John Ferris Devonshire

Rear-Admiral Sir John Ferris Devonshire (1774– 19 February 1839) was an officer in the Royal Navy. He joined as a volunteer aboard in 1788 and served in various vessels in the waters around North America and the West Indies until 1795 when he moved to , the flagship of John Jervis. Devonshire was acting lieutenant for a while before Jervis promoted him to full lieutenant aboard , at that time employed in the defence of a British garrison under siege on Basse-Terre.

On 13 October 1796, Terpsichore captured the Spanish frigate, Mahonesa off Cartagena. Devonshire was mentioned in dispatches for his part in the battle and consequently promoted to commander. In July 1800, Devonshire was given command of His Majesty's Sloop and fought on board at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April following, after which he was made an acting captain. His promotion was confirmed on 27 April and he took command of until the French Revolutionary War ended in 1802.

In January 1812, Devonshire took command of the 64-gun and served in support of those under siege at Cádiz until French forces were forced to withdraw following defeat at Salamanca in July. Re-assigned to North America in the 74-gun in February 1813, Devonshire was on blockade duty off Providence, Rhode Island, when, on 5 December, escaped to sea. Devonshire later transferred to serving in the English Channel but was forced to resign his commission due to ill health. He was forced out of retirement in order to qualify for an additional promotion and in January 1829, he took command of , a guardship on the Hamoaze at Plymouth. Devonshire retired a Rear-Admiral on 22 July 1830. He was nominated for the Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order in January 1835 and died early in 1839.

Early life and career Born in Cornwall in 1774, John Ferris Devonshire joined the Royal Navy in 1788, as a volunteer aboard the guardship, , at Plymouth. He became a midshipman in 1789 and after served on the North American station at Halifax in , then and in the West Indies.

In 1794, Devonshire, who had been commanding various small vessels and co-operating with a Spanish brig in curbing piracy in the waters around Puerto Rico, was rewarded for his conduct when John Jervis promoted him to acting ninth lieutenant aboard the flagship. Since the beginning of that year, Boyne and the other ships in Jervis's fleet, had been supporting troops under Charles Grey in the capture of the French Islands of Martinique, St Lucia and Guadeloupe. In June a French force landed on Guadeloupe and by September had retaken much of the island, leaving the British forces penned in at Fort Matilda on the southern end of Basse-Terre.

Jervis resigned at the end of November and on doing so promoted Devonshire to full lieutenant aboard . Under Captain Richard Bowen, Terpsichore was, at that point, employed in the defence and support of the garrison at Fort Matilda (now Fort Delgrès). In December 1795, John Jervis went to the Mediterranean as Commander-in-Chief, and Terpsichore followed shortly after.

Mahonesa

In early October 1796 the British squadron under Sir John Man was chased into Gibraltar by a Spanish fleet. Terpsichore was sent to carry news to Jervis, and having met with of Jervis's fleet on 10 October, set off on the return journey to Gibraltar. She was recommissioned by Devonshire who had been promoted to Commander by the Admiralty, on the strength of Jervis's commendation. He held the command for 4 months before being replaced by a post captain and sent back to England with dispatches.

Copenhagen In July 1800, Devonshire was given command of His Majesty's Sloop . In 1801 Dart was part of the British force sent to break up the League of Armed Neutrality and in April, she fought at the Battle of Copenhagen. Darts role was to co-operate with and a variety of frigates and sloops at the northern end of the Danish line. Due to and going aground early in the battle, she drew more fire from the Trekroner Fort than was intended and was badly mauled by the end of the action, having been subjected to heavy fire for three hours. Devonshire was appointed acting captain of after the battle. His promotion was confirmed on 27 April and he took command of until hostilities ceased in 1802, and she paid off.

Later career and death In January 1812, Devonshire commissioned in which he sailed for Cádiz; under siege from French forces since February 1810. After escorting a merchant convoy for part of its journey, Devonshire arrived at Cádiz where he took command of 64-gun . He and his ship served, in particular, in support of the garrison on the Isla de Leon, until the French were forced to withdraw after their defeat at the Battle of Salamanca in July. In January 1814, Devonshire was in command of a small squadron, comprising Albion, a frigate and a sloop, which menaced enemy shipping off the Nantucket Shoals and took many prizes.

In order to gain a promotion, Devonshire was obliged to seek a further appointment and in January 1829, he took command of , serving as a guardship on the Hamoaze, Plymouth. Devonshire retired a rear-admiral on 22 July 1830, and died early in 1839.

Family Devonshire had two younger brothers, who followed him into the navy. The first, Henry, was born in 1775 and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Richard, born in 1784, eventually became a rear-admiral like his oldest brother but Henry failed to appear on the Navy List after 1804.