George Edmund Byron Bettesworth George Edmund Byron Bettesworth ( 1785 – 16 May 1808 ) was a British Naval Officer . During his service he participated in a notable single ship action , and had been wounded 24 times , which is probably a record . HMS " Phoebe " . At an early age he went to sea as midshipman under Captain Robert Barlow , who commanded the frigate HMS " Phoebe " . While with " Phoebe " Bettesworth participated in two notable single ship actions . On 21 December 1797 " Phoebe " captured the French 36 - gun frigate " Nérëide " . Then on 19 February 1801 , she captured the 38 - gun " Africaine " , which was crowded with the 400 soldiers she was carrying to Egypt . In the battle , " Phoebe " had one man killed and 14 wounded . The French had some 200 men killed , and 143 wounded , many of them critically . The high casualty count was due to the soldiers remaining on deck as a point of honor , even though they could not contribute to the battle . HMS " Centaur " and HMS " Curieux " . Bettesworth remained with " Phoebe " until January 1804 when was he was promoted to lieutenant on HMS " Centaur " . On 4 February 1804 he took part in a cutting out expedition that captured the 16 - gun French privateer Curieux at Fort Royal harbour , Martinique . Bettesworth received a slight wound in this engagement . The Royal Navy took " Curieux " into service as the sloop - of - war HMS " Curieux " . After her first commander , Robert Carhew Reynolds , died of the wounds he had received during her capture , Bettesworth then became her commander . While captain of the " Curieux " , Bettesworth one day took her jolly boat in shore , together with the purser , who played his violin . A local black came out of the undergrowth on shore and held up a pair of fowl , indicating that he sought to sell them . Bettesworth took the bait and had his men row to the shore . The moment the boat touched the beach , a squadron of cavalry burst from the undergrowth . Their gunfire wounded Bettesworth in the thigh , causing substantial loss of blood , and broke the coxswain ' s arm . At Bettesworth ' s urging , the crew of his boat got it off the beach and rowed back to " Curieux " . On the way back Bettesworth wanted to open a bottle of champagne , but the purser broke it in his nervousness . On 8 February 1805 , " Curieux " chased the French 16 - gun privateer " Dame Ernouf " for twelve hours before being able to bring her to action . After forty minutes of hard fighting the Frenchman , which had a larger crew than " Curieux " , maneuvered to attempt a boarding . Bettesworth turned with the result that the French vessel got stuck in a position where " Curieux " could rake her deck . Unable to fight back , the " Dame Ernouff " struck . " Curieux " suffered five killed and four wounded , including Bettesworth , whom a musket ball had hit in the head . The Frenchman had 30 killed and 40 wounded . The French recaptured " Dame Ernouf " shortly thereafter , but the British then recaptured her again too . That same year ( 1805 ) he brought home from Antigua despatches from Admiral Nelson , apprising the government of Admiral Villeneuve ' s homeward flight from the West Indies . On the way Bettesworth spotted the French fleet and alerted the Admiralty . His information led to Rear Admiral Robert Calder ' s interception of the Franco - Spanish fleet at the Battle of Finisterre . For his services , Lord Barham promoted Bettesworth to Post - Captain . HMS " Crocodile " . In July 1806 , he became captain of the 22 - gun " Banterer " class Post - ship HMS " Crocodile " , on the Guernsey station , and later Halifax , Nova Scotia . While with " Crocodile " , Bettesworth was involved in an unsuccessful claim for salvage rights to the American vessel " Walker " . A French privateer had captured " Walker " , but her crew has subsequently recaptured their ship when " Crocodile " came on the scene and escorted her to Halifax . For this service , " Crocodile " claimed salvage rights . The court did not agree . HMS " Tartar " . In October 1807 , Bettesworth took command of the 32 - gun frigate HMS " Tartar " . That month his cousin , the poet Lord Byron , wrote : The promised voyage never took place and on 16 May 1808 Bettesworth died in the Battle of Alvøen . " Tartar " was watching some vessels outside Bergen and decided to cut some of them off from the protecting gunboats . However , " Tartar " became becalmed amid the rocks , which enabled the schooner " Odin " and five gunboats to attack . Their first shots killed Bettesworth , and in all " Tartar " lost two dead and seven wounded before she could escape . " Tartar " did manage to sink one gunboat . Personal . Bettesworth had married Lady Hannah Althea Grey , the second daughter of General Charles Grey , 1st Earl Grey and Elizabeth Grey , on 24 August 1807 , while he was captain on " Crocodile " . After Bettesworth ' s death , she married Edward Ellice , a merchant , on 30 October 1809 . She died on 28 July 1832 . Betteworth ' s body was buried at Howick , Northumberland , in the vault of the Grey family , on 27 May 1808 . Major Trevanion , " a brother of Captain Bettesworth " , was chief mourner . ( Byron ' s grandmother was a Miss Trevanion . )