Paterson (Charles William) Papers, 1777-approximately 1858, bulk 1793-1798

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Summary

Title:
Charles William Paterson Papers
Dates:
1777-approximately 1858, bulk 1793-1798
Creators:
Paterson, Charles William, 1756-1841.
Abstract:
This small collection contains papers of British Naval officer Charles William Paterson (1756-1841), who became Admiral of the White in 1837. The twin cores of this collection are six letters from Paterson in 1793-1794 to family during his naval service chiefly in the Mediterranean, and the Navy Board's various administrative letters to Paterson in 1798.
Extent:
1.25 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Charles William Paterson papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This small collection consist of six letters from Captain Paterson to his uncle Charles William Tonyn (died 1805, rector of Radnage in Buckinghamshire) and to his grandmother, written chiefly from the Mediterranean fromn 1793 to 1794, mentioning in passing the French Royalist uprising at Toulon in November 1793, Sir william Sidney Smith's attack on the French naval fleet and arsenal in the Inner Harbor at Toulon, and Paterson's own concerns for his family, patronage, and promotion, and the Navy Board's various letters to Paterson concerning the personnel, supplies, and refitting of the ship Admiral de Vries at Chatham Yard in 1798. Other than a brief testimonial and a list of his promotions, there is virtually nothing about Paterson's earlier service in North America or his activities during the remainder of the Napoleonic Wars.

Biographical / historical:

Charles William Paterson (1756-1841), British naval officer and ultimately Admiral of the White, began his career in North American waters serving under Admiral Lord Howe during the Revolutionary War. He was appointed to the store-ship Gorgon in 1793 and served under Lord Hood at Toulon Bay, was promoted post captain in January 1794, commanded the Ariadne and the Melpomene in the Mediterranean, and returned to England in 1795. In 1798 he was appointed to the Admiral de Vries and supervised its repair and refitting at the Chatham naval dockyard. From 1800 to 1802 Paterson commanded the Montagu and then the San Fiorenzo in the English Channel, and later in the war served at Portchester Castle and Spithead. He was promoted Vice Admiral in 1819, and Admiral of the White in 1837. Paterson married Jane Ellen Yeats in March 1801; they had at least one son, George Yeats Paterson, also an officer in the Royal Navy. Charles William Paterson died, probably at his home near Portsmouth, in March 1841.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Richard Ford Manuscripts Ltd., London, September 2011.
Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Mary L. Robertson, December 10, 2011.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-26 15:13:40 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Charles William Paterson papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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