# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Meredith, Richard

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​MEREDITH. (Capt., 1837. f-p., 21; h-p., 27.)
Richard Meredith, whose name had been borne in 1799 on the books of the Polyphemus 64, Capt. Geo. Lumsdaine, embarked, in Oct. 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Phoebe of 44 guns, Capts. Robt. Barlow, Thos. Baker, Jas. Keith Shepard, Hon. Thos. Bladen Capel, and Jas. Oswald. Under the first-named of those officers he contributed, 19 Feb. 1801, to the capture of the French frigate Africaine of 44 guns and 715 men (including 400 troops and artificers), after a close and desperate night-action of two hours, attended (although the British, out of 239 men, had but 1 killed and 12 wounded) with the awful loss to the enemy of at least 200 killed and 143 wounded, the greatest part of them mortally. For his gallantry in achieving this exploit, Capt. Barlow was rewarded with the honour of Knighthood. Continuing in the Phoebe on the Mediterranean and Home stations until April, 1806, Mr. Meredith, in addition to much cutting-out work, had the fortune to enact a part, 21 Oct. 1805, in the action off Cape Trafalgar, on which occasion he was sent to take possession of the Monarca Spanish 74-gun ship. We may add that he remained on board the prize until she took the ground seven days after the battle, when, with her crew and the few British who had followed him, only 39 in number, he was rescued by the Leviathan 74. On his return in the summer of 1806 to the Mediterranean in the Diana 38, Capt. Thos. Jas. Maling, he rejoined Capt. Capel on board the Endymion 40. In that ship we find him accompanying the expedition to the Dardanells, and assisting at the destruction of the Turkish shipping off Point Pesquies, in Feb. 1807; in the course of which month he had the satisfaction of receiving a Lieutenant’s commission bearing date 15 Aug. 1806. He took a passage home in consequence in the Amphion 32, Capt, Wm. Hoste; and was next, during upwards of six years, employed on the Baltic, Mediterranean, Home, West India, Cadiz, and Newfoundland stations, in the Vulture sloop, Capt. Jos. Pearce, Hyperion 36, Capt. Thos. Chas. Brodie, Intrepid 64, Capt. Andrews, Implacable 74, Capts. Thos. Byam Martin, Geo. Cockburn, and Joshua Rowley Watson, and Sybille 44, Capts. Clotworthy Upton and Jas. Sanders. After assisting, in the Vulture, at the reduction of Copenhagen in 1807, Lieut. Meredith was sent home in charge of one of the 18-gun brigs taken on the occasion, the Nyd Elven, mounting, however, only 4 guns, with a crew of 22 men, and laden with a large quantity of stores. During the passage, and when on the Dogger Bank, he was attacked at night by a privateer, but succeeded at the end of an action of 45 minutes in beating her off. While attached, in 1810, to the Implacable, Lieut. Meredith had command for six weeks of the gun-boats employed at the defence of Cadiz. Being obliged to invalid from the Sybille in consequence of an injury sustained by the fall of a block on his head, he did not again go afloat until 10 Aug. 1821; between which period and his promotion to the rank of Commander, 16 March, 1824, he served at home, and on the east and west coasts of South America, in the Northumberland 78, Spartiate 76, and Cambridge 82, all under the orders of Capt. Thos. Jas. Maling. He then returned to England with despatches across the Isthmus of Panama; and was, lastly, from 26 Sept. 1831, until paid off at the close of 1835, employed on the coast of Africa in command of the Pelorus 16 – the last two years as Senior officer. He attained Post-rank 6 June, 1837.
Exclusive of the time he was at Cadiz, where he was almost constantly under fire, Capt. Meredith during the war was not less than 35 times in actual combat with the enemy, including ship actions, attacks upon batteries, and boat affairs. He married, 2 Sept. 1844, Marian D’Oyley, widow of the late Jas. Barlow Hay, Esq., of Thornhite Park, South Hants. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
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