Henry Prescott

Admiral Sir Henry Prescott (4 May 1783 – 18 November 1874) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and was later the Governor of the Newfoundland Colony.

Biography

Family background Prescott was born 4 May 1783 at Kew, Surrey, the son of Admiral Isaac Prescott and a daughter of the Reverend Richard Walter, who served as chaplain aboard the during Commodore George Anson's expedition to the Pacific, and was the author of A Voyage Round the World, in the Years 1740–44 (1748). Prescott's only brother, an infantry officer in the East India Company's service, was drowned during a voyage home in 1806.

Junior officer Prescott entered the Navy on 16 February 1796 as first-class volunteer on board the 98-gun ship of the line , serving under Captains the Honourable George Cranfield Berkeley and John Irwin, stationed in the Channel. He was rated as a midshipman in April 1797, and in early 1798 followed Admiral Sir Charles Thompson (whose flag had been flying on board Formidable) into the 100-gun .

Post-captain and Governor He was rewarded for his actions at Amantea by receiving promotion to post-captain with seniority backdated to 25 July 1810, but did not leave Weazle until February 1811. He was appointed to command of the 20-gun sloop on 7 August 1811 off the Channel Islands. On 3 June 1813, he took command of the frigate and was employed in the Bay of Biscay until April 1815. He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 4 June 1815. He arrived in St John's in November, into a turbulent situation riven by political and religious acrimony. Prescott attempted to mediate between the opposing factions, but could make few decisions without angering one or the other. He attempted to resign in January 1839, but this was not accepted. Prescott finally resigned in May 1841. Despite the difficulties he made several improvements; passing an education act, which created the first non-denominational elementary schools, appointing road commissioners to improve transport, and encouraging agriculture. Prescott was not a trained administrator, but made several suggestions to improve the governance of the colony.

Prescott Street in St. John's is named for Henry Prescott.

Admiral Prescott was awarded the Captain's Good Service Pension on 1 April 1844, serving on the Board of Admiralty as Second Naval Lord from 20 July before being appointed Admiral-Superintendent at Portsmouth Naval Dockyard on 15 December made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 5 February 1856, promoted to admiral on 11 May 1860, officially retiring from the Navy on 9 June 1860.

He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 2 June 1869, and for a time was Justice of the Peace for Surrey. and is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery.

Personal life On 5 July 1815, he married Mary Anne Charlotte, the eldest daughter of Vice-Admiral Philippe d'Auvergne, and had several children. His son, the Reverend Isaac Philip Prescott (d. 1898) married Caroline Mary Parke, daughter of Captain Edward Parke, RN, in 1842, and served as rector of Kelly, Devon. His daughter Henrietta (d. 1875), married Admiral Sir Stephen Lushington, and was the author of Poems, written in Newfoundland (1839) and The Sea Spirit and Other Poems (1850). His second daughter Catherine married Louis Diston Powles.