# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Roberts, Francis

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​ROBERTS. (Lieut., 1811. f-p., 16; h-p., 27.)
Francis Roberts, born 28 Sept. 1789, is nephew of Capt. Fras. Roberts, R.N., who was wounded, when Lieutenant of the Quebec 32, in an action fought with the French frigate Surveillante, and died in command of the Success 32, in the West Indies, in 1794. One of his brothers was a Midshipman of the Victory at Trafalgar.
This officer entered the Navy, 6 July, 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Princess of Orange 74, Capt. Thos. Rogers, employed on the Home station, where he continued to serve as Midshipman in the Resolution 74, Capt. Geo. Burlton, and Sampson 64, Capt. Thos. Masterman Hardy, until transferred with the latter officer, in May, 1806, to the Triumph 74. He then sailed for the West Indies, and, after cruizing along the North American shores, was ordered to the coast of France. In Jan. 1809, being off L’Orient, he was placed as Prize-Master in a captured galliot and sent with her for adjudication to Plymouth. Before he could reach that port he was wrecked in a gale, a quarter of a mile from the shore, on the coast of Cornwall, where many of the crew perished. Having lashed himself to the belfry, he remained on the broken hull in a state of utter insensibility from noon until rescued at dusk by a boat from the land. On leaving the Triumph in the ensuing May, Mr. Roberts followed his Captain as Master’s Mate into the Barfleur 98, bearing the flag at Lisbon of Hon. Geo. Cranfield Berkeley. In the early part of 1810 he was detached with four Midshipmen and a party of seamen under his orders for the purpose of distributing them to the different telegraph posts on the lines of Torres Vedras; where he was personally intrusted with the charge of the extreme station at Alhandra and allowed to retain a key to the signals. On 3 Sept. 1810 (about the period that the British army retired upon Alhandra) he was nominated, for his services, Acting-Lieutenant of the Doterel sloop, Capt. Anthony Abdy; under whom it appears he served for a short time at the defence of Cadiz. On the return of the Doterel to Lisbon he was again sent up the Tagus and employed with the flotilla under the present Capt. M. F. F. Berkeley in co-operating with the right wing of the army under Lord Hill concentrated between Alhandra and Villa Franca. His promotion not being confirmed, Mr. Roberts, on the arrival of the Doterel. in England, went back to his old ship the Barfleur in the capacity of Master’s Mate. From her he was soon afterwards deputed, with Lieut. John Geddes and a detachment of carpenters and sailors, to construct a pontoon-bridge over the river Guadiana; the bed of which, however, being found dry, the party returned to the Barfleur. On 11 April, 1811, Mr. Roberts was again ordered to act as Lieutenant in the St. Fiorenzo frigate, Capt. Hon. Edm. Sexton Pery Knox; and on 3 of the ensuing May he was officially advanced to that rank. He invalided in Sept. of the same year; and was afterwards appointed – 2 Sept. 1812, to the Espiègle sloop, Capt. John Taylor, employed in the Baltic and Bay of Biscay – 6 March, 1813, to the Derwent 18, Capts. Geo. Manners Sutton and Thos. Williams, stationed, until Nov. 1815, in the Channel, off the north coast of Spain (where he was sent with a flag of truce in the Earl Moira transport to procure the release of 30 or 40 British prisoners from the French garrison at Santona), and at Newfoundland – 5 Jan. 1820, for three months, to the Tamar 26, Capt. Arthur Stow, lying at Portsmouth – 22 Dec. following, to the command, which he retained until Sept. 1825, of the Tartar Revenue-cruizer – 2 Feb. 1837, to the Coast Guard – and, 10 Oct. 1838, to the command of the Adelaide Revenue-cruizer. He has been on half-pay since July, 1839.
Lieut. Roberts married, 14 June, 1814, Amelia, daughter of Lieut. G. Davies, R.N., by whom he has issue three sons and four daughters. Two of his sons are chief officers in the Peninsula and Oriental Steam-packet Company’s Service.