Josceline Percy

Josceline Percy (29 January 1784, London – 19 October 1856, on his estate at Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire) was a Royal Navy admiral.

Family

Josceline was the fourth son of Algernon Percy, second Baron Lovaine of Alnwick (1750–1830) and his wife Isabella Susannah Burrell.

Through his father he was the grandson of Hugh Percy, first duke of Northumberland, and through his mother the grandson of Peter Burrell of Beckenham, Kent. His maternal uncle was Peter, first Baron Gwydyr, and Henry Percy (1785–1825) and William Henry Percy (1788–1855, another naval officer) were his younger brothers.

Life

Born with a twin brother (Hugh, 1784–1856), Percy's first naval service began in February 1797, on Lord Hugh Seymour's flagship HMS|Sans Pareil|1794|6. Next he served on HMS|Amphion|1798|6 from 1801 to 1803 in the Mediterranean and - whilst in that theatre of war - transferred (with Nelson and Hardy) into HMS|Victory. From there he was made HMS|Medusa|frigate|6's acting lieutenant (under Captain John Gore, who was later knighted) in August 1803, and his assistance in her capture of Spanish treasure ships on 5 October the following year led to that commission being confirmed the following 30 April.

He moved to HMS|Diadem|1782|6 sometime before 1806, for he was in that ship that year with Sir Home Riggs Popham during Cape Town's capture and was promoted from it to his first independent command came on 13 January 1806, over the brig HMS|Espoir. To reach that ship he was posted to the Dutch ship "Bato", then thought to be in Simon's Bay, but - finding the "Bato" destroyed and that the "Espoir" had already sailed back to England - he had no choice but to return to the "Diadem". The French 46-gun frigate "Volontaire" arrived in Table Bay on 4 March (not knowing the British had captured the Cape), and was seized, commissioned into the Royal Navy, and put under Percy's command, with orders to reach St Helena and head a convoy then returning to England. He also received confirmation of his two promotions of 1806, which were given the dates of 22 January and 25 September 1806 respectively. On arrival in England, he became the Tory MP for Beer Alston, Devon (a 'pocket borough' of his father's), a role he held until 1820.

He assisted at the occupation of Madeira by Sir Samuel Hood in 1807 (commanding the 22 gun HMS|Comus). To meet the terms of the convention of Cintra, requiring all defeated French forces to be returned to France, he transported the French general Junot from Portugal to La Rochelle in 1808, during his captaincy of the 36 gun HMS|Nymphe|1780|6. He commanded the frigate HMS|Hotspur|1810|6 along the coast of France (and later at Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires) from November 1810 to the end of 1815, when he sailed back to England.

Made a Companion of the Bath on 26 September 1831, on 23 November 1841 he was promoted to rear-admiral, acting as the British c-in-c at the Cape of Good Hope (November 1841-spring 1846) and at Sheerness (June 1851-June 1854, having been promoted to vice admiral on 29 April 1851).

Marriage and issue

On 9 December 1820 he married Sophia Elizabeth Walhouse (d. 13 Dec 1875), daughter of Moreton Walhouse of Hatherton, Staffordshire. One son and three daughters came of the marriage.

External links

* [http://oxforddnb.com/view/article/21949?_fromAuth=1 DNB entry]