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Richard Bligh
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Jane Cock
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Francis Bligh
(7 MAR 1721 - 27 DEC 1780) |
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Jane Balsam
(1702 - 1768) |
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| Birth Date | 9 SEP 1754 |
| Birth Place | Plymouth, Devon, England |
| Death Date | 6 DEC 1817 |
| Death Place | London, England |
| Occupation | Bounty Captain |
| Spouses of William Bligh |
| Elizabeth Betham | |
| Birth Date | ABT 1753 |
| Birth Place | England |
| Death Date | 15 APR 1812 |
| Death Place | "Durham Place", London, England |
| Marriage Date | 4 FEB 1781 |
| Marriage Place | Douglas, Isle Of Man, England |
| William Bligh and Elizabeth Betham had the following children |
| 1 | Harriet Maria Bligh |
| 2 | Mary Bligh |
| 3 | Elizabeth Bligh |
| 4 | Jane Bligh |
| 5 | Frances Bligh |
| 6 | Anne Campbell Bligh |
| 7 | William Bligh |
| 8 | Henry Bligh |
| Notes for William Bligh |
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Born At St. Tudy, Near Plymouth, On 9 Sep 1754, He Was The Son
Of A Customs Officer. His Mother Died When William Was 14, But
It Was Very Early When His Parents Had Decided On As Naval
Career For Their Young Son. He First Appears On Naval Roles At
The Age Of 9, When, At The Behest Of Hon. Keith Stewart, Said To
Have Been A Close Relative Of His Mother, He Was Entered As A
Personal Servant To An Officer On A Man-Of-War. This Was A
Common Practice, Even At That Age, In Order To Give Young Boys
Who Were Destined For A Naval Career The Necessary 6 Years
Qualification As Early As Possible. He Was "Paid Off" On 21 Feb
1763. By The Age Of 15, He Was Not Only Well-Versed In Science
And Mathematics, But Had Developed Fine Talents As A Writer And
Illustrator. He Does Not Appear In The Records Again Until 27
Jul 1770, When His Name Was Entered On The Paysheets Of The
H.M.S. Hunter, A Small Sloop Mounting Only 10 Guns, Rated As An
Ab And Master's Mate. This Was Soon After The Death Of His
Mother And The Remarriage Of His Father, And These Event May
Have Had Something To Do With Bligh's Re-Entry Into The Navy.
It Is Believed That, In Accord With Normal Custom, He Was
Carried As An "Additional Midshipman", That Is, A Young Man
Deserving Of Officer's Training, But Carried In Addition To The
Two Official Midshipman's Positions On A Naval Vessel. They
Were Officially Recognized As Junior Officers In Training, Both
By Respect Of Crew And Duties Assigned. They Also Became
Official Midshipmen As Soon As Vacancies Occurred. On 4 Feb
1771, He Was Discharged By Order Of Rear Admiral Sir Richard
Spry, And Re-Entered The Next Day On The Same Ship As A
Midshipman. He Remained On That Ship Until 22 Feb 1771, When He
Was Reassigned To H.M.S. Crescent Whereon He Served Until 23 Aug
1774. He Then Served On H.M.S. Ranger. It Was On 20 Mar 1776
That He Received What Was To Be His First Opportunity To Visit
The South Seas, When He Was Appointed Master On Board H.M.S.
Resolution, Commanded By Capt. James Cook, Just Prior To Cook's
Third Voyage. At 22, To Be Appointed Sailing Master On A Major
Research Vessel Was A Great Tribute To His Skill And
Connections. There Is Evidence That He Was In Constant
Attendance On This Ship, And In Consultation With Cook And His
Officers Constantly. On 1 May 1776, He Passed His Examination
For Lieutenant. The Voyage Of The Resolution Ended In Late 1780,
And Bligh Took A 12-Month Leave From Active Duty, During Which
Time He Was Married. Although Little Is Known Of His Activities
During This Period, There Is Some Indication That He May Have
Spent Time Writing Memoires Of The Famous Voyage. His Wife's
Relationship To Sir Duncan And Captain Sir John Campbell Paved
The Way To Additional Career-Enhancing Appointments. After
Serving On A Number Of Ships, In Jun 1783, He Entered The
Service Of Sir Duncan Campbell In The West Indian Trade. The
Pay Of A Junior Lieutenant Often Demanded Occasional Forays Into
Higher-Paying Positions, And This Appears To Have Been The Case
Here. It Was In The Service Of Campbell That Bligh Commanded
His First Ship, The Lynx. He Remained In The Jamaica Trade For
Four Years, His Last Assignment On Board The Brittania, Where He
Was To Meet Fletcher Christian An Others Who Were To Sail With
Him On The Bounty. After The Bounty Voyage, Bligh Commanded A
Number Of Scientific Voyages. Specialization In Scientific
Projects Paid Off, And He Became A Fellow Of The Royal Society.
Late In 1796, He Was Appointed Commander Of H.M.S. Director, A
Comparatively Old Ship, But A Very Important Naval Command. It
Was Rated 4th Class, Mounted 64 Guns, And Carried 491 Crewmen.
This Marked Bligh's Promotion To Senior Command Assigment. It
Is Also Interesting That In 1797, Bligh Was Involved In Another
Serious Mutiny, Known As The Mutiny At The Nore. The Crews Of A
Number Of Naval Vessels, Including The Director, Under The
Command Of Vice-Admiral Buckner, Mutinied Together. It Was A
Bloody And Violent Struggle. At Its Conclusion, Bligh Stood
Strongly Behind His Ship's Crew, And Was Commended By Both
Seaman And Officer Alike For His Handling Of The Affair. His
Naval Career Was Distinguished. Brave In Battle, He Was Line
Astern Of Nelson At Copenhagen In 1801. The Wartime Period
Ended In 1802, And Bligh Again Commanded A Scientific Voyage,
This Time A Hydrological Expedition. In 1805, He Was Appointed
Governor Of New South Wales. His Success In The Realm Of
Politics, Unfortunately, Did Not Match His Prowess As A Naval
Commander. His Appointment Lasted Until 1808 When The Colonists
"Mutinied" And Sent Him Back To England. He Arrived There On 25
Oct 1810, And Never Received Further Appointment. His Service
Record Was As Follows: * 01 Jul 1762 Captain's Servant: Hms
Monmouth * 27 Jul 1770 Ab: Hms Hunter * 05 Feb 1771
Midshipman: Hms Hunter * 22 Sep 1771 Midshipman: Hms Crescent *
02 Sep 1774 Ab: Hms Ranger * 30 Sep 1775 Midshipman: Hms
Ranger * 20 Mar 1776 Master: Hms Resolution * 14 Feb 1781
Master: Hms Belle Poule * 05 Oct 1781 Lieutenant: Hms Berwick *
01 Jan 1782 Lieutenant: Hms Princess Amelia * 20 Mar 1782
Lieutenant: Hms Cambridge * 14 Jan 1783 Half-Pay Lieutenant *
16 Aug 1787 Commanding Lieutenant: Hms Bounty * 14 Nov 1790
Captain: Hms Falcon (Sloop) * 15 Dec 1790 Captain: Hms Medea *
08 Jan 1791 Half-Pay Captain * 16 Apr 1791 Captain: Hms
Providence * 07 Sep 1793 Half-Pay Captain * 30 Apr 1795
Captain: Hms Calcutta * 07 Jan 1796 Captain: Hms Director * 03
Jul 1800 Half-Pay Captain * 13 Mar 1801 Captain: Hms Glatton *
12 Apr 1801 Captain: Hms Monarch * 08 May 1801 Captain: Hms
Irresistible * 28 May 1802 Half-Pay Captain * 02 May 1804
Captain: Hms Warrior * 30 Apr 1805 Half-Pay Captain * 24 May
1805 Governor Of New South Wales * 27 Sep 1805 Commander: Hms
Porpoise * 14 Nov 1805 Captain: Hms Porpoise * 31 Jul 1808
Commodore: Hms Porpoise * 03 Apr 1810 Commodore: Hms Hindostan
* 31 Jul 1810 Half-Pay Rear Admiral * 04 Jun 1814 Half-Pay
Vice Admiral William Bligh Does Not Deserve His Popular
Reputation As A Cruel Villain. He Could Better Be Described As A
"Young Turk ... A Man Moving In The Fast Lane". He Evidenced
Early Brilliance Matched With The Right Connections. His
Perfectionism Carried Him Far, But Also Led To Most Of His
Problems. He Could Not Emotionally Understand Or Deal Well With
Persons Who Did Not Share His Devotion To Duty And Detail. He
Was Uncommonly Concerned With The Physical Health Of His Men,
And Contrary To Popular Misconceptions, He Was Slow To Impose
Corporal Punishment. But He Could, And Did, Impose Fearful
Tongue- Lashings, And His Temper Was Legendary. These Were Not
Traits That Would Endear Him To The Violent, Street-Smart
Members Of The Lower Classes Who Made Up The Bulk Of The Crews
Over Which He Served. Like Many Of Today's Corporate
Executives, He Almost, But Not Quite, Reached The Pinnacle Of
His Profession. He Is A Man Deserving Of Admiration.
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