Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, 4 Novr 1805 (William Black, Lieut.) with fragmentary remains of original ribbon and contained in an old case with family inscription in ink, good very fine £5000-6000

William Black served as a Lieutenant aboard H.M.S. Aeolus off the Ferrol, north coast of Galicia, Spain, on 4 November 1805. Only 293 clasps issued for Sir Richard Strachan’s action, including 41 to officers, and 15 to this ship.

From the service history given below it would seem that he could have been eligible to claim for additional clasps for the actions of 1 June 1794 and 23 June 1795.

William Black entered the Navy, 13 April, 1793, as an Able Seaman on board H.M.S. Leviathan 74, Captain Lord Hugh Seymour, in which ship we find him present at the ensuing investment of Toulon, and in Lord Howe’s action of 1 June 1794.

He next served for three years under the flag of the same officer in Sans Pareil 80, as Midshipman, Master’s Mate, and Second Master, and was with him in Lord Bridport’s action with the French fleet of Ile de Groix, 23 June 1795.

He was subsequently, for a short period in 1798-99, lent, as Acting-Lieutenant, to the Penelope 36, Captain Hon. Charles Paget, but eventually rejoined Lord Seymour, who had been nominated Commander-in-Chief in the Leeward Islands, and, on 16 August in the latter year, was appointed, in the same capacity to the Unite 38, Capt. John Poo Beresford, under whom he witnessed the surrender of the Dutch colony of Surinam.

In March, 1800, he again became attached to Lord Seymour’s flag-ship, the Prince of Wales 98, and, on 13 July, 1801, was confirmed into the Sans Pareil, into which that nobleman had shifted his flag.

Mr. Black’s subsequent appointments were - 5 April, 1803, after a short interval of half-pay, to the Prince, 98, Captain Richard Grindall, in the Channel - 3 July, 1804, to the Aeolus 32, Capt. Lord William Fitzroy, under whom he fought in Sir Richard Strachan’s action, 4 November 1805 - 6 May, 1806, as First Lieutenant, to the Egyptienne 40, Captain Hon. Charles Paget, with the boats of which ship under his orders he took, we are told, a letter-of-marque of greatly superior force - 28 April, 1807, in a similar capacity, to the Cambrian 40, commanded by the same Captain, in which frigate he attended the expedition to Copenhagen in August and September following - and, 27 May, 1808, to the Polyphemus 64, as Flag-Lieutenant to the Rear Admiral Bartholomew Sam. Rowley, Commander-in-Chief on the Jamaica station.

He was promoted to the command, 5 November 1809, of the Raccoon sloop, and was employed, for upwards of four years, in cruising, chiefly on the eastern and western coasts of South America. In January 1815, Captain Black returned home, and was placed on half-pay, having been previously advanced to Post-rank, 7 June, 1814. He accepted retirement on 1 October 1846.

Black’s younger brother was Captain James Black, R.N.; who as a Lieutenant was wounded at Trafalgar aboard H.M.S. Mars; and served with distinction as Captain of H.M.S. Weazel in her action of 22 April 1813; He was awarded the C.B. in 1815, was a Knight of the Imperial Austrian Order of Maria Theresa, and was later promoted to K.C.B.; he died on passage from London to Leith in December 1835.