Sir Charles Rich, 3rd Baronet (1680 – 17 October 1706) was an officer in 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 ...

during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

. Born in 1680, the eldest of four sons of the politician and

Lord of the Admiralty This is a list of lords commissioners of the Admiralty (incomplete before the Restoration, 1660). The lords commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of the Board of Admiralty, which exercised the office of Lord High Admiral when it was ...

Sir Robert Rich, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Rich, 2nd Baronet (c. 1648 – 1 October 1699) was an English Whig politician. Rich was the second son of Nathaniel Rich of Stondon and his wife Elizabeth Hampden, married his distant cousin, Mary Rich, and inherited her father's ...

, Charles Rich embarked on a naval career. He was commissioned a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 9 January 1697 and appointed as second lieutenant of the 60-gun . His commission was confirmed by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

on 24 March 1697 and on 14 April 1697 he joined the 100-gun HMS ''Queen'' as her fifth lieutenant. From the ''Queen'' he transferred into the 50-gun on 25 November 1697 as her

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

, and then the 32-gun on 23 March 1698. On 17 July 1699 Rich was appointed first lieutenant of the 48-gun . On 25 September 1699, he succeeded his father as Vice-Admiral of Suffolk, several days before his father's death on 1 October 1699. As his father's heir, Charles succeeded to the family baronetcy as third baronet, of London, but continued his naval career. On 28 February 1701 Rich was appointed second lieutenant of the 64-gun , transferring to the 70-gun , again as second lieutenant, on 1 December 1701. On 19 January 1702 Rich 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 given command of the 28-gun . He captained her for the following year, during which time he relinquished his position as Vice-Admiral of Suffolk to

Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart (30 January 1649 – 23 February 1727), styled Lord Huntingtower from 1651 to 1698, was a British Tory politician and peer. A Member of Parliament at Westminster, he inherited Scottish peerages and was bri ...

on 8 July 1702, and saw action against the French and Spanish at the

Battle of Vigo Bay The Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande (; ), was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish ...

on 12 October 1702 as part of an allied Anglo-Dutch fleet under Admirals

George Rooke Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke (1650 – 24 January 1709) was an Royal Navy officer and politician. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Solebay and again at the Battle of Schooneveld duri ...

and

Philips van Almonde Philips van Almonde (29 December 1644 – 6 January 1711) was a Dutch States Navy officer who served in his nation's maritime conflicts of the 17th and early 18th centuries. Philips was born in Brielle, Den Briel, the son of Pieter Jansz van ...

. Promoted to

post captain Post-captain or post captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term "post-captain" was descriptive only; it was never used as a title in the form "Post-Captain John Smith". The term served to di ...

, Rich took command of the 32-gun on 19 January 1703, remaining in command until 17 October that year. Sir Charles died on 17 October 1706 at the age of 26, and was buried on 19 October 1706 in

St Margaret's Church, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster ...

. The burial register noted that he was "of

Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is located along the A145 r ...

in Suffolk", and was "Captain of the Feversham man of war". No gravestone or memorial has survived. This entry notwithstanding,

John Charnock John Charnock (28 November 1756 – 16 May 1807) was a Royal Navy volunteer and author. He wrote a book on the history of marine architecture, a book on Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, and ''Biographia Navalis'' about leading figures in B ...

recorded in his ''Biographia Navalis'' that according to a "private M.S. memorandum, which we believe authentic" that Rich was captain of the 32-gun at the time of his death. As he died without issue, the baronetcy descended to his younger brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

, a distinguished army officer.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rich, Charles, 3rd Baronet 1680s births 1706 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England Royal Navy captains British naval commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession Burials at St Margaret's, Westminster