Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p1.djvu/158

 Mr. William Nicholson, of Bloomsbury Square, London, chief engineer of the Portsea Island Water-works. 



of the late Captain David Pryce Cumby, R.N. by his second wife, Susanna, eldest daughter of Robert Mash, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, Esq., and half-brother to Captain William Pryce Cumby, R.N., C.B., who succeeded to the command of the Bellerophon 74, on the death of Captain John Cooke, during the memorable battle of Trafalgar.

This officer was born at Great Yarmouth, Nov. 28th, 1779; and appears to have entered the royal navy, as midshipman on board the Sheerness 44, armed en flûte, May 22d, 1790. He was appointed an acting lieutenant on the 28th Nov. 1797; confirmed by the Admiralty in Jan. 1799; and presented with the Order of the Crescent, and a gold medal, for his services under Sir W. Sidney Smith, on the coast of Syria, and during the subsequent campaign in Egypt. We next find him third lieutenant of the Caesar 80, Captain Sir Richard J. Strachan, at the capture of four French line-of-battle ships, under Rear-Admiral Dumanoir le Pelley, Nov. 4th, 1805 ; and afterwards commanding the Adrian cutter, employed in the Bay of Biscay, where he captured fourteen sail of merchantmen, and otherwise greatly annoyed the enemy’s coasting trade. His last appointments were, in 1813, to the Bellerophon, Captain Edward Hawker, and Medway 74, Captain Augustus Brine; from which latter ship he was promoted to his present rank, Dec. 4th, 1813.

Commander Cumby married Sarah, youngest daughter of William Gillard, of Black House, Brixham, co. Devon, Esq.

