Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/258

CROFTON—CROKE. Anne, only daughter and heir of Thos. Croker, Esq., of Baxtogon, co. Kildare, who was created a Baroness in her own right, 1 Dec. 1797. He is brother of Capt. Hon. Wm. Gorges Crofton, of the Coldstream regiment of Foot Guards, who was killed in action at Bayonne, 14 April, 1814; brother-in-law of General Sir Peregrine Maitland, and of ; and uncle of the present Lord Crofton.

This officer entered the Navy, in March, 1798, as a Volunteer, on board the 98, Capt. Thos. Larcom, successively flag-ship in the Mediterranean ond Channel of Sir Roger Curtis and Sir Chas. Cotton. While next serving, as Midshipman, in the and  frigates, both commanded by Capt. John Gore, he took part, between May, 1801, and May, 1804 in an attack made by Lord Nelson on the Boulogne flotilla. Soon after his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 10 Oct. 1804, Mr. Crofton was appointed to the 40, Capt. John Poo Beresford, on the Halifax station, in command of the barge belonging to which frigate he distinguished himself at the capture, 13 June, 1805, of the Spanish privateer Maria, of 14 guns and 60 men. He obtained, 24 June, 1806, the acting-command of the brig, in the West Indies, where, after witnessing the surrender, in the  sloop, of the Danish Islands, he was confirmed, 9 Feb. 1808, to the, another sloop, and appointed, in the course of the same year, to the  18. in which vessel we find him assisting at the reduction of Marie-galante and Martinique, and taking, 11 Oct. 1810, Le Téméraire privateer, of 10 guns, 6 large swivels, and 35 men. Capt. Crofton, whose Post-commission bears date 1 Feb. 1812, afterwards joined – 11 Aug. 1813, the troop-ship, in which he participated in the attacks upon Baltimore and New Orleans, and in other operations on the coast of America – 4 Feb. 1815, the  32, employed on the same station, whence he returned in May, 1816 – and, 24 July, 1826, the  42. He came home from the Mediterranean in 1829, and has not since been afloat.

Capt. Crofton, during the war, received an honorary reward from the Patriotic Society.

 CROFTON. 

is fifth son of Duke Crofton, Esq., of Lakefield, co. Leitrim, a Magistrate and Deputy-Lieutenant; and brother of Wm. Crofton, Esq., Surgeon R.N. (1846), now attached to the steam frigate.

This officer entered the Navy, 10 Dec. 1834, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the 26, Capt. Lord Edw. Russell, with whom he served on the South American station until March, 1838. In the following summer he sailed for the East Indies as Midshipman of the 26, Capt. Joseph Nias, and there removed, in Nov. 1840, to the  18, Capts. Harry Eyres and Rundle Purges Watson. Participating afterwards in the various operations connected with the war in China, Mr, Crofton landed at the storming of the enemy’s works below Whampoa Reach, mounting 54 pieces of cannon, 27 Feb. 1841 – was present, 13 and 16 March following, at the capture of a fort and rafts near the Canton entrance of the Macao passage, and in the boats under Commander Thos. Jordaine Clarke at the taking of Canton – commanded, as Mate, the ’s pinnace at the reduction of Chinghae, 10 Oct. in the same year – assisted in towing four fire-rafts clear of the shipping off Ningpo, in an attack made by the Chinese 10 March, 1842 – and, on 15 of the same month, and 18 May and 16 June ensuing, served on shore under Capt. Thos. Bourchier, in the assault on the enemy’s encamped hill of Segoan, and at the capture of Tze-kee and Chapoo, and of the batteries at Woosung. He obtained in consequence a commission dated 23 Dec. 1842; and has since been appointed, 2 Feb. and Aug. 1844, to the store-ship, Capt. Wm. Finlaison, and steam-sloop, Capt. John Hay – and, 28 July, 1843, to the  6, Capts. Chas. John Bosanquet and Wm. Ellis, all stationed on the coast of Africa, where he is at present employed.

 CROFTON. 

, born in 1793, is brother of

This officer entered the Royal Naval College, 18 Nov. 1805; and embarked, in Dec. 1808, as A.B., on board the 64, Capts. Fras. Wm. Austen and Edw. Brace, in which ship he sailed with convoy for China; on his return whence in 1810, he served for 11 months at the defence of Cadiz, and was employed landing troops previous to the battle of Barrosa. On removing, in June, 1811, to the 74, Capt. John Poo Beresford, he cruized for some time in the North Sea, and then proceeded to America; where he attended an expedition up the Potomac in 1813, as Acting-Lieutenant of the  troop-ship, Capt. Chas. Montague Fabian. He eventually returned to the in the latter capacity; and on 11 April, 1814, was confirmed into the  74, Capt. Fred. Lewis Maitland. His last appointment was, 16 Sept. following, to the 74, fitting for the flag of Sir J. P. Beresford, with whom he came home from the Brazils in 1815. Lieut. Crofton has not since been employed.

He married, in 1818, the second daughter of Col. O’Hara, of Ballymany; and has issue six children. – Hallett and Robinson.

 CROFTON. 

entered the Navy 6 Nov. 1831; passed his examination 22 June, 1838; and on proceeding afterwards to China, as Mate of the 72, Commodore Sir Jas. John Gordon Bremer, was present in action with the batteries and defences of Amoy, 26 Aug. 1841, and commanded the ship’s pinnace at the reduction of Ching-hae 10 Oct. following, He obtained his commission 7 Jan. 1842; served from 6 April, 1843, until paid off in 1845, as Additional Lieutenant, in the steam-sloop, Capts. Hastings Reginald Henry and Wm. Hewgill Kitchen, on the Mediterranean station; and since the latter date has been unemployed. – Messrs. Stilwell.

 CROFTON. 

is brother of

This officer entered the Royal Naval College 1 March, 1811; and embarked, 11 March, 1814, as a Volunteer, on board the 74, Capt. Fras. Wm. Austen, lying at Spithead. He next served, for nearly two years, on the coast of Africa, as Midshipman of the 16, Capt. Dan. Boss; was afterwards employed, from 1816 to 1819, in the 38, Capt. Jas. Rich. Dacres, off Newfoundland and in the Channel; and then proceeded to the East Indies on board the 50, Capt. Chas. Richardson, where he was promoted to a Lieutenancy in the 46, Capt. John Rich. Lumley, 9 Nov. 1821. He was subsequently appointed – 11 March, 1823, to the 120, flag-ship at the Nore of Sir Rich. Moorsom – and, 18 March, 1826, to the 28, Capt. Septimus Arabin, whom he accompanied to the coast of Africa. He invalided in 1827; and has since been on half-pay.

 CROKE. 

has lost three brothers in the service of their country – John Augustus, who died, in 1840, First Lieutenant of H.M.S. 80 – George, First-Lieutenant R.A., who was killed at the capture of Guadeloupe – and James, who died while serving in India, as Captain in H.M. 49th Regiment.