Charles Boyles

Charles Boyles (1756–1816) was a senior officer in the British Royal Navy. His conduct when commanding the Windsor Castle, in the action of 22 July 1805, under Sir Robert Calder, with the combined French and Spanish fleets, was noteworthy. He passed nearly half a century in the naval service of his country, rising to the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Blue. He was afterwards promoted, and served as lieutenant of the Duke, of 98 guns, commanded by Captain (afterwards Lord) Gardner, in the defeat of Count de Grasse, by the fleet under Lord Rodney, on 12 April, in the West Indies. He remained on that station until he was promoted to the rank of Commander, and appointed to the Barbadoes sloop of war, in which ship he returned to England.

She sailed in March following, with an India convoy, to the Cape of Good Hope, being intended to join a squadron under Lord Hugh Seymour, on an expedition to the South Seas, but from its not taking place, she remained on the Cape of Good Hope station, occasionally cruising off the Isle of France, and Madagascar, till July 1799, when she conveyed a fleet of Indiamen to England, and then joined the Channel fleet under Lord Bridport.

In 1800, the Raisonable was repaired at Chatham, and then ordered to the North Sea, under Admiral Sir Archibald Dickson.

The Windsor Castle, in November, was ordered under Lord Collingwood, off Cadiz, and soon after to the Mediterranean, where Captain Boyles was for some time senior officer in Sicily and Malta. In April 1808, the Windsor Castle joined the squadron under Sir J. T. Duckworth, which passed up the Dardanelles, and in the arduous contest of repassing, and engaging the Turkish batteries, besides other material damage which she sustained, her main-mast was shot two-thirds through, by one of the extraordinary masses of stone, which weighed upwards of 800 lb (363 kg), and was 26 in (66 cm) in diameter, that were fired at, and struck the ships of the squadron, and was in the possession of Sir J. T. Duckworth. In September, being again ordered to Malta, and finding it did not agree with his health, he applied to be superseded, returned to England in the Pearl frigate, and struck his flag in February 1812. He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 4 June 1814, and died on 10 November 1816, leaving a widow and an only son, having served in the Royal Navy, principally at sea, in many countries and climates, for forty-five years.