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The Greetham Family's Connections with the Sea.
Charles
Greetham Charles joined the Royal Navy as a purser. One of his ships was the Rattlesnake, probably the sloop of that name launched at Chatham on 7 January 1791. She measured 100ft x 27ft and was sold on 3 November 1814.
Edwin
Greetham One of Edwin’s sons, Henry A Greetham, is shown in the 1851 census for Lion Terrace, Portsea, as an apprentice in the merchant service. At the same address were the late Edwin’s daughter Louise, married to William O Scott, a clerk in the Royal Navy
Louisa
Greetham Ann’s will, proved in 1839, shows Louisa as the wife of George Palmer, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Palmer was promoted to Commander the following year (1840), having been a lieutenant since 1812. He had joined the Navy in 1805 as a 1st Class Volunteer, serving in the sloop Pluto. As midshipman and later master’s mate, he was on the Home Station and in the Baltic in the Royal William, Pandora and Namur. In the Pandora he assisted in the capture on 31 December 1810 of the 16-gun privateer, Le Chasseur. While with the brig-sloop Briseis in June 1912, he was slightly wounded while cutting out the merchant ship Urania (formerly British). He and other men in the Briseis’s pinnace took over the Urania in the Pillau Roads despite a spirited resistance from the French troops on her deck. The troops made their escape in boats on the opposite side of the ship. Palmer stayed with the Briseis until January 1816 after a period of illness between October 1814 and May 1815. In 1825 he was posted to the Coast Blockade as supernumerary lieutenant of the Hyperion. He moved to the Coastguard in 1834 when he served in the Revenue vessel Skylark. By 1837 he had been placed in command of a Coastguard station.
Benjamin
Greetham
Married (1) Bridget Dench There are numerous references to Benjamin in Liverpool trades directories, mostly as a ships’ chandler. At one time he was in business with his brother Thomas. Benjamin’s brothers, all of whom were in business in Liverpool, included James (b 1764) who became a ship’s chandler; Charles (1770-1846), a merchant and ships’ broker, William (1773-1818) and Thomas (1775-1843), a ropemaker and ships’ chandler. William was also a merchant. On 30 December 1810 the French captured his schooner, the Exchange, when it was bound for San Sebastian in Spain. The French put it through a refit, armed it, and sent it to sea again. William later saw the ship in Philadelphia Harbour and sued the supposed owner, Dennis Begon, in a bid to get the vessel back. He lost the case but won on appeal. The case then went to the US Supreme Court, where the suit was finally dismissed in 1812.
Benjamin
Greetham Benjamin’s naval career was as follows:
Likely medal entitlement:
Peter
Greetham Married Rosina A Nibbs at Malta. As well as Charles Tyldesley Downey Greetham, their children included Elizabeth Ann, Peter William, Rose and George Ernest.
Peter’s naval career was as follows:
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