Sir Charles Rich, 3rd Baronet (1680 – 17 October 1706) was an officer in the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession.
Sir Charles Rich, 3rd Baronet | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1680 |
| Died | 17 October 1706 |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  England |
| Service/ | Royal Navy |
| Rank | Post Captain |
| Commands held | HMS Hunter HMS Feversham |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Vigo Bay |
Born in 1680, the eldest of four sons of the politician and Lord of the Admiralty Sir Robert Rich, 2nd Baronet, Charles Rich embarked on a naval career.[1] He was commissioned a lieutenant on 9 January 1697 and appointed as second lieutenant of the 60-gun HMS Gloucester.[2] His commission was confirmed by the Admiralty on 24 March 1697 and on 14 April 1697 he joined the 100-gun HMS Queen as her fifth lieutenant. From the Queen he transferred into the 50-gun HMS Weymouth on 25 November 1697 as her first lieutenant, and then the 32-gun HMS Winchelsey on 23 March 1698. On 17 July 1699 Rich was appointed first lieutenant of the 48-gun HMS Advice. On 25 September 1699, he succeeded his father as Vice-Admiral of Suffolk, several days before his father's death on 1 October 1699.[2] As his father's heir, Charles succeeded to the family baronetcy as third baronet, of London, but continued his naval career.[2]
On 28 February 1701 Rich was appointed second lieutenant of the 64-gun HMS Swiftsure, transferring to the 70-gun HMS Lenox, again as second lieutenant, on 1 December 1701. On 19 January 1702 Rich was promoted to commander and given command of the 28-gun HMS Hunter. He captained her for the following year, during which time he relinquished his position as Vice-Admiral of Suffolk to Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart on 8 July 1702, and saw action against the French and Spanish at the Battle of Vigo Bay on 12 October 1702 as part of an allied Anglo-Dutch fleet under Admirals George Rooke and Philips van Almonde.[2] Promoted to post captain, Rich took command of the 32-gun HMS Feversham on 19 January 1703, remaining in command until 17 October that year.[1][2] Sir Charles died on 17 October 1706 at the age of 26, and was buried on 19 October 1706 in St Margaret's Church, Westminster.[1][3] The burial register noted that he was "of Beccles in Suffolk", and was "Captain of the Feversham man of war". No gravestone or memorial has survived.[3] This entry notwithstanding, John Charnock recorded in his Biographia Navalis that according to a "private M.S. memorandum, which we believe authentic" that Rich was captain of the 32-gun HMS Falcon at the time of his death.[1] As he died without issue, the baronetcy descended to his younger brother Robert, a distinguished army officer.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Charnock, John (1795). Biographia Navalis, Or, Impartial Memoirs of the Lives and Characters of Officers of the Navy of Great Britain, from the Year 1660 to the Present Time; Drawn from the Most Authentic Sources, and Disposed in a Chronological Arrangement. Vol. 3. R. Faulder. pp. 280–1.
- ^ a b c d e "Sir Charles Rich (3rd Baronet Rich, of London)". threedecks.org. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ a b c "Sir Charles Rich". Dean and Chapter of Westminster. Retrieved 20 March 2019.