William Bentinck (Royal Navy officer)
| William Bentinck | |
|---|---|
Portrait of William Bentinck painted 1788 by George Romney
|
|
| Born | 17 June 1764 |
| Died | 21 February 1813 (aged 48) St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Allegiance |
Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | c.1783–1813 |
| Rank | Vice-Admiral of the Blue |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | |
Vice-admiral William Bentinck, FRS (17 June 1764 – 21 February 1813) was an officer in the Royal Navy and during the years 1798–1802 Governor of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He rose to the rank of vice-admiral of the blue during his long career in the navy.
His father was John Bentinck, a captain in the navy, and his mother was Renira van Tuyll van Serooskerken. John's mother and thus William's grandmother was Charlotte Sophie of Aldenburg, the ruler of Aldenburg 1738–1748. She was the cousin to the mother of Catherine the Great and had good connections to the Russian court. Probably William also had a good relation with Duke George of Oldenburg who was referred to as a prince in Russia.
He married Frances Augusta Pierrepont in 1802 and together they had eight children, but only four survived to adult age. His oldest son George Bentinck (1803–1886) became an MP.
At the age of nineteen he was given the command of the 50-gun Assistance (September 1783 to January 1784) during the end of the American War of Independence. Shortly after the peace with USA, a part of the crew deserted and escaped to land on Sandy Hook. A cutter was sent after them but they ran aground on a salt march and the crew together with its commander Hamilton Halyburton died of exposure to the cold. Logbooks written by Bentinck has been preserved from a journey with Atalanta from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Charlotte Town, Prince Edward Island, July–August, 1784. A journey is also documented with Felicity from Halifax to Cape Breton Island in 1784, conveying Governor of Cape Breton Island Joseph DesBarres and his suite. In the War of the First Coalition he was first given the command of Adamant (April 1793 to spring 1794) and later the command of the frigate Phaeton (Spring 1794 to August 1794). With this ship he participated in the battle of the Glorious First of June against the French navy. Shortly after the battle he was transferred to the 74-gun Tremendous (July 1794 to March 1795).
...
Wikipedia