino. Early life and career The youngest of three brothers born to Edward Codrington the elder (1732 ...

, ''"I hope you will make a better fist of it!"'' Some time later, with 160 of his crew dead or wounded, Commodore Don Fellipe of the ''San Augustin'' surrendered his sword to Bayntun. Of ''Leviathan's'' crew, four had been killed and just over 20 wounded during the battle. After the battle, with the weather worsening and concerns of a counter-attack; Vice-Admiral Collingwood, in command since the death of

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, ordered many of the prizes destroyed. Bayntun co-ordinated the evacuation of the ships closest to him which were to be scuttled. Bayntun's report on the matter stated that; although he had done his best to carry out the orders he'd been given, due to the weather, ''"...much less has been done than I most ardently wished and many boats have been lost."'' ''Leviathan'' also lost her prize, the ''San Augustin'', which was burnt as she foundered some days after the action. The ''Leviathan'' suffered little damage during the battle and subsequent storm, and was able to return to Gibraltar unaided.Heathcote (p.3) Bayntun was the guidon bearer at Nelson's state funeral during the water procession between

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

and

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

. He was also among the many officers that the

Lloyd's Patriotic Fund Lloyd's Patriotic Fund was founded on 28 July 1803 at Lloyd's Coffee House, and continues to the present day. Lloyd’s Patriotic Fund now works closely with armed forces charities to identify the individuals and their families who are in urgent ne ...

honoured with gifts.

Later career

In 1807 Bayntun participated in the naval aspects of the failed invasion of Argentina, but escaped the condemnation received by other of the officers involved. He continued in service, taking command of the 74-gun in 1809, and commanding the

royal yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...

HMY ''Royal Sovereign'' from 1811 until his promotion to rear-admiral of the blue on 12 August 1812. With the defeat of Napoleon and his exile to

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

, Bayntun was made a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in January 1815.Heathcote (p.4) Bayntun continued in the Navy as a semi-retired officer slowly gaining promotions, being advanced to rear-admiral of the white on 4 June 1814; rear-admiral of the red on 12 August 1819, and then to vice-admiral of the blue on 19 July 1819. He was further promoted to vice-admiral of the white on 27 May 1825 and vice-admiral of the red on 22 July 1830. On 10 January 1837 he was made an admiral of the blue and a

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

on 25 October 1839. Bayntun married Susannah, co-heiress with her half sister Lady William Beauclerk (mother of George 4th Duke of St Albans) of Sir John Warden 2nd Bt of Choimeaton, Leyland and Holyport. Their daughter Sussannah was born 1809 and married 31 May 1839 at St George's Hanover Square Richard Verity of Dean House, Huntington (son of Isaiah Verity of Ash Hall, Glamorgan).Glamorgan Archives – Verity Family Record – DXCB Henry William Bayntun died in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in 1840 and is buried in All Saints' Church, Weston, Bath, together with several family members. The Captain-class

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 ...

was named for him. She served during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

Bibliography

* *Winfield, Rif (2007) ''British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates.'' Seaforth Publishing. .

External links