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BEDDOES—BEDFORD.

1 June, 1814; and embarked, 12 Dec. 1816, as a Volunteer, on board the Leander 60, Capt. Edward Chetham, flag-ship on the Halifax station of Sir David Milne. He was subsequently, from Jan. 1819 until Feb. 1829, employed, on the Home and American stations, in the Spartan frigate, Capts. Wm. Furlong Wise and Fras. Newcombe, Impregnable 104, bearing the flag of Lord Exmouth, Bulwark 74, Capt. Thos. Dundas, Jupiter 60, flag-ship from 1824 to 1827 of Rear-Admiral Willoughby Thos. Lake, and Hussar 46, bearing the flag of Sir Chas. Ogle, by whom he was lent for a short time to the Ringdove 18, Capt. Chas. English. He then (having passed his examination 7 March, 1821) became Acting-Lieutenant of the Mersey 26, Capt. Geo. Wm. Conway Courtenay, on the West India station; but on the occasion of his official promotion, which took place 1 June following, was superseded. We afterwards find him holding a command in the Coast Guard, from 4 Aug. 1830, until 28 Feb. 1832; and employed for a few months, in 1336-7, on board the Russell 74, Capt. Sir Wm. Henry Dillon, off Lisbon. He has not since held any official occupation.

Lieut. Beddek married, 26 Aug. 1830, Mary Hellyer, daughter of Commander Thos. Arscott, R.N., and has issue an only child.



BEDDOES. (Commander, 1845.)

Charles Henry Beddoes entered the Navy 28 April, 1821; passed his examination in 1827; and obtained his commission 13 March, 1830. He was afterwards appointed First Lieutenant – 10 Oct. 1833, of the Aetna surveying vessel, Capt. Wm. Geo. Skyring, employed on the African coast – 12 Sept. 1836, of the Harlequin 16, Capts. John Elphinstone Erskine and Lord Fras. John Russell, successively stationed in the Mediterranean and at the Cape of Good Hope – and, 6 Aug. 1841, of the Illustrious 72, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Adam, in North America and the West Indies. He attained his present rank 15 Nov. 1845; and has since been on half-pay.

Commander Beddoes married, 15 Jan. 1839, Cecilia Charlotte, second daughter of the Rev. J. Eagles. Agents – Case and Loudonsack.



BEDFORD. (Lieutenant, 1830.)

Delboeuf Baker Bedford is son of the late Capt. John Bedford, R.N., who lost a leg whilst in command of H.M.S. Swallow; brother of Lieut. R. T. Bedford, R.N.; and first cousin of Lieut. John Tom, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy 17 Jan. 1821; passed his examination in 1827; and was promoted to a Lieutenancy, 14 Jan. 1830, in the Ranger 28, Capt. Wm. Walpole, on the West India station. He was subsequently employed, from 6 Nov. 1833, until Nov. 1835, on board the Jaseur 16, commanded in the Mediterranean by Capt. John Halkett; but has not since been afloat.



BEDFORD. (Lieut., 1838. f-p., 23; h-p., 0.)

Edward James Bedford, born 18 Aug. 1810, at Greenwich Hospital, is second son of Lieut. Fred. Bedford, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 3 Feb. 1824, on board the Snap gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander Fred. Bullock, employed in surveying the coast of Newfoundland; joined, in Feb. 1827, the Alert 18, Capts. Sam. Burgess and John Coghland Fitzgerald, on the South America station; passed his examination in 1830; and, having for a short period acted as Lieutenant in that vessel, and pro tern, in the Seringapatam 46, Capt. Hon. Wm. Waldegrave, returned home, and was paid off, as Mate, 9 Feb. 1832. On 6 March following Mr. Bedford entered the Admiralty Survey of Great Britain, and was employed on the coast of England until 1833. He obtained his commission on 28 June in that year; and has since been similarly engaged on the coast of Scotland – latterly, from 31 Jan. 1843, as First Lieutenant of the Shearwater steam-vessel, Capt. Chas. Gepp Robinson.

He married, 27 March, 1838, a daughter of Mr. Swainson, of Liverpool, by whom he has issue.



BEDFORD. (Lieut., 1799. f-p., 10; h-p., 44.)

Frederick Bedford, born 20 Feb. 1779, is son of the late John Bedford, Esq., of Fair Lawn, Acton, co. Middlesex.

This officer entered the Navy, 7 May, 1793, under the patronage of Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, as Captain’s Servant, on board the America 64, Capt. Hon. John Rodney, whom he followed, 12 Feb. 1795, into the Vengeance 74, both employed on Channel service. Joining next the Jason 38, Capt. Chas. Stirling, he assisted, in company with the Pique 36, at the capture, 30 June, 1798, off the coast of France, after an action in which the Jason sustained a loss of 7 men killed and 11 wounded, of the French 40-gun frigate La Seine; and on that occasion he received, as Midshipman, a gun-shot wound in the face, which almost totally deprived him of the sight of the right eye, and produced a contraction of the jaw, which still renders him unable more than partially to open his mouth.[1] The Jason being wrecked in the following Oct. off Brest, Mr. Bedford, with the rest of the crew, fell into the hands of the enemy, and was for several months confined in prison. On his eventual return to England, we find him, in Feb. 1799, obtaining a berth on board the Cambrian 40, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge; with whom he continued to serve in the Channel, until promoted to a Lieutenancy, 6 Sept. 1799, in La Sophie 18, Capt. Geo. Burdett, on the North American station. After a brief attachment to the Invincible 74, bearing the flag in the North Sea of Rear-Admiral Thos. Totty, he was subsequently appointed, 6 May, 1801, to the Dasher 18, Capt. Geo. Tobin. On 13 June in the same year, the latter vessel having grounded, while in chase of a convoy, near Pointe d’Yeu, on the coast of La Vendée, Lieut. Bedford gallantly volunteered to continue the pursuit in the boats, but, when some miles distant from the Dasher, he received a shot from the stern-chaser of a national schooner which took off his left leg high above the knee, and instantly sank the cutter he was in. In consequence of this disaster, which.deprived him of all hope of future active employment, he was obliged to return home; and, on petitioning Earl St. Vincent for the rank of Commander, obtained, 23 June, 1802, his present appointment to Greenwich Hospital – the salary to be enjoyed independently of any pension for wounds to which he might become entitled. Notwithstanding this express specification, he was, together with Capts. Sam. Arden and Joseph Ellison, both of Greenwich Hospital, excluded from the increased pension granted in 1815 to such officers as had been promoted subsequently to the receipt of their wounds; and he has therefore only the 91l. 5s. per annum, awarded him 9 Dec. 1301.

Lieut. Bedford, who is third on the list of Lieutenants, and the Senior of Greenwich Hospital, married, in 1805, Mary, second daughter of Lieut. Geo. Spearing, R.N. (1757), who died Senior Lieutenant of the Royal Navy in 1825, in his 97th year. By that lady he has had issue five sons and three daughters. Of the former, the eldest, Frederick, died in the West Indies, while serving as Admiralty Mate under Capt. Owen; and three others, – George Augustus, a Commander, – Edward James, a Lieutenant, – and Alfred, a Midshipman, – are all in the naval service of their country. One of the daughters, Maria, is the widow of Lieut. Wm. Mayott, R.N.



BEDFORD. (Commander, 1843. f-p., 19; h-p., 5.)

George Augustus Bedford, born 8 Feb. 1809, is eldest son of Lieut. Fred. Bedford, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 23 Dec. 1823, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Investigator, Master-Commander Geo. Thomas, employed in surveying the North Sea; became Midshipman, in Sept. 1826, of the Wolf 18, Capt. Geo. Hayes, on the Channel and Mediterranean stations; was for a short time,

  1. Vide Gaz. 1798, p. 651.