Sir Richard King (2^nd Baronet of Bellevue)

Posted by Brian on Thursday 18th of February 2016 21:33

VICE-ADM- Sir R. KING, Bart. Aug. 11-. At Sheerness, of cholera, in his 63d year, Sir Richard King, the second
Baronet, of Bellevue, in Kent, (1792)G.C.B., Vice-Admiral of the Red, and Commander-in-Chief at the Nore. Sir Richard was born Sept. 28, 1771, the elder son of Admiral Sir Richard King, Knt. and Bart. and M. P. for Rochester, by Susannah-Margaret, daughter of William Coker,of Mapowder in Dorsetshire, esq. He entered the Navy at an early age,and became a Post-Captain, May 14,1794. His first appointment, after this promotion, was to the Aurora 28,in which he continued cruising on the North Sea, until the summer of 1795; and then removed into the Druid, another small frigate, employed on Channel service, and in escorting the trade to and from Portugal. In 1797 he obtained the command of the Sirius 36, attached to the North Sea fleet, under Lord Duncan, in which, on the 24th Oct. 1798, after a running fight of about half an hour, he captured the Waakzaamheid of 26 guns, and Furie of 36, having on board 287 French troops, and 4000 stand of arms. He also shortly after captured la Favorie of 6 guns, and a valuable Spanish brig; and towards the end of Jan. 1801, assist ed l’Oiseau, Capt. Linzee, in the capture of la Dedaigneuse frigate. f la Dedaigneuse frigate. From the peace of Amiens until Aug. 1802, Capt. King commanded a light squadron employed against the smugglers. The Sirius was then ordered to be put out of commission, and he remained on half-pay until the spring of 1805, when he was appointed to the Achille 74, in which he partook in the victory of Trafalgar, and was very warmly engaged, having 13 men killed, and 59 wounded. Early in I808 he was employed in the blockade of Ferrol, and in the following year he commanded a squadron off Cherbourg. He afterwards served at the defence of Cadiz, from whence he proceed to the Mediterranean; and in Feb. 181i, was appointed Captain of the Fleet on that station, under the orders of Sir Charles Cotton, whom be accompanied in the same capacity to the Channel fleet. At the general promotion
in 1812 Sir Richard obtained the rank of Rear-Admiral; and during the remainder of the war he had his flag in the San Josef of 110 guns, off Toulon. On the 2d Jan. 1815, he was nominated a K.C.B.; and in the spring of 1816 appointed Commander in Chief on the East India station, from which he returned to England, Oct. 16, 1820. His commission of Vice
Admiral bore date July 19, 1821; and he was nominated