Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

William Cayley (5 May 1742 – 3 January 1801) was a British Royal Navy officer.

Family and early life

William Cayley was the fourth son of Sir George Cayley (1707-1791), the fourth of the

Cayley baronets The Cayley Baronetcy, of Brompton in the County of York, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 26 April 1661 for William Cayley, who had earlier fought as a Royalist in the Civil War. His great-great-great-grandson (the title ...

. He was christened at St Michael le Belfrey, York on 5 May 1742.

Naval career

William Cayley was commissioned a lieutenant in 1762. In 1781 he was appointed commander and captain of . The following year he was appointed captain of and saw action against a Franco-Spanish fleet in the indecisive Battle of Cape Spartel. In 1794 he was captain of the newly commissioned . The following year he commissioned HMS ''Juste'', a captured French ship, and commanded her for two months. He then took command of . Over the next few years he escorted convoys and engaged in various battles with the French. In May 1796 he captured ''Alexandre'' off Madeira, and freed the Portuguese ship ''Signior Montcalm'', which ''Alexandre'' had previously captured. The Royal Navy subsequently took her into service as . In December that year he was involved in an attack on the French fleet off

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

. In 1797 he was present when Trinidad was surrendered to the British. In 1799 he was in the British fleet that received the surrender of

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

Death

He died at

Chatham, Kent Chatham ( ) is a town located within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. The town developed around Chatham ...

on 3 January 1801.''The Naval Chronicle'' vol.5, January-July 1801

References

External links

William Cayley (1742–1801)

Cayley Family History website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cayley, William William 1742 births 1801 deaths Royal Navy officers Royal Navy captains