Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 43.djvu/273

 of a grant to Portugal. In May he was appointed to the Menelaus of 38 guns, and in July was sent to St. Helena to convoy home the East India fleet. He found the island much alarmed by the news of the loss of the frigate squadron at the Mauritius [see ; ], and undertook to go on as a reinforcement to Commodore Rowley. He sailed at once for Bourbon, and finding the fleet had left, followed, and joined it in time to take part in the reduction of Mauritius. He was then sent home with the news, and his conduct being approved by the admiralty, he was again ordered to St. Helena, whence he brought home a large convoy in August 1811.

In October he took out Lord William Bentinck as ambassador to the king of Sicily, and in January 1812 joined Sir Edward Pellew [q. v.] at Port Mahon, and remained for the greater part of the year attached to the in-shore squadron before Toulon, where Parker had more than one opportunity of distinguishing himself in a brilliant skirmish with the enemy's advanced ships. On 28 May he endeavoured to cut off the 40-gun frigate Pauline, with a 16-gun brig in company, returning from the Adriatic, and relinquished the attempt only when the Menelaus's foretopmast was almost cut in two by a shot from the batteries, and two ships of the line were standing out for the Pauline's protection (, v. 315). On 13 Aug., having chased a brig laden with government stores into the port of San Stefano in the Bay of Orbitello, he cut her out from under the batteries, an affair which was spoken of as dashing at a time when cutting-out expeditions were not uncommon (ib. v. 348). In December the Menelaus was ordered to Malta, and sent home in charge of convoy. She arrived at Portsmouth in May, and after refitting was sent for a cruise to the westward, in company with the Superb. She returned to Portsmouth in December, and after a short interval was ordered to join Lord Keith off Brest. On 14 Feb. 1814, off Lorient, she retook a richly laden Spanish ship, a prize to the French frigates Atalante and Terpsichore, the latter of which had been captured some days before by the Majestic (ib. vi. 146). The Atalante deserted her consort and escaped. On 25 March the Menelaus fell in with her, and chased her into Concarneau Bay; and as her captain showed no intention of leaving his anchorage, Parker, on the 28th, sent him a note under a flag of truce, inviting him to come out to meet a frigate of equal force. The challenge was declined (ib.), and shortly afterwards the Menelaus was ordered to North America, where, in the latter part of August, she was sent up the Chesapeake. On the 30th Parker had information of a strong party of American militia encamped in his neighbourhood. Towards midnight he landed with 134 men, seamen and marines, and followed the enemy, who had retired to a position some four or miles off. With rash bravery Parker led on his men to the attack, but fell, mortally wounded by a buckshot, which divided the femoral artery. Forty others were killed or wounded, and the party drew back to their ship, carrying with them the body of their captain, which was afterwards sent to England and buried in St. Margaret's, Westminster. He married, in 1809, Marianne, daughter of Sir George Dallas, bart., by whom he had issue one son, who succeeded to the baronetcy. His portrait, by Hoppner, is in the Painted Hall at Greenwich.

‘I have just been writing some elegiac stanzas on the death of Sir P. Parker,’ wrote Lord Byron to Moore on 7 Oct. 1814. ‘He was my first cousin, but never met since boyhood. … I am so sorry for him as one could be for one I never saw since I was a child; but should not have wept melodiously except at the request of friends.’ Parker's sister Margaret was Byron's first boyish love, and inspired his ‘first dash into poetry’ (Life, i. 52).

[Biographical Memoir (by Sir George Dallas), with an engraved portrait after Hoppner; James's Naval History; logs and other official documents in the Public Record Office.] 

PARKER, RICHARD (1572–1629), historian of the university of Cambridge, born at Ely in 1572, was the son of John Parker (1534–1592) [q. v.], archdeacon of Ely, and, after studying for four years in the free school there, he was, on 9 March 1589–90, admitted a pensioner of Caius College, Cambridge (, Admissions to Gonville and Caius Coll. p. 70). He graduated B.A. in 1593–4, was elected a fellow of his college, commenced M.A. in 1597, and proceeded to the degree of B.D. in 1610. He became eminent as an antiquary, herald, and genealogist, and enjoyed the friendship of Camden and other learned men. On 25 Aug. 1610 he obtained the rectory of Little Wenden, Essex, and on 1 May 1615 the vicarage of Littlebury, in the same county (, Repertorium, ii. 394, 651). He held both these preferments until his death, which took place before the last day of February 1628–9.

His principal work is ‘Σκελετὸς Cantabrigiensis, sive Collegiorum Umbratilis Delineatio, cum suis fundatoribus et benefactoribus plurimis. In qua etiam habes à fronte Hos-