Bickerton

Bickerton. (1) Sir Richard, Bart., a British naval officer, after having received his education at Westminster school, obtained a lieutenant's commission in 1746, and became a post-captain in 1759. In 1773 he was knighted, and in 1778 was made a baronet. In April of the latter year, being then in command of the Terrible, 74, he fell in, in company with the Ramillies, with a French convoy of 30 sail, of which 8 were taken; and on July 27th following he was present at Keppel's unsatisfactory action off Ushant with the Comte d'Orvilliers. On this occasion his ship lost 9 killed and 21 wounded. In 1781, as captain of the Fortitude, 74, he assisted in Vice-Admiral Darby's relief of Gibraltar, and before the end of the year hoisted his broad pennant as commodore in the Gibraltar, 80. He sailed in 1782 with a convoy for India, and there joined Sir Edward Hughes, with whom he shared such credit as resulted from the action with the Bailli de Suffren, on June 20th, 1783. In this engagement his ship lost 6 killed and 40 wounded. In 1786 he was commodore in the Jupiter, 50, on the Leeward station, and in 1787 he became a rear-admiral. On February 28th, 1792, being then vice-admiral and commander-in-chief at Plymouth, he died of apoplexy. (2) His eldest son, Sir Richard Hussey, a very distinguished naval commander, was born in 1759, and entered the service in 1771. In 1777 he was made lieutenant, and was first-lieutenant of the Jupiter, 50, when, in 1778, she most gallantly engaged the French line of battle-ship Triton. For this service Mr. Bickerton was promoted to be commander, and appointed to the sloop Swallow, in which he assisted in the capture of the large American privateer Black Prince. In 1781, Captain Bickerton, still in the Swallow, was present at the capture of St. Eustatius, and in the same year, having in the meantime been posted, he took part, in the Invincible, 74, in Hood's action off Martinique, on April 29th. His ship lost 2 killed and 4 wounded. In 1792 Captain Bickerton succeeded to his father's baronetcy, and from 1793 to 1799 served continuously at sea. He was then promoted to be rear-admiral. In 1800, with his flag in the Swiftsure, 74, he served under Lord Keith in the Mediterranean, and was detached for the blockade of Cadiz. In the next year he accompanied Lord Keith on the expedition against Alexandria, in which he behaved in the most meritorious manner, having his flag for the greater portion of the time in the Kent, 74. In 1804 he returned to the Mediterranean as second in command, with his flag in the Royal Sovereign, 100, but, after assisting in the blockade of Toulon, was obliged to invalid in 1805. In that year he became a vice-admiral, and in 1810 an admiral; and from 1807 to 1812 he was a lord of the Admiralty. In the latter year he was appointed port admiral at Portsmouth, in 1815 a K.C.B., and in 1818 a lieutenant-general of marines. He died in 1832 at Bath.