Orders, Decorations and Medals

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 3 clasps, Northumberland 22 May 1812, 14 Dec Boat Service 1814, Algiers (G. F. Hotham, Volr. 1st Class) good very fine £5000-6000

The Hon. George Frederick Hotham was born in 1799 and was only brother to Lord Hotham, nephew of Vice-Admiral Hon. Sir Henry Hotham, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., and of Admiral Sir John Sutton; and cousin of Admiral Sir William Hotham, G.C.B., and of Captain Sir Charles Hotham, K.C.B.

This officer entered the Navy in September 1810, as First Class Volunteer, on board the Northumberland, commanded by his uncle Captain Hon. Henry Hotham. On 22 May 1812, when in company with the Growler gun-brig, he participated in the destruction of the French 40-gun frigates L’Arienne and L’Andromaque, and 16-gun brig Mamelouck, whose united fire together with that of a destructive battery, killed 5 of the Northumberland’s people and wounded 28. Becoming Midshipman in January 1813 of the Ramilles, he sailed for the coast of North America where he continued until the termination of hostilities. He participated in the operations against Moose Island, Baltimore, and New Orleans. In the Minden he was present at the bombardment of Algiers in 1816, after which he sailed for the East Indies. In May 1828 Hotham had the misfortune, when off the coast of Egypt, to lose the Parthian, a sloop of which he had been awarded the command one year earlier. He was promoted Captain on 7 June 1828, but since the findings of the Court Martial into the loss of the Parthian shortly afterwards, whereby Captain Hotham was found to be negligent in his duty, he was placed on half-pay.

Despite the fact that the recipient was undoubtedly present at the attack on New Orleans on 14 December 1814, the medal rolls confirm entitlement to the clasps for Northumberland and Algiers only. Sold with further research including an article from the O.M.R.S. Journal entitled N.G.S. Medals: additional claims, by Colin Message, which records Hotham’s additional Boat Service clasp.