John Child Purvis

Admiral John Child Purvis (13 March 1747 – 1825) was a British Royal Navy officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century best known for his service with the British Mediterranean Fleet during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Coming from a naval family, Purvis first saw action in small ships during the American Revolutionary War, later commanding a ship of the line with the Mediterranean Fleet during 1793–1796. During this period he fought in several significant battles against the French. He then served with the Channel Fleet operating at the blockade of Brest and in the Napoleonic Wars was promoted and tasked with maintaining the blockade of Cádiz. After the outbreak of the Peninsular War, Purvis was active in preventing the French capture of Cádiz and at one stage destroyed the city's seaward defences. He retired post-war to his home in Hampshire.

Life Purvis was born into a prominent naval family on 13 March 1747, the second son of George Purvis, the secretary to the Sick and Wounded Board, and his wife Mary Oadham. He was the grandson of Captain George Purvis of Darsham, Suffolk, MP for Aldeburgh and comptroller of the navy in the 1730s. He was the brother of Captain Richard Purvis who died in May 1802, and of George Purvis, who served as secretary to Admiral Lord Howe and later to Admiral the Earl of St. Vincent in the Mediterranean. Purvis joined the Royal Navy at a young age, and by 1778 he was a lieutenant on first and then during the American Revolutionary War. In 1782 he was promoted to commander and sailed off Cape Henry in the 16-gun HMS Duc de Chartres. On 19 August Purvis encountered the 22-gun corvette Aigle, capturing the French ship after a fierce engagement. For this victory, he was promoted to Post Captain, although the end of the war soon afterwards limited his opportunities for service.