- William Batten
:"William Batten links here. For the rugby league footballer of the same name, see
Billy Batten ."Sir William Batten ( c. 1600 - 1667) was a British sailor, son of
Andrew Batten , master in theRoyal Navy .He first appears in history as taking out letters of marque in 1626, and in 1638 he obtained the post of
Surveyor of the Navy , probably by purchase. In March 1642 he was appointed second-in-command under theEarl of Warwick , the parliamentary admiral who took the fleet out of the kings hands. It was Vice-Admiral Batten's squadron which bombarded Scarborough whenHenrietta Maria landed there. He was accused (it appears unjustly) by the Royalists of directing his fire particularly on the house occupied by the queen, and up to the end of the First Civil War showed himself a steady partisan of the parliament. To the end of the First Civil War, Batten continued to patrol the English seas, and his action in 1647 in bringing intoPortsmouth a number of Swedish ships of war and merchantmen, which had refused the customary salute to the flag, was approved by parliament.When the Second Civil War began he was distrusted by the Independents and removed from his command, though he confessed his continued willingness to serve the state. When part of the fleet revolted against the parliament, and joined the prince of Wales, May 1648, Batten went with them. He was knighted by the prince, but being suspected by the Royalists, was put ashore mutinously in
Holland and returned to England. He lived in retirement during the Commonwealth period.At
the Restoration Sir William Batten became once moreSurveyor of the Navy . In this office he was in constant intercourse withSamuel Pepys , whose diary frequently mentions him; but the insinuations of Pepys against him must not be taken too seriously, as there is no evidence to show that Batten in making a profit from his office fell below the standards of the time. In 1661 he became MP for Rochester, and in 1663 he was made Master ofTrinity House .References
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* http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/batten.htm
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