Description
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.
Background
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.
Restrictions
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one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Availability
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Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.