James Alexander Gordon GCB (1782 - 1869)

Born 6 Oct 1782 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Lydia (Ward) Gordon — married 27 Aug 1812 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

Died 8 Jan 1869 at age 86 in Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom

Biography

James Gordon GCB is Notable.

Admiral Sir James Alexander Gordon GCB was born on 6th October 1782 at Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He was the eldest son of Charles Gordon and his second wife Catherine Mercer. ^[1]

Sir James had a distinguished naval career. He entered the navy in 1793 and held his first post as commander of a ship in 1803. He served in a number of campaigns including as a captain under Horatio Nelson at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. In 1811 he lost a leg while on active service. It was shot off at the knee and he is believed to have worn a wooden leg for the remainder of his life. For full details of his naval career see his entry in the Dictionary of National Biography ^[2] and the biography written by Brian Perrett. ^[3] It is believed that Sir James was the model for the fictional character Horatio Hornblower created by C.S.Forester.

Sir James married Lydia Ward in Marlborough, Wiltshire in 1812. ^[4] The couple are reported to have had 7 daughters and 1 son (there were actually 10 daughters baptised but one died as a baby and two more at around 5 years old). Sir James' son James followed his father into the navy and predeceased his father when he died in command of the sloop Wolf in 1847. ^[2]

Sir James' seafaring days had ended by 1828 when he was appointed superintendent of Plymouth Hospital. He was then appointed superintendent of Chatham Dockyard in 1832.

In 1841 Sir James was living at Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, London. He was a widower at this point (Lydia having died in 1835) but 5 of his daughters were living with him. ^[5] Sir James had become Lieutenant Governor of Greenwich Hospital in 1840 and became Governor of Greenwich Hospital in 1853. ^{[6] [7]}

Sir James died at Greenwich Hospital on 8 January 1869. ^{[8] [9]} He was buried in Greenwich Hospital grounds and his obituary in Macmillan's Magazine called him 'The Last of Nelson's Captains'. ^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XBW3-QMC : 12 February 2020), James Alexander Gordon, 1782.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Wikisource contributors, "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Gordon, James Alexander (1782-1869)," Wikisource , https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Gordon,_James_Alexander_(1782-1869)&oldid=10755325 (accessed August 18, 2021).
3. ↑ The Real Hornblower: The Life and Times of Admiral Sir James Gordon By Bryan Perrett[1]
4. ↑ "England Marriages, 1538–1973 ", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NL8L-19X : 21 July 2021), James Alexander Gordon, 1812.
5. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1841," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQKR-5XD : 6 March 2021), James Alexr Gordon, Greenwich, Kent, England, United Kingdom; from "1841 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
6. ↑ The London Gazette 7Jul1840, Issue 19872, page 1599 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/19872/page/1599
7. ↑ The London Gazette 18Oct1853, Issue 21468, page 2799 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/21486/page/2799
8. ↑ "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPCN-X83X : 17 April 2019), James Alexander Gordon, Sir, Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom, 15 Jan 1869, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .
9. ↑ "England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPJS-1C1P : 30 August 2018), James Alexander Gordon, 5 Feb 1869; citing Probate, England, United Kingdom, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Great Britain.; FHL microfilm .
10. ↑ Macmillans's Magazine obituary, reproduced in the South Australian Register on 03 Jun 1869 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/41407506

See also:

• Wikipedia contributors, "James Gordon (Royal Navy officer)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Gordon_(Royal_Navy_officer)&oldid=1030733674 (accessed August 17, 2021)