Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p1.djvu/147

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Pakenhams are an ancient English family, originally seated at Pakenham, co. Suffolk; from whence they removed to Lordington, in Sussex, where Sir Hugh died, in the time of Henry VII. His daughter, Anne, married to Sir William Sydney, was mother of Sir Henry, who went to Ireland as Lord Lieutenant, in 1576, accompanied by his cousin Edmund Pakenham, the immediate ancestor of Thomas, first Lord Longford, father of the subject of this memoir, and grandfather of the present Earl of Longford, and of the Duchess of Wellington.

Sir Thomas Pakenham, of whose services we are about to present a brief sketch, is the fourth and only surviving son of the above-mentioned nobleman, who was raised to the Peerage in right of his wife, Elizabeth, sole heiress of Michael Cuffee, Esq., nephew and heir of Ambrose Aungier, Earl of Longford, which lady was created Countess of Longford subsequent to her lord’s demise.

Our officer was born in the year 1757; went to sea at an early age, and was advanced to the rank of Post-Captain, March 2, 1780. In the following year we find him commanding the Crescent, of 28 guns; in which frigate he accompanied Admiral Darby to the relief of Gibraltar ; and was afterwards sent to Minorca. On his return from thence, in company with the Flora, Captain Williams (now Admiral Freeman), he fell in with two Dutch frigates, and a sharp contest ensued. Captain Pakenham losing his main and mizen-masts, whereby his guns were rendered useless, was compelled to strike his colours; but Captain Williams more fortunate, subdued his opponent, and prevented the enemy from taking possession of the Crescent. In this unequal conflict, the latter ship had 26 men killed, and 67 wounded. 