John Bastard

John Bastard (c. 1787 – 11 January 1835) of Sharpham, Ashprington, Devon, was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812, rising to the rank of post-captain. He also entered politics and became a Member of Parliament.

Bastard was born into a family with considerable political connections, and was a grandson of the distinguished Royal Navy officer Captain Philemon Pownoll (d.1780), the builder of Sharpham House. He entered the navy and rose through the ranks during the wars with France. He was promoted to commander and given his first ship while in the East Indies, and was able to show his qualities by chasing a larger French privateer until she was captured by a larger British ship. Promoted to post-captain soon afterwards, one of his first post commands was the former privateer he had helped to capture. He was moved to the North American station shortly before the outbreak of the War of 1812 and commanded the station's flagship while serving in a detached squadron. Events that Bastard took part in included the capture of and the chase of . His ship was sent home in 1814 and he commanded only one other ship before the drawdown of the navy after the end of the wars. He then entered politics, sitting for Dartmouth until 1832.

Family John Bastard was born c. 1787, the second son of Edmund Bastard, and his wife Jane Pownall. His father's side of the family included a large number of politicians, and a number of Tory Bastards sat in Parliament during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Among them was his father, who represented Dartmouth, his uncle John Pollexfen Bastard, who represented Devonshire, and his brother Edmund Pollexfen Bastard, who represented Dartmouth and Devon. Through his mother John was the grandson of the distinguished naval officer Philemon Pownoll, whose estates at Sharpham, near at Ashprington, in Devon he eventually inherited. He was advanced to master and commander on 22 May 1806, and was given command of the 16-gun sloop in the East Indies. Shortly after Bastard took command Rattlesnake came across the French privateer-frigate Bellone under Captain Jacques François Perroud off Ceylon, and despite the Frenchman's heavier armament, chased her north-west. By 3.15pm on 9 July they came in sight of the 74-gun , under Captain Robert Plampin, some seven miles off the coast. Bellone had the advantage of the wind, whereas Plampin struggled to bring his ship close enough to intercept.

Post-captain Bastard was promoted to post-captain on 12 October 1807 and was given command of the ship he had helped to capture. He was later given command of , after her captain, George Nicholas Hardinge, had been killed during the chase and capture of the 40-gun French frigate Piémontaise. He remained with St Fiorenzo until she was paid off in 1808. He took command of the 64-gun in November 1811, the flagship of Vice-Admiral Herbert Sawyer. With the outbreak of the War of 1812 Africa was sent to join Captain Philip Broke's squadron in July 1812, and was present at the capture of the 14-gun on 15 July. The British squadron, consisting of Africa, Broke's 38-gun , the 38-gun under Captain James Richard Dacres, the 36-gun under Captain Richard Byron and the 32-gun under Captain Lord James Townshend, had arrived off New York City in search of , then under Commodore John Rodgers, but she had already sailed. Instead they found the USS Nautilus, under William M. Crane, which failed to outrun the British squadron and surrendered, becoming the first warship either side lost during the war.

Bastard remained in command of Africa until she was sent back to Britain and broken up in May 1814.

Politics and later life Bastard entered politics in 1816. His family had considerable influence in a number of Cornish constituencies, and when his uncle, John Pollexfen Bastard, died, Edmund Pollexfen Bastard, John's brother, took his place as representative for Devon. This created a vacancy in Edmund's constituency of Dartmouth, and John was elected to fill it on 16 May 1816. He held the seat until its partial disenfranchisement in the 1832 Reform Act. He was also an alderman for Dartmouth. He married Frances Wade on 7 October 1817. John Bastard died at Upper Grosvenor Street, London on 11 January 1835, at the age of 48.

Disambiguation John Pollexfen Bastard—John Bastard RN and Edmund Pollexfen Bastard—Edmund Bastard