Captain Sir Richard Spencer KCH (9 December 1779 – 24 July 1839) the son of Richard Spencer, a London merchant.Australian Encyclopaedia, Vol VIII; Angus & Robertson Ltd for Grolier Society of Australia PL (1958) Editor-in-Chief Alec H Chisholm He was a captain 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 served in a number of battles, particularly against the French. In 1833 he was appointed

Government Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indir ...

King George's Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

, now

Albany, Western Australia Albany ( ; nys, Kinjarling) is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a ...

. He was born in Southwark,

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, and died at Strawberry Hill Government Farm, Mira Mar in Albany, Western Australia.

Naval career

Spencer joined the ship's complement of the 38-gun frigate HMS ''Arethusa'', in 1793, as captain's servant. He joined the

74-gun The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...

in 1794. He took part in the 4th Battle of Ushant, also known as the

Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June (1 June 1794), also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic ...

, in 1794. He transferred to after she was captured in the battle. He was wounded in action on 23 June. Spencer was appointed a midshipman in 1795 and moved to , a 16-gun sloop, under Robert Larkan. He went with Larkan to the latter's new command, the 20-gun , in September 1797. In 1799, Spencer was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. He was commissioned into , a 100-gun ship of the line. However, she blew up in an accident before he could join her. He joined the 80-gun , one of the few French ships to escape

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 ...

at the Battle of the Nile. She had, however, subsequently been captured. She was then renamed . He then joined the sloop , as lieutenant to the captain. This vessel supported the campaign to oust

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's troops from

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. Spencer was captured in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

in 1803, having been put ashore after hostilities had again broken out after 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. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it s ...

. He escaped in the

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vessel ''Enighiden'' and was rescued by . From here, he was transferred to , Nelson's flagship in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

. He gave Nelson what information he had gleaned from his stay in Genoa. Nelson appointed him to command the captured French 12-gun privateer schooner ; her name was changed to HMS ''Crafty''. He was injured by an oar on board ''Crafty''s jolly boat, which may have left a permanent mark on his health. He did not take part in 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 ...

but he had lost a useful friend in Nelson. In 1806, he captured vessels running sulphur from

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Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

, France, for making

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

. He took part in the

Battle of Maida The Battle of Maida, fought on 4 July 1806 was a battle between the British expeditionary force and a French force outside the town of Maida in Calabria, Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. John Stuart led 5,236 Anglo-Sicilian troops to victory ...

, in which his vessel harassed the retreating French army.The Battle of Maida gave rise to the name

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is ...

, a suburb of London. By successful diplomacy, he obtained the release of Christian slaves from the Dey of Algiers. He personally saved his ship from accidental destruction by the much larger HMS ''Eagle'', in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...

harbour. He had to surrender his ship to three

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privateers, in 1807. He was later cleared by

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

for the loss of ''Crafty'', but was reprimanded for having lost contact with , with which he had been in company, and for staying too long at anchor in the harbour where the Spanish found him. He next was involved in action against the

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, in the

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. He was promoted to Commander on 8 April 1808 and given command of ''Samarang'', in which he participated the Spice Islands campaign that led to the capture of Amboyna and captured Pulo Ay. He was made

post captain Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from: * Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...

on 25 July 1810 and then on 18 August took command of . Prize money acquired during his successful career enabled him and his family to settle down after the end of hostilities in 1815. He retired from the Navy in 1817.

Marriage

While in the evening of his

career, he married Ann Warden Liddon, of

Charmouth Charmouth is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England. The village is situated on the mouth of the River Char, around north-east of Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council estimated that in 2013 the population of the civil parish was 1,31 ...

, near

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Heri ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, England. Their first son, Richard, was born in

in 1814 but died in Malta in 1815. They were to have 12 children.

Lyme Regis

He bought a house in

, in 1817. This was situated on the Exeter road, overlooking the Cobb harbour. After the Great Storm of 1824, no doubt stimulated by fears for the safety of shipping on that treacherous coast, he was engaged in pioneering ideas for a buoyant and self-righting '

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

'. This was an adapted pilot boat, with copper

buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the ...

tanks fitted.

Knighthood and Australia

Richard Spencer followed news of the colonization of Australia with interest. He determined to emigrate for the sake of the future of his several children. He was knighted in 1833 ( Companion of the Order of the Bath 1815 and Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order 1833). This was not a government nomination but was in the personal gift of

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

. He was appointed Government Resident of the settlement at King George's Sound, now Albany, Western Australia, in 1833. Spencer, together with 21 members of his family and servants, emigrated to Australia arriving at King George's Sound in September 1833 with merino sheep, cattle, horses other livestock along with plants, fruit-tree cuttings and seeds. In his time in Australia, he pioneered farming methods suitable to that difficult terrain and climate. Spencer died at his residence on 24 July 1839.Robert Stephens,
Spencer, Sir Richard (1779 - 1839)
, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition, Copyright 2006, updated continuously, ISSN 1833-7538, published by Australian National University His two oldest living sons died in tragic accidents shortly after their father's death.

Family

Sir Richard Spencer (9 December 1779 – 24 July 1839) married Ann Warden Liddon (1795 – 19 July 1855). Their family included: *Hugh Seymour Spencer (13 May 1815 – 5 March 1840) drowned along with

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been se ...

harbourmaster A harbourmaster (or harbormaster, see spelling differences) is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct opera ...

John Lawrence Morley as the result of a boating accident. *Mary Ann (Marianne?) Spencer (c. 1816 – 24 August 1886) married

Arthur Trimmer Arthur Trimmer (1805–1877) was one of three brothers who were early settlers in the colony of Western Australia. He was the grandson of Sarah Trimmer (1741–1810), an educational reformer and writer. Arthur’s father was William Kirby Trimme ...

on 18 April 1836 *Edward May Spencer (c. 1819 – 4 September 1869) committed suicide by gunshot *Augusta Spencer (10 May 1821 – 14 November 1871) married George Edward Egerton-Warburton (25 March 1819 – 20 March 1889) on 23 November 1842 in Albany. George was a brother of

Peter Egerton-Warburton Colonel Peter Egerton-Warburton (16 August 1813 – 5 November 1889), often referred to as Major Warburton, was a British military officer, Commissioner of Police for South Australia, and an Australian explorer. In 1872 he sealed his legacy th ...

. * Elizabeth Lucy "Eliza" Spencer (1823 – 4 September 1898) married Sir

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

on 2 November 1839 *Horatio William Spencer (1824 – November 1839) killed, along with servant William McKath, when falling tree crushed their house. *Joseph Spencer (1829 – 1 January 1891) *Richard Augustus Spencer (1831 – 31 October 1890)

Post script

Spencer's home, built in 1831, was called The Old Farm and was located at Strawberry Hill in the current Albany suburb of Mira Mar. He and his family took ownership in 1833. It is now preserved by the National Trust of Australia. The Old Farm at Strawberry Hill has exceptional national and state cultural significance as it was the first farm in the state of Western Australia, about being developed by the officers of the military settlement of King George's Sound. Vegetables were grown there for the survival of the soldiers and then the early settlers. A cottage was constructed by Dr

Alexander Collie Dr Alexander Collie (2 June 1793 – 8 November 1835) was a Scottish surgeon and botanist who journeyed to Western Australia in 1829, where he was an explorer and Colonial Surgeon. Early life Collie was born in Insch in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on ...

, the first Government Resident, for a visit by Governor Stirling in 1831. It was extended in 1836 by Richard Spencer.

Footnotes

;Notes ;Citations

References

*Chessell, Gwen S. J. (2005) ''Richard Spencer: Napoleonic war naval hero and Australian pioneer''. (Charles and Joy Staples South West Region Publications Fund; UWA Publishing). *
History of ships of the Royal NavyNaval historyNational Trusts of Australia - history of The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer RN, Richard 1779 births 1839 deaths Royal Navy officers Settlers of Western Australia People from Albany, Western Australia People from Southwark Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars