# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Herrick, William Henry

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​HERRICK. (Commander, 1813. f-p., 15; h-p., 34.)
William Henry Herrick, born 13 Feb. 1784, is eldest son of the late Thos. Bousfield Herrick, Esq., of Shippool, near Innishannon, co. Cork, by Anne, only daughter of Henry Moore, Esq., of Frankfort House, co. Cork; brother (with the present Lieut. Edw. Herrick, R.N.) of Capt. Henry Moore Herrick, of the 45th Regt., who was killed at the storming of Badajos; and brother-in-law of the late Capt. Rich. Plummer Davies, R.N. His grand-uncle, Edw. Herrick, Esq., Lieutenant R.N., himself a nephew of the first Sir Riggs Falkiner, Bart., of Anne Mount, co. Cork, was killed on board the Dorsetshire in Sir Edw. Hawkes’ action 20 Sept. 1759.
This officer entered the Navy, 20 May, 1798, as A.B., on board the Dryad 36, Capt. Lord Amelias Beauclerk, under whom he very soon attained the rating of Midshipman. With the exception of a few months during the peace of Amiens, he was next, until the autumn of 1805, employed in the Doris, Fortunée, and Aigle frigates, Capts. Lord Viscount Ranelagh, Lord A. Beauclerk, and Geo. Wolfe, Majestic 74, Capt. Lord A. Beauclerk, and Leda 38, Capt. Robt. Honyman. Mr. Herrick, who had hitherto served on the Irish and Channel stations, and had been frequently engaged with the boats in destroying the enemy’s convoys on the coast of France, was then appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Diadem 64, Commodore Sir Home Popham, to which ship, after assisting on shore at the reduction of the Cape of Good Hope, he was confirmed by commission dated 5 Feb. 1806. In the course of the same and of the following year he presents himself to our notice, while attached to the Diadem and to the Raisonnable, another 64, Capt. Josias Rowley, as further employed with the land forces in the operations against Buenos Ayres, Maldonado, and Monte Video. At the period, however, of the re-capture of the former place by the Spaniards in Aug. 1806, he was in the temporary command of the Dolores, an armed schooner, and obtained the favourable notice of Sir Home Popham for the very creditable manner in which he worked out of the harbour, and thereby escaped capture. Mr. Herrick, whose conduct, indeed, during the whole term of his sojourn in South America appears to have been much above the average, attracted the attention also of Rear-Admiral Geo. Murray, by the infinite service he rendered in piloting the squadron, immediately prior to the unfortunate attempt made by Lieut.-General Whitelocke to regain possession of Buenos Ayres in June, 1807. His appointments, on leaving the Raisonnable, were, on the East India station – 23 Feb. 1808, to the Procris sloop, Capt. Jas. Murray Gordon, of which vessel he acted as Commander for nearly eight months – 25 Jan. and 28 Feb. 1809, to the Modeste 36, Capt. Hon. Geo. Elliot, and Russell 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Wm. O’Brien Drury – 1 March, 1810, to the acting-command, for upwards of two months, of the Blanche 28 – then again, we presume, to the Russell – 28 Feb. 1812, to the Hecate sloop, Capt. Henry John Peachy – and, 4 Aug. 1812, to the acting-command of the Arrogant guard-ship at Bombay, whence he invalided home in Jan. 1813. He was advanced to his present rank on 17 Aug. in the latter year, and has not been since afloat.
Commander Herrick is in the Commission of the Peace for co. Cork. He married, 8 Sept. 1814, Mary, only daughter of Robt. de la Cour, Esq., of Bear Forest, by whom he has issue four sons and five daughters. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.
* ↑ Vide Gaz. 1807, p. 113.
* ↑ Vide Gaz. 1607, p. 1210.