Davidge Gould
None
Sir Davidge Gould
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Davidge Gould
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Born |
1758
Bridgwater , Somerset |
Died |
23 April 1847
Hawkshead, Hertfordshire |
Allegiance |
United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland |
Service/
|
Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1772 – 1847 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held |
HMS
Pylades
HMS Ferret HMS Brune HMS Cyclops HMS Bedford HMS Audacious HMS Majestic HMS Windsor Castle |
Battles/wars |
Battle of the Saintes
Naval Battle of Genoa Naval Battle of Hyères Islands Battle of the Nile |
Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Sir Davidge Gould GCB (1758 – 23 April 1847) was an officer of the Royal Navy . He served during the American Revolutionary , French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars , eventually rising to the rank of admiral . He was one of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson's Band of Brothers at the Battle of the Nile in 1798.
Family and early life
Gould was born at Bridgwater , Somerset , the son of the Richard Gould, of Wells. He was distantly related to the authors Henry and Sarah Fielding , and was the nephew of the naturalist William Gould . His uncle, Sir Henry Gould, was a Justice of the Common Pleas . [1] Davidge joined the navy in May 1772, serving as a volunteer in the Mediterranean aboard HMS Alarm . He later moved to the North American coast, where he was advanced to midshipman . He was promoted to lieutenant on 7 May 1779, later serving aboard HMS Winchelsea and HMS Phoenix . [1] He saw action in the American Revolutionary War, taking part in attacks on shore batteries and cutting out American ships. [2]
He served in succession aboard HMS Ulysses , HMS Bristol and HMS Conqueror , and was present aboard the Conqueror at Admiral Sir George Rodney's victory at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. [1] He then moved aboard HMS Formidable and promoted to commander in June 1782, after which he was given command of the sloop Pachahunter , and then HMS Pylades and HMS Ferret , on the Home and Mediterranean Stations. [2] Gould spent 13 months aboard the Pylades , during which time he was active in anti-smuggling operations. He then spent four years on half-pay, before being promoted to post-captain on 23 March 1789, and assigned to the command of the frigate HMS Brune . [2]
Captaincy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/The_Battle_of_the_Nile.jpg/220px-The_Battle_of_the_Nile.jpg)
He sailed to the West Indies Station aboard her, but by 1794, he was in the Mediterranean, in command of HMS Cyclops at the reduction of Corsica , and then HMS Bedford at the Naval Battle of Genoa in March 1795, and the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands in July 1795, as part of Vice-Admiral William Hotham's fleet. [1] During the action off Genoa, the Bedford came under fire from the Ça Ira and the Censeur , resulting in nine killed and seventeen wounded aboard the Bedford . Gould took command of HMS Audacious in 1796, and was present at Admiral John Jervis's attack on Cádiz . He was still in command of Audacious when she was ordered to join Nelson's squadron in their search for the French. On 1 August, Gould commanded Audacious at the Battle of the Nile , engaging the French ship Conquérant and helped to force her surrender. [1] Gould then took part in the blockades of Malta and Genoa for the rest of 1798 and into 1799. [1]
Later life and flag rank
The Audacious escorted a convoy to Britain in late 1800, and on arrival was paid off. In spring 1801, Gould was appointed to command HMS Majestic , serving in British waters, and in the West Indies . He commanded HMS Windsor Castle in between 1803 and 1804 but was forced to resign command owing to ill-health. He never again served at sea. He was promoted to rear-admiral in October 1807, vice-admiral in July 1810 and admiral in May 1825. He was awarded a gold medal for his service at the Nile, and was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1815, followed by being invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1833. He was also appointed to the post of Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom on 17 November 1846, a post he held until his death. [3]
Personal life and death
Gould married Harriet Willes, eldest daughter of the Reverend William Willes, Archdeacon of Taunton , in 1803. The couple did not have any children. [4] He received a pension of £300 per annum, and died at the age of 89 [5] at Hawkshead, Hertfordshire on 23 April 1847. [1] He was by then the last surviving member of Nelson's 'Band of Brothers', the captains who had fought with him at the Nile. [1]
See also
- O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). "Gould, Davidge" . A Naval Biographical Dictionary . John Murray – via Wikisource .
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gentleman's Magazine . pp. 201–2.
- 1 2 3 "The Battle of the Nile" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 December 2008 . Retrieved 7 October 2008 .
-
↑
Burke (ed.).
Annual Register
. p.
331.
{{ cite book }}
:| last=
has generic name ( help ) - ↑ Burke. The Patrician . p. 604.
- ↑ His memorial at St Mary's Church, North Mymms
References
- The Gentleman's Magazine . F. Jefferies. 1847.
- Burke, John; Burke, Sir Bernard (1847). The Patrician . E. Churton.
- Burke, Edmund (1847). Annual Register .
- "The Battle of the Nile" (PDF) . 7 October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 December 2008 . Retrieved 7 October 2008 .
Honorary titles | ||
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Preceded by |
Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom
1846 – 1847 |
Succeeded by |