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LIBBY—LIDDELL—LIDDON.

speedily released. After he had further served, still in the Mediterranean, as Admiralty Midshipman of the Granicus 36, Capt. Wm. Furlong Wise, and Elizabeth 74, Capt. Gardner Henry Gulon, he there became, 31 Oct. 1814, Acting-Lieutenant of the Jasper 10, Capt. Thos. Carew, to which vessel he was confirmed 23 Dec. following. Invaliding home in Feb. 1815, he was next, from 5 Jan. 1816 until 3 Oct. 1818, employed, latterly as First-Lieutenant, on board the Perseus 22 and Tamar 26, both commanded by Capt. Thos. Rich. Toker, on the Newfoundland station. He has been in charge since 29 Sept. 1846 of a station in the Coast Guard.

He married, 13 Oct. 1836, Adeline Eliza, youngest daughter of the late Thos. Pinnock, Esq., of Jamaica, and has had issue two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, William Francis, died at the Royal Naval School, 22 April, 1846, in his ninth year. Agents – Goode and Lawrence.



LIBBY. (Retired Commander, 1839. f-p., 13; h-p., 45.)

Edward Libby entered the Navy, 21 May, 1789, as a Volunteer, on board the Cumberland 74, Capt. John Macbride, and was employed, until Sept. 1791, on the Home and West India stations, chiefly in the capacity of Midshipman. Re-embarking, 19 Dec. 1792, on board the Lowestoffe frigate, he was for three years and a half in that vessel on the Mediterranean station, under Capts. Wolseley, Cunningham, Middleton, and Plampin; after which he joined the Victory 100, bearing the flag of Sir John Jervis, and on 8 Feb. 1797 was appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Blenheim 98, Capt. Thos. Lennox Frederick. For his conduct in the latter ship in the action off Cape St. Vincent, where he was wounded,[1] he was confirmed a Lieutenant, 22 March following, in the Dolphin 44, Capts. Rich. Retalick, Robt. Williams, Josiah Nisbet, Jas. Bayley, Philip Beaver, and Jas. Dalrymple, with whom he served on the Lisbon, Mediterranean, and Home stations, until Dec. 1800. He then joined the Athénienne 64, Capt. Sir Thos. Livingstone, in which ship he returned to England from the Mediterranean at the peace; and he was lastly, from Nov. 1804, until the close of 1805, employed in the Channel and North Sea on board the Sulphur bomb, Capt. Matthews, and Namur 74, Capt. Lawrence Wm. Halsted. In compensation of his wound the Commander was presented with a grant from the Patriotic Fund. He was placed on the Junior List of Retired Commanders 26 Nov. 1830; and on the Senior 20 March, 1839.



LIDDELL. (Lieut., 1822. f-p., 13; h-p., 22.)

James Liddell entered the Navy, 23 July, 1812, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Clarence 74, Capts. Henry Vansittart and Fred. Warren, attached to the Channel Fleet; and in Oct. 1814 became Midshipman of the Queen 74, bearing the flag of the late Sir Chas. Vinicombe Penrose in the Mediterranean; where, until May, 1819, he continued to serve, in the Partridge sloop, Capt. John Miller Adye, and Albion 74, Capt. John Coode. In the last-mentioned ship he assisted at the bombardment of Algiers 27 Aug. 1816, and was again employed under the flag of Sir C. V. Penrose. In the summer of 1821, after he had been for 18 months borne on the books of the Bulwark 74, commanded at Chatham by Capts. Sam. Warren, Fras. Newcombe, and Alex. Skene, Mr. Liddell sailed for South America in the Aurora 46, Capt. Henry Prescott. On his arrival on that station he was nominated, in the following Sept., Acting-Lieutenant of the Alacrity sloop, Capt. Hon. Fred. Spencer; of which vessel, in April, 1822, he became Acting-Master. He went back, a few weeks afterwards, to the Aurora, in the capacity of Acting Second-Master; was awarded a commission on 26 of the ensuing Aug.; and, with the exception of three months in the same year, during which period he officiated as Flag-Lieutenant to Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy, remained in the Aurora until her return to England in Feb. 1825. He has since been on half-pay.



LIDDON. (Commander, 1821. f-p., 16; h-p., 27.)

Matthew Liddon entered the Navy, 3 May, 1804, as Fst.-cl. Boy, on board the Lily 18, Capts. Geo. Morrison and Donald Campbell, and sailed for the West Indies, where, when Midshipman in charge of a prize, he had the misfortune to be captured by two French privateers, and taken to Cumana. From that place, however, he contrived in the dead of night to effect his escape by swimming off with 10 or 12 companions to a schooner in the harbour, the crew of which, after a struggle, were secured. Having returned to England, and been, in Aug. 1806, received on board the Pheasant 18, Capt. John Palmer, Mr. Liddon accompanied the expedition under Sir Sam. Auchmuty to the Rio de la Plata, where, in Feb. 1807, he served on shore at the storming of Monte Video. While next attached, between Dec. 1808 and Feb. 1811, to the Thames 32, Capt. Hon. Granville Geo. Waldegrave, on the Mediterranean station, he participated in a variety of detached operations, and, on 25 July, 1810, was officially alluded to for his conduct in her boats, with those of the Pilot and Weasel sloops, at the very gallant capture and destruction, notwithstanding a most spirited opposition, of 31 transports, 7 large gun-boats, and 5 armed vessels.[2] On leaving the Thames we find him acting for two months as Lieutenant of the Herald 20, Capt. Geo. Jackson, and during that period commanding her boats in an expedition on the coast of Italy conducted under the directions of Capt. John Toup Nicolas of the Pilot. On the day on which the latter occurrence took place Mr. Liddon saved the life of a man by jumping overboard after him. Being confirmed in the rank of Lieutenant 3 May, 1811, he took a passage home, as soon as he had received his commission, on board the Cumberland 74, Capt. Robt. Waller Otway, from the poop of which ship, while passing rapidly through the water, with all her canvass spread, he again dashed into the sea for the same humane purpose as before. On 6 of the following Nov. he obtained an appointment to the Maidstone 36, Capt. Geo. Burdett, with whom he served at first in the Channel and then in North America. On 8 Feb. 1813, being at the time in the Chesapeake, he took command of the Maidstone’s barge, and assisted the boats of a squadron under Lieut. Kelly Nazer in capturing, after a most determined resistance, the Lottery letter-of-marque, of 6 12-pounder carronades and 28 men – an exploit which was acknowledged by the especial thanks of Rear-Admiral Cockburn. He next, on 3 April following, accompanied a brilliant boat expedition 15 miles up the Rappannock river, where, acting, in the Maidstone’s launch, in conjunction with Lieut. Geo. Bishop in the Statira’s large cutter, he most gallantly boarded and carried the Dolphin schooner, of 12 guns and 98 men.[3] On 8 April, 1814, having further accompanied a detachment of six boats under Capt. Rich. Coote to the neighbourhood of Pettipague Point, on the river Connecticut, he there contributed to the destruction of 27 of the enemy’s vessels, three of which were heavy privateers, and the aggregate burden of the whole upwards of 5000 tons. From the Maidstone, while in which ship he had a third time intrepidly rescued a man from drowning, Mr. Liddon exchanged, 11 Aug. 1814, into La Hogue 74, Capt. Hon. Thos. Bladen Capel, with whom he soon returned to England and was paid off. His subsequent appointments were – in 1815-16, to the Albion, Queen, and Northumberland 74’s, all commanded by Capt. Jas. Walker at Sheerness, where he served until paid off in Sept. 1818 – and, 29 Jan. 1819, to the command of the Griper brig. In the latter vessel he accompanied an expedition to the Arctic regions under the present Sir Edw. Parry. He paid the Griper off 21

  1. Vide Gaz. 1797, p. 212.
  2. Vide Gaz. 1810, p. 1860.
  3. Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 995.