# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Irby, Charles Leonard

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​IRBY. (Captain, 1827. f-p., 15; h-p., 31.)
The Honourable Charles Leonard Irby was born 9 Oct. 1789, and died 3 Dec. 1845. He was youngest son of the second Lord Boston, by Christiana, only daughter of Paul Methuen, Esq., of Corsham House, Wilts; and brother of Rear-Admiral of the Red Hon. Fred. Paul Irby, C.B., who commanded the Amelia 38 in a desperate action with the French 40-gun frigate L’Aréthuse, off the Iles de Los, 7 Feb. 1813, and died 24 April, 1844, aged 65.
This officer entered the Navy, 23 May, 1801, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Narcissus 32, Capts. Percy Fraser and Ross Donnelly. In that frigate, after cruizing in the North Sea, and also in the Mediterranean, where he assisted at the capture, 8 July, 1803, of the French corvette L’Alcion, of 16 guns and 96 men, he accompanied the expedition to the Cape of Good Hope in 1805; on her passage whither the Narcissus, besides effecting the capture of Le Prudent privateer of 12 guns and 70 men, retook the English merchant-ship Horatio Nelson, mounting 22 guns, and drove on shore the Napoléon privateer of 32 guns and 250 men. Subsequently to the reduction of the Cape, and the capture of the 46-gun frigate Volontaire, Mr. Irby proceeded to the Rio de la Plata, whence we find him returning to England with the despatches announcing the conquest of Buenos Ayres. Being again ordered out, however, with Capt. Donnelly in the Ardent 64 he joined in the operations of Feb. 1807 against Monte Video, and was slightly wounded while serving on shore in the advanced battery. After the place had surrendered to the British, he took a passage home on board the Leda 38, Capt. Robt. Honyman; and prior to his advancement to the rank ​of Lieutenant, 13 Oct. 1808, be was further employed for periods of a few months in the Theseus and Invincible 74’s, Capts. John Poo Beresford and R. Donnelly, off Ferrol and Flushing. He then joined the Syrius 36, Capt. Sam. Pym, under whom, on returning to the Cape station, he assisted at the blockade of the Mauritius, and contributed to the capture, 21 Sept. 1809, of St. Paul’s, in the Ile de Bourbon. Between May, 1810, and June, 1814, we find Lieut. Irby serving on the Cape, Newfoundland, Channel, Irish, and Halifax stations, in the Leopard 50, Capt. Jas. Johnstone, Narcissus 32, Capt. Hon. Fred. Wm. Aylmer, Conquestador 74, Capt. Lord Wm. Stuart, Sybille 38, Capt. Clotworthy Upton, and Armide 38, Capt. Sir Edw. Thos. Troubridge. On 7 of the month last mentioned our officer (who in the Armide had shared in the capture of an American privateer of 17 guns and 100 men, and a French letter-of-marque of 16 guns and 60 men) was promoted to the command of the Thames 32, armée en flûte in which ship he continued (attending intermediately the expedition against New Orleans) until superseded at his own request, for the recovery of his health, in May, 1815. His next appointment was, 8 Aug. 1826, to the Pelican 18, fitting for the Mediterranean, where he cruized with great anti-piratic activity until Sept. 1827, when (having been advanced to Post-rank on 2 of the previous July) he removed to the Ariadne 26. He came home in the Genoa 74, which ship he paid off at Plymouth 21 Jan. 1828;’ and did not again go afloat.
Capt. Irby was the author, in conjunction with Commander Jas. Mangles, R.N., of a work entitled ‘Travels in Egypt, Nubia, Syria, and Asia Minor, in 1817-18,’ published in 1823. He married, 8 Feb. 1825, Frances, second daughter of John Mangles, Esq., of Hurley, co. Berks, by whom he has left issue a son and daughter. Agents – Goode and Lawrence.
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