Royal Naval Biography/Butterfield, Edward Harris

2402943Royal Naval Biography — Butterfield, Edward HarrisJohn Marshall


EDWARD HARRIS BUTTERFIELD, Esq.
[Commander.]

Second son of Captain William Butterfield, R.N., by his present wife, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the late C. Harris, Esq., Deputy Auditor of the Impress, at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.

This officer was born and educated at Chelsea. He entered the royal navy about Mar. 1821, as midshipman on board the Glasgow 50, Captain (now Sir Bentinck C.) Doyle, which ship was successively employed in conveying the remains of the late Queen Caroline from Harwich to Cuxhaven; Sir Edward Paget from Portsmouth to the East Indies; and the late Marquis of Hastings from Bengal to Gibraltar.

Mr. E. H. Butterfield obtained his first commission on the 5th Jan. 1830; and highly distinguished himself, as senior lieutenant of the Primrose sloop, Commander William Broughton, in boarding and carrying the Spanish ship Velo Passagero, from Wydah bound to Havannah, mounting 20 guns, with a crew consisting of about 155 men, and having on board 555 slaves. The particulars of this gallant affair will be given in our memoir of Captain W. Broughton[1].

Lieutenant Butterfield’ s next appointment was, April 16th, 1831, to the command of the Brisk, a brig peculiarly armed for the suppression of slavery. On the 7th Mar. 1832, being then only just eligible for promotion, a commission was signed by the Admiralty, advancing him to the rank of commander. He returned home from the African station, passenger on board the Southampton 52, flagship of Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, Oct. 11th, 1832.