Arthur Kaye Legge

Sir Arthur Kaye Legge
Born	25 October 1766
Died	12 May 1835 Blackheath, Kent
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Admiral
Battles/wars	American War of Independence French Revolutionary Wars • Glorious First of June Napoleonic Wars • Battle of Cape Finisterre • Dardanelles Operation • Walcheren Expedition

Admiral Sir Arthur Kaye Legge KCB (25 October 1766 – 12 May 1835) was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served in three wars and commanded ships in several campaigns. Known as a brave officer and an effective commander, Legge was given several very important postings in the latter part of his career as a rear-admiral, serving in command at Cadiz during the Peninsula War. After retirement, Legge entered royal service, and was in the procession at the funeral of King George III. A very wealthy man, Legge never married, and when he died in 1835 he left large sums of money to his domestic staff.

Arthur Kaye Legge was born in 1766, the sixth son of William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth and his wife Frances-Catherine. Among his siblings were George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth, Edward Legge, Bishop of Oxford and Lady Charlotte Feversham, the wife of Lord Feversham. Entering the Navy at a young age, Legge served aboard HMS Prince George with the young Prince William off the Eastern Seaboard of North America.

By 1791, Legge was a lieutenant and held an independent command in the Channel Fleet as captain of HMS Shark. The outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793 saw Legge promoted, becoming a post captain in the frigate HMS Niger. In this vessel, Legge served in the fleet under Lord Howe that fought in the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 and the ensuing Glorious First of June. As a frigate captain, Legge was not actively engaged in the battle, but did perform numerous scouting missions during the campaign, relayed signals to the fleet during the battle and gave a tow to badly damaged ships in its aftermath.

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Wikipedia