# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Bickerton, Richard (1727-1792)

1904 Errata appended.
​BICKERTON, Sir RICHARD (1727–1792), vice-admiral, son of a captain in the ​4th dragoon guards, entered the navy in 1739, on the outbreak of the war with Spain. In the following year he was appointed to the Suffolk, of 70 guns, with Captain Davers, and sailed in her to the West Indies, to form part of the expedition against Cartagena in the spring of 1741. After more than two years in the Suffolk he was for a few months in the Stirling Castle in the Mediterranean; he was then appointed to the Channel station, with Sir Charles Hardy or Sir John Norris, in the St. George, Duke, and Victory. Fortunately for himself [see Balchen, Sir John], he was early in 1744 appointed from the Victory to the Cornwall, of 80 guns, hearing the flag of his old captain, now Vice-admiral Davers, who was going out as commander-in-chief to the West Indies. Admiral Davers promoted him to a lieutenancy on 8 Feb. 1745–6, and he continued on the same station, in the Worcester, till the peace of 1748. In 1759 he commanded the Ætna fireship in the Mediterranean with Boscawen, by whom he was advanced to post rank on 21 Aug. after the destruction of M. de la Clue's squadron at Lagos. He was then appointed to the Glasgow frigate in the West Indies, and in 1761 to the Lively in the Channel. In 1767 he commanded the Renown in the West Indies; on the dispute about the Falkland Islands in 1770 he was appointed to the Marlborough, which he commanded for three years, and at the naval review, June 1773, steered the king's barge and received the honour of knighthood. For the next four years he commanded the Augusta yacht, and, when war with France was imminent in the spring of 1778, was appointed to the Terrible, of 74 guns, which he commanded in the battle of Ushant, 27 July. During the shamefull summer of 1779, while the combined fleets of France and Spain swept the Channel, the Terrible was one of the fleet at Spithead under Sir Charles Hardy. In 1780 Bickerton commanded the Fortitude, of 74 guns, still in the Channel, under Admirals Geary and Darby, and assisted in the second relief of Gibraltar, April 1781. He was shortly afterwards appointed to the Gibraltar, 80, as commodore of the first class; and with six other ships of the line and two frigates under his orders, he sailed for the East Indies on 6 Feb. 1782. The squadron did not arrive on the station till the beginning of the following year, with many men sick of scurvy. They were, however, able to take part in the indecisive action off Cuddalore, 20 June 1783. Sir Richard returned to England in 1784, and in 1786 was appointed commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands, with his broad pennant on board the Jupiter, from which he was superseded on his promotion to flag rank 24 Sept 1787. During the Spanish armament of 1790 he held a command in the fleet under Lord Howe, and hoisted his flag in the Impregnable, of 90 guns. He became a vice-admiral on 21 September, and the dispute with Spain being happily arranged, he was appointed port-admiral at Plymouth, with his flag in the St. George. He was still holding that office when he died, of an apoplectic fit, 25 Feb. 1792.
He was created a baronet 29 May 1778, on the occasion of the king's visit to Portsmouth. At the time of his death he was member of parliament for Rochester. He married, in 1758, Mary Anne, daughter of Thomas Hussey, Esq., of Wrexham, and had issue two sons and two daughters.
[Charnock's Biog. Nav. vi. 349; Beatson's Naval and Military Memoirs (under date); Burke's Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies.]
J. K. L.
Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.27 N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
| Page | Col. | Line | |
| 6 | ii | 5 l.l. | Bickerton, Sir Richard : for vice-admiral read rear-admiral |
| 7 | ii | 6 | for vice-admiral read rear-admiral of the white |
| | | 15 | after Rochester add for which he was returned in 1790 |