362
FITZGERALD—FITZ-GERALD.
joined the Salvador del Mundo, guard-ship at Plymouth, Capt. Jas. Nash, Fortunée 36, Capt. Henry Vansittart, and Mata 84, and Milford 74, flag-ships in the Mediterranean of Rear-Admirals Benj. Hallowell and Thos. Fras. Fremantle. As Acting-Lieutenant of the Weasel 18, Capt. Jas. Black, Mr. Fitzgerald, in 1813, served in the batteries at the siege of Trieste; after which he rejoined the Milford; and, on 3 Feb. 1814, being then Acting-Lieutenant of the Havannah 36, Capt. Black, aided in causing the seif-destruction of the French 40-gun frigate Uranie. Having passed his examination 5 Dec. 1810, this officer, who, during his stay in the Mediterranean, had also seen much active boat-service, was confirmed in his present rank, 26 Aug. 1814. He has not since been employed.
He married, 21 Feb. 1835, Jane, only daughter of Christopher Beaty, Esq., of Enniskillen, co. Cork, by whom he has issue six children.
FITZGERALD. (Retired Commander, 1842. f-p., 16; h-p., 44.)
John Fitzgerald entered the Navy (into which he was impressed), 15 Oct. 1787, as A.B., on board the Shark sloop, Capt. Valentine Edwards, but was soon afterwards discharged. In 1790 he re-embarked on board the Deptford, Lieut.-Commander Russell, lying in the river Thames; and, while afterwards serving under Capt. Edw. Thornbrough, he was present, in the Latona 38, in the action of 1 June, 1794, and, in the Robust 74, whose loss, it was subsequently found, amounted to 10 killed and 40 wounded, at the capture, 12 Oct. 1798, off the coast of Ireland, of the French 74-gun ship Le Hoche, one of a squadron commanded by Commodore Bompart. He obtained a Lieutenancy in the Gaieté sloop, Capts. Edw. Durnford King and Rich. Peacocke, on the West India station, 2 Nov. 1798; was there invested with the command, 16 June, 1802, of a small vessel called the Jump; and, from March, 1803, until 1806, was employed in the Impress and Sea Fencible services at Waterford and Dungarvon. Mr. Fitzgerald, who had not since been employed, became a Retired Commander on the Senior List 1 June, 1842.
FITZGERALD. (Capt, 1841. f-p., 17; h-p., 12.)
John Coghlan FitzGerald entered the Navy, 1 May, 1818, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Impregnable 98, Capt. Hon. Pownoll Bastard Pellew, bearing the flag at Plymouth of Lord Exmouth; proceeded, towards the close of the same year, to the Cape of Good Hope, in the Iris 26, Capt. Geo. Rennie; and, from July, 1821, until 18 April, 1825, served, as Midshipman and Mate, on the North America and West India station, in the Atholl 28, Capt. Henry Bourchier, Isis 50, flag-ship of Sir Lawrence Wm. Halsted, and Speedwell schooner, commanded by Messrs. Wm. Langford Castle and Chas. Bolton, Mates. He then, having passed his examination in Sept. 1823, became First-Lieutenant of the Icarus 10, Capt. John Geo. Graham; and, on 22 March, 1826, he was appointed to the Forte 44, Capt. Jeremiah Coghlan, on the South American station. For his conduct on the night of 26 Aug. 1827, in capturing, with the boats of that ship under his orders, the Convencion. Argentina a piratical vessel, together with her prize, the Anne of Workington, Mr. FitzGerald was placed by the Lord High Admiral on the List for promotion, and, on a vacancy occurring, 27 Nov. 1829, he was appointed to the Alert 18. Returning home from South America in Feb. 1832, he afterwards joined – 19 March, 1835, the Coast Guard – 30 May, 1839, the Magnificent 72, bearing the broad pendant at Jamaica of Commodore Peter John Douglas -and, 15 March, 1841, the Racehorse 18, stationed in North America and the West Indies. On resigning the command of the latter vessel, in consequence of his promotion to Post-rank, which had taken place 23 Nov. 1841, Capt. FitzGerald, in April, 1842, was intrusted by Sir Chas. Adam, the Commander-in-Chief, with an important mission to Guatemala, in Mexico, where he succeeded in inducing a compliance with the demands of the British Government. Since 20 March, 1845, he has been in command of the Vernon 50, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Sam. Hood Inglefield on the south-east coast of America and East India stations. Agents – Coplands and Burnett.
FITZGERALD. (Retired Commander, 1830. f-p., 10; h-p., 42.)
Michael FitzGerald was born 17 Sept. 1778, and died 4 Dec. 1845.
This officer entered the Navy, 6 Dec. 1793, as Ordinary, on board the Impérieuse 36, Capts. Wm. Cunningham and Wm. Wolseley; and on next joining the Cumberland 74, Capt. Bartholomew Sam. Rowley, took part in Hotham’s partial action with the French fleet, 13 July, 1795. After serving for a few months with Capt. Chas. Rowley in the Unité 36, he became Midshipman, 4 Aug. 1797, of the Ramillies 74, Capts. B. S. Rowley, Henry Inman, and Rich. Grindall, on the Channel station, where, in 1800, he joined the Ville de Paris 110, bearing the flag of Earl St. Vincent, and Atlas 98,. Capt. Theophilus Jones. In the Russel 74, Capt. Wm. Cuming, of which ship he was created a Lieutenant 27 Feb. 1801, Mr. FitzGerald, on 2 April following, witnessed the battle off Copenhagen. In Feb. 1804, having been on half-pay since Nov. 1801, he obtained an appointment in the Sea Fencibles at Youghal, whence he removed, 10 Nov. following, to the Trowbridge, Capt. Wm. Bevians. He rejoined the Sea Fencibles 12 Dec. 1805, and retained his appointment until that corps was disbanded in the early part of 1810. He continued thenceforward unemployed, and accepted the rank of Retired Commander 29 Dec. 1830.
Commander FitzGerald married, 15 June, 1803, Mary, youngest daughter of John M‘Grath, of Grange, co. Waterford, and has left issue ten children.
FITZ-GERALD. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 12; h-p., 31.)
William Robert Fitz-Gerald, born 18 Aug. 1793, is only son of the late John Fitz-Gerald, Esq., of St. Christopher’s, and grandson of Wm. Higgins, Esq., Speaker of the House of Assembly in the island of Nevis.
This officer entered the Navy, 2 April, 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the St. Lucia 16, Capts. Geo. Edm. Byron Bettesworth and John Ayscough, stationed in the West Indies, where, until 1813, he afterwards served, .as Midshipman, in L’Éclair and Swaggerer brigs, both commanded by Lieut. Geo. Jas. Evelyn, and Liberty 14, Lieut-Commander Chas. Deyman Jermy. While in L’Éclair in 1807, he assisted at the capture of the Danish West India islands, and at the re-taking of a prize, whose original captor, La Félicité, a large three-masted French schooner privateer, was simultaneously beaten off, after a close action, in which L’Éclair lost 1 man killed and 4 wounded. During his attachment to the Swaggerer, Mr. Fitz-Gerald served on shore at the reduction of Martinique in Feb. 1809; and in the course of the same and following years he also partook of the operations against the Saintes and Guadeloupe. On 14 Dec. 1813, while serving on board the Monmouth 64, flag-ship in the Downs of Sir Thos. Foley, he joined, as Acting-Lieutenant, the Cadmus 10, Capts. Thos. Fife and Watkin Evans, under whom he cruized until 26 March, 1814; but he was not officially promoted until 7 Feb. 1815 – previously to which he had been re-employed, as Midshipman, in the Monmouth, and had done duty in the same capacity on board the Venerable 74, flag-ship of Sir Philip Durham in the Leeward Islands. From 15 March, 1815, until May, 1816, Mr. Fitz-Gerald served in the Dasher 18, Capt. Wm. Wilmott Henderson, and, with the boats of that ship and of the Fairy under his orders, he cut out three of the enemy’s vessels, under a heavy fire of musketry from the town of François, Guadeloupe – an exploit for which he was officially commended in very warm terms.
