Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarded ...

William Charles Chamberlain (21 April 1818 – 27 February 1878) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

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 ...

Family

He was the eldest son of the diplomat

Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet (1773– 31 July 1829) was a British diplomat, consul general to Portugal and chargé d'affaires to Brazil. He was created a baronet on 22 February 1828. Henry was a natural son of the Honourable Henry Fa ...

, by his second wife Anne Eugenia née Morgan. Chamberlain married, firstly, Elizabeth Jane (d. 29 August 1856), daughter of the naval officer, traveller, and author Captain

Basil Hall Basil Hall (31 December 1788 – 11 September 1844) was a British naval officer from Scotland, a traveller, and an author. He was the second son of Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, an eminent man of science. Biography Although his family home was ...

. They had 3 children,

Basil Hall Chamberlain Basil Hall Chamberlain (18 October 1850 – 15 February 1935) was a British academic and Japanologist. He was a professor of the Japanese language at Tokyo Imperial University and one of the foremost British Japanologists active in Japan during th ...

(1850–1935), a Japanologist, Henry Chamberlain (1853–1923), a lieutenant-commander in the

, and

Houston Stewart Chamberlain Houston Stewart Chamberlain (; 9 September 1855 – 9 January 1927) was a British-German philosopher who wrote works about political philosophy and natural science. His writing promoted German ethnonationalism, antisemitism, and scientific ra ...

(1855–1927), the natural historian and author, classified in the Oxford ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' as a "racialist writer". Chamberlain married, secondly,

Sarah Morgan Holroyd Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pio ...

(d. 29 December 1921), daughter of Thomas Holroyd on 29 October 1872. They had a daughter, Harriett Sarah Chamberlain, who died unmarried on 17 March 1939.''Burke's Peerage'' (1970), p.516

Royal Navy service

Chamberlain was promoted to lieutenant in November 1840 and to commander on 22 October 1844. He commanded on the west coast of Africa in 1847, on the south-east coast of America in 1851–2 and in 1855. He was promoted to captain on 21 February 1856, commanding and , both in the Mediterranean, in the early 1860s. He was the commanding officer of , the flagship of the Admiral-Superintendent at Portsmouth, and with this appointment came the role of captain of the Steam Reserve. He was the Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard from 1868 to 1874, and was promoted to the rank of rear admiral on 19 January 1874.

Death

Chamberlain died on 27 February 1878.

Family

Royal Navy service

Death

References

Further reading