A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Swinburne, Charles Henry

1963982A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Swinburne, Charles HenryWilliam Richard O'Byrne

SWINBURNE. (Captain, 1835. f-p., 16; h-p., 21.)

Charles Henry Swinburne, born 2 April, 1797, is second son of Sir John Swinburne, Bart., of Capheaton, co. Northumberland, F.R.S., and F.R.A.S., by Emma, daughter of Rich. Henry Alex. Bennet, Esq., of Beckenham, co. Kent, and niece of the late Duchess of Northumberland. He is brother-in-law of Henry Geo. Ward, Esq., M.P., First-Secretary of the Admiralty; and nephew of Robt. Swinburne, Esq., a General in the Austrian service, and Governor of Milan.

This officer entered the Royal Naval College 18 Sept. 1810; and embarked, 16 Dec. 1812, as a Volunteer, on board the Revenge 74, Capts. Sir John Gore, Wm. Fairbrother Carroll, and Henry Hart, attached to the fleet in the Mediterranean; where he soon attained the rating of Midshipman, and removed, in July, 1813, to the Alcmène 38, Capt. Jeremiah Coghlan. From Dec. 1815 until May, 1818, he was employed at Newfoundland and in the Channel as Admiralty-Midshipman in the Tiber 38, Capt. Jas. Rich. Dacres; and on 14 July in the latter year, at which period he was serving at the Cape of Good Hope in the Tees 24, Capt. Geo. Rennie, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He continued in the Tees until the following Sept.; he then joined the Eurydice 24, Capt. Robt. Wauchope, also on the Cape station, whence he returned in Dec. 1819; and while attached, from 26 March, 1821, until 1824, to the Glasgow 50, Capt. Bentinck Cavendish Doyle, he was engaged in conveying the remains of Queen Caroline from Harwich to Cuxhaven, Sir Edw. Paget and family from Portsmouth to the East Indies, and the Marquess of Hastings from Calcutta to Gibraltar. He attained the rank of Commander 30 April, 1827; served in that capacity in the Rapid 10,[1] on the Mediterranean station, from 7 Sept. 1829 until paid off 15 July, 1833; and was advanced to the rank he now holds 8 July, 1835. He has since been on half-pay.

Capt. Swinburne married, 19 May, 1836, Lady Jane Henrietta Ashburnham, daughter of the late and sister of the present Earl of Ashburnham, by whom he has issue. Agents – Goode and Lawrence.


  1. The Rapid, in July, 1831, discovered a volcanic island on the south-west coast of Sicily, which has since subsided into a dangerous shoal.