Francis Austen

Infobox Military Person
name= Francis William Austen


caption=
born= birth date|1774|4|23|df=yes
died= death date and age|1865|8|10|1774|4|23|df=yes
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=
nickname=
allegiance=UK
branch=Royal Navy
serviceyears= 1786-1865
rank= Admiral of the Fleet
unit=
commands=
battles= French Revolutionary Wars
Napoleonic Wars
Crimean War
awards= GCB
relations=Jane Austen (sister)
laterwork=
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Francis William Austen, GCB (23 April 1774 – 10 August 1865) was a British officer who spent most of his long life on active duty in the Royal Navy, rising to the position of Admiral of the Fleet.

In October 1805, as commander of the HMS "Canopus", a French ship of the line captured in the Battle of the Nile (as the "Franklin"), Austen was temporarily detached from Admiral Nelson's fleet for convoy duty in the Mediterranean and missed fighting in the Battle of Trafalgar. However, Austen did command the "Canopus" the following year in the Battle of San Domingo, leading the lee line of ships into the battle.

Austen's rapid early promotions were largely due to the patronage of the powerful Warren Hastings, who was a friend of the Austen family and was alleged to be the natural father of Frank's cousin (and later sister-in-law), Eliza de Feuillide.

Austen was brother to novelist Jane Austen, and likely the model for the character William Price in the novel "Mansfield Park". He is buried in a tomb at Wymering Parish Church, Wymering, Portsmouth. It lies to the west of the church as viewed from the porch. The inscriptions are still legible.

External links

* [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Jane+Austen%27s+sailor+brothers%3a+Francis+and+Charles+in+life+and+art.-a0119224270 Jane Austen's sailor brothers (thefreelibrary.com)]

Persondata
NAME = Austen, Francis William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = British admiral
DATE OF BIRTH = 23 April 1774
PLACE OF BIRTH =
DATE OF DEATH = 10 August 1865
PLACE OF DEATH =