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

Henry Duncan (24 November 1735 – 7 October 1814) was an officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, who saw service in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Duncan was born in

Dundee, Scotland Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

to Alexander Duncan,

Town Clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...

of Dundee, and Isobel Crawford.

Career

Duncan began his sea life in the merchant service, possibly in that of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

, but entered the

on in 1755 joining . Duncan later joined . On 3 January 1759, Duncan passed his examination for lieutenant and joined . Duncan then joined HMS ''Prince'' in

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

, but was soon transferred to and then . He married Mary French in Dartmouth, on 27 November 1761. He participated in the capture of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

in 1802 with HMS ''Scout''. On 26 May 1768, Duncan was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

and joined . Soon after he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. In January, 1776, William Howe was appointed as Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America and chose Duncan to join him as

flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a " captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "Firs ...

of . His career in North America lasted for the next six to seven years. On the commands of General Howe, Duncan commanded an invasion fleet of 26 ships carrying 2,000 men led by General

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

from New York to

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...

, to raid Continental Army supply depots in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...

, on 22 April 1777, resulting in the

Battle of Ridgefield The Battle of Ridgefield was a series of American Revolutionary War skirmishes in Danbury, Connecticut and Ridgefield, Connecticut. History On April 25, a British Army during the American Revolutionary War, British force under the command of th ...

. Duncan later returned to Europe to participate in the relief of Gibraltar in 1781. He was appointed Commissioner at Halifax. He participated in the

North British Society The North British Society (also known as "The Scots" and "Scots Club") was founded in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1768, the oldest Scottish heritage society outside Great Britain. North British is an adjective used as an alternative to "Scottish". ...

. He was appointed to the

Nova Scotia Council Formally known as "His Majesty's Council of Nova Scotia", the Nova Scotia Council (1720–1838) was the original British administrative, legislative and judicial body in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Council was also known as the Annapolis Counci ...

in 1788, resigning in 1801. Duncan remained at Halifax until 1799, when he returned to England, to be appointed Commissioner at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

, and Deputy-Comptroller of the Navy in January, 1801. He retired from the post in 1806 and resided at Dartmouth until his death on 7 October 1814. His widow Mary survived until 25 September 1823.

Notes

a. The parish records of Dundee indicate that the birth date of "24 November 1735" is incorrect The Parish Records of Dundee, Angus, Scotland
Born 24 January 1739 Baptised 27 January 1739
Henry son of Mr Alexr Duncan, Clerk and Isabel Crawford
In commemoration of Henry Crawford late of Monorgan, grandfather, Henry Crawford of Monorgan, uncle

References

* Laughton, J. K. "Journals of Henry Duncan, Captain, Royal Navy 1776–1782." ''The Naval Miscellany, Vol. I.'' , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Henry 1735 births 1814 deaths Military personnel from Dundee Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy captains 18th-century Royal Navy personnel