Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p2.djvu/9

  can be little doubt that the name of Burrard is a pure Saxon compound, consisting of Burh or Burgh, a town or city, and Heard, a shepherd or keeper; which circumstance alone is sufficient to denote, that the family is of considerable antiquity.

The subject of this memoir is the eldest son of the late William Burrard, of Lymington, co. Hants, Esq. by Miss Mary Pearce, his second wife, and succeeded to the title on the demise of his uncle, Sir Harry Burrard, the first Baronet of that name, who died April 12, 1791.

Previous to the war with France, in 1793, our officer commanded the Nautilus sloop; and on the 1st Feb. in that year, obtained the rank of Post-Captain. He was soon after appointed to l’Aimable, of 32 guns, and in that ship assisted at the reduction of Bastia. On the 23d May, 1794, he captured la Moselle, French corvette of 18 guns, off the Hieres islands.

In April 1795, our officer married a daughter of the late Robert Neale, of Shaw House, co. Wilts. Esq., on which occasion he adopted the name of Neale. About the same time he obtained the command of the St. Fiorenzo, of 42 guns, in which frigate his late Majesty occasionally made short marine excursions, Sir Harry being stationed off Weymouth during the King’s summer residence at that place.

On the 9th March, 1797, being off Brest in company with Captain John Cooke, of la Nymphe, who afterwards fell at Trafalgar, he discovered two French men of war standing in for the land. The wind being at this time off shore, and the enemy’s fleet in Brest Road visible from their tops, it was necessary to make as decided and prompt an attack as possible; for this purpose both ships bore down on the headmost 