A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Cotesworth, Charles

1664972A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Cotesworth, CharlesWilliam Richard O'Byrne

COTESWORTH. (Lieutenant, 1814. f-p., 11; h-p., 31.)

Charles Cotesworth, born 11 Aug. 1792, is brother of Commander Wm. Cotesworth, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 12 July, 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Acasta 40, Capt. Rich. Dalling Dunn, in which frigate we find him taking part in the action off St. Domingo 6 Feb. 1806, and attaining the rating of Midshipman 22 July following. On accompanying Capt. Dunn into the Royal George 100, flag-ship of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, he attended the expedition to Constantinople in Feb. 1807; served with the boats in an attack on the Turks at Prota; and was wounded at the repassage of the Dardanells.[1] In May, 1809, Mr. Cotesworth removed with the same officers, as Master’s Mate, to the San Josef 110, but was shortly afterwards attached to the armament sent against Walcheren, where he appears, in command of a gun-boat, to have been accidentally run down by one of H.M. brigs. Having accomplished his time with Capt. Dunn in the Hibernia 110, and Armide 38, he passed his examination towards the close of 1811; and then, sailing for Jamaica in the Polyphemus 64, Capt. Peter John Douglas, was promoted, by Vice-Admiral Stirling, from the Brazen 18, Capt. Jas. Stirling, to an Acting-Lieutenancy in the Circe 32, Capt. Edw. Woolcombe, in March, 1813, and, on 10 May following, to a death vacancy in the Argo 44, Capt. Cornelius Quinton. Being, however, superseded in the ensuing Nov. by Sir John Borlase Warren, the new Commander-in-Chief, who claimed a prior right to the bestowal of the appointment, Mr. Cotesworth continued to serve as Midshipman in the Barrosa 36, Capt. Wm. Henry Shirreff, Akbar 50, Capt. Archibald Dickson, and Tonnant 80, Vice-Admiral Sir Alex. Cochrane, until Dec. 1814. At the close of the hostilities against New Orleans, where, as Acting-Lieutenant, he had commanded a gun-vessel, and also one of the boats that crossed the Mississippi, Mr. Cotesworth found that he had been at length officially promoted by commission dated 10 Oct. 1814. He afterwards served, latterly as First-Lieutenant, in the Asia 74 Capt. Alex. Skene, with whom he visited Trieste, and, a second time, Jamaica. He paid the Asia off in Feb. 1816; and has not since been employed. Lieut. Cotesworth is married.


  1. Vide Gaz. 1807, p. 597.