​FOX. (Retired Commander, 1847. f-p., 19; h-p., 33.)

George Fox was born 28 Sept. 1773, at Scarborough, co. York.

This officer entered the Navy, 26 July, 1795, as A.B., on board the Malabar 54, Capt. Thos. Parr, which ship, after assisting at the reduction of Demerara, Essequibo, Berbice, and Ste. Lucie, foundered on her passage home from the West Indies, 10 Oct. 1796. Mr. Fox, who then joined the Pelter gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander Walsh, subsequently became Midshipman of the Pallas 36, Capt. Hon. Henry Curzon, and in that ship was wrecked, in Plymouth Sound, 4 April, 1798. During the next two years we find him chiefly employed in the Foudroyant, Barfleur, and Queen Charlotte, flagships of Lord Keith, under whom he pursued the French fleet up and down the Mediterranean, and served at the blockade of Malta. In Feb. 1800 he assisted Lord Cochrane in navigating Le Généreux, a French ship-of-the-line, which had just been captured, to Minorca; after which he accompanied his Lordship into the Speedy 14 – assisted in that vessel at the capture of a settee of greatly superior force – and on being invested with the charge of the prize, and of a convoy, succeeded in beating off two powerful row-galleys. In June, 1800, having rejoined Lord Keith in the Minotaur 74, Mr. Fox witnessed the fall of Genoa; from the mole of which place he had the singular good fortune, after the battle of Marengo, of effecting the deliverance of a British 64 and two transports, all of which but for his own individual exertions would inevitably have been destroyed. The courage and ability displayed by Mr. Fox on this occasion were so marked as to render his enrolnent among the officers of their ship an object of ambition to many of the Captains of Lord Keith’s fleet, but so high was the opinion entertained of his merits by the Admiral that he was unwilling to part with him, and in consequence retained his services until enabled, on his having passed his examination, to promote him to the rank of Lieutenant. Previously to that event, which took place 23 Aug. 1801, Mr. Fox, who had followed Lord Keith into the Foudroyant, further attended the expedition to Egypt, and had the honour, when Sir Ralph Abercromby was brought on board with his death-wound, to conduct that heroic chief to the cabin which had been assigned to his use. On the occasion of his promotion, he rejoined the Minotaur, then commanded by Capt. Thos. Louis, with whom he returned home and was paid off in March, 1802. His after appointments were to the successive command, on the Home station – 4 Feb. 1804, of the Sheerness tender – 29 Sept. 1810, of the Watchful, a similar vessel – and, 25 May, 1815, of the Brevdrageren gun-brig, which he paid off 24 Aug. following. Mr. Fox, who appears to have been very undeservedly passed over in the general promotion which followed the termination of hostilities, accepted his present rank 28 Jan. 1847.

He married, 24 Feb. 1806, Elizabeth, daughter of Thos. Bamby, Esq., of Sutton, near Hull, an eminent merchant and shipowner, by whom he has an only surviving child.

Thomas Richard Frampton entered the Navy, 18 Oct. 1812, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Barfleur 98, Capt. Sir Edw. Berry, stationed in the Mediterranean, where he successively joined, as Midshipman, the Prince of Wales 98, Capt. John Erskine Douglas, Bombay 74, Capt. Henry Bazely, and Minden 74, Capt. Wm. Paterson. After participating in the latter ship in the battle of Algiers, 27 Aug. 1816, he sailed for India with the flag of Sir Rich. King, and there removed, in Feb. 1819, to the Magicienne 36, Capt. John Brett Purvis. He afterwards served for some time with Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy in the Superb 74, and Créole 42, on the South American station, where he was confirmed to a Lieutenancy, 31 May, 1822, in the Beaver 10, Capts. Arch. Maclean and Thos. Bourchier. He removed, on 18 Dec. in the latter year, to the Doris 42, Capt. Fred. Edw. Venables Vernon, but invalided home in Aug. 1823, and has since been on half-pay.

Lieut. Frampton married, 3 Aug. 1830, Caroline, second daughter of John Wood, Esq., of Worthing, co. Sussex.

FRANCE. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 34; h-p., 15.)

Nathaniel Cranstoun France is son of Retired Commander Nathaniel Thos. France, R.N., who died in 1835; grandson of Nathaniel France, Esq., Surgeon R.N., a veteran who died in 1812; and great-grandson of the late Nathaniel France, Esq., Collector of the Customs at Waterford. This officer entered the Navy, 2 July, 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Tigre 74, Capt. Sir Wm. Sidney Smith, under whom, in 1799, he assisted at the defence of St. Jean d’Acre. During the last two years of the French revolutionary war, he served in the Mediterranean on board the Alliance 20, Capt. John Melhuish; and while afterwards attached, from March, 1804, to Oct. 1809, to the Charger 12, Lieut.-Commander John Aitkin Blow, he saw much boat-service, and attended the expeditions to Copenhagen and the Walcheren. He then for 18 months officiated as Acting Sub-Lieutenant of the Bloodhound 10, Lieut.-Commander Thos. Warrand, and, after a further servitude of more than two years in the Aquilon 32, Capt. Wm. Bowles, was confirmed to a Lieutenancy, 26 Aug. 1814, in the Indefatigable 44, Capt. John Fyffe, which ship he left 26 June, 1816. Mi. France, who until lately held an appointment in the Coast Guard, has for 18 years been employed either in that service or in command of a Revenue-cruizer.

He married, in 1820, Ann, only daughter of John Vittery, Esq., a shipowner, by whom he has issue 11 children.

FRANCILLON. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 17; h-p., 23.)

John George Francillon, born 9 Nov. 1794, at Harwich, co. Essex, is brother of Lieut. Thos. Francillon, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 7 Nov. 1807, as a Volunteer, on board the Pompée 74, Capt. Rich. Dacres, bearing the broad pendant afterwards of the present Sir Geo. Cockburn, whom he successively accompanied into the Belleisle, Implacable, Alfred, Grampus, Marlborough, Sceptre, and Albion. He assisted, as Midshipman of the Pompée, at the reduction of Martinique in Feb. 1809; served in the Belleisle during the ensuing expedition to Flushing; was in the Grampus at the defence of Cadiz in 1812; and saw much detached service on the coast of America, where, in 1814-15, he took part in the storming of Washington, the attack upon Baltimore, and the occupation of St. Mary’s. He obtained his commission 1 March, 1815; and, from 20 March, 1822, until 1831, was employed in the Coast Blockade, as Supernumerary-Lieutenant of the Severn, Ramillies, and Hyperion, Capts. Wm. M‘Culloch and Wm. Jas. Mingaye. Since the latter date he has been on half-pay.

Lieut. Francillon appears to have officiated for some time as Lloyd’s Agent and Surveyor at the port of Gloucester.

FRANCILLON. (Lieutenant, 1814. f-p., 18; h-p., 22.)

Thomas Francillon, born 19 Sept. 1792, at Harwich, co. Essex, is son of the late Fras. Francillon, Esq., Purser R.N.; and brother of Lieut. J. G. Francillon, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 7 Nov. 1807, and from that period until Sept. 1814 served in the same ships, and, including we believe the attack upon Washington, shared in the same service as his brother; in addition whereto he received a wound in an affray with the Americans at Pungoteague. Being confirmed, in consequence of the latter occurrence, to a Lieutenancy, 5 Oct. 1814, in the Ramillies 74, Capt. Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy, Mr. Francillon, on 14 Dec. following, previously to the attack on New Orleans, served with the boats of that ship and of a squadron at the capture, on Lake Borgne, of five American gun-boats under Commodore Jones, which did not surrender until the British, after a desperate conflict, had been occasioned a loss of 17 men killed and 77 wounded. Returning to England in May, 1815, on board the Madagascar 38, Capt. Bentinck Cavendish Doyle, he next, on 29 March, 1820, obtained an appointment in the Water Guard, which he resigned on being transferred, in 1826, to the command of the Lapwing Revenue-cruizer. He left that vessel in April, 1830, and has not since been afloat.

On 3 April, 1832, Lieut. Francillon was appointed Harbour-Master at Gloucester.

FRANKLAND. (Captain, 1841. f-p., 16; h-p., 21.)

Charles Colville Frankland, born 10 Feb. 1797, at Bath, is next brother of Capt. E. A.Frankland, R.N.

This officer entered the Royal Naval College 10 Aug. 1810; and embarked, 13 Jan. 1813, as a Volunteer, on board the Aquilon 32, commanded by his cousin, Capt. Wm. Bowles, with whom he returned home from South America, in July, 1814, as Midshipman of La Ceres 32. He subsequently served in the West Indies, and again on the South American station, in the Magnificent 74, Capt. Willoughby Thos. Lake, and in his old ship the Amphion, bearing the broad pendant of his relative, Commodore Bowles, who appointed him Acting-Lieutenant, 15 Oct. 1818, of the Andromache, Capt. Wm. Henry Shirreff. At the period of his official promotion, which took place 26 March, 1819, Mr. Frankland was filling the confidential post of private Secretary to his Captain, then senior officer in the Pacific. In the following month he crossed the Andes and Pampas mountains as the bearer of despatches for the Admiralty, and on 26 April, 1825, after a servitude of three years and a half in the Semiramis 42, as Flag-Lieutenant at Cork to his uncle. Lord Colville, he was promoted to the rank of Commander. His next appointment was, 4 Feb. 1840, to the Pearl 20, in which ship we find him discharging the duties of senior officer on the northern coast of Brazil, and in the Rio de la Plata, until July, 1842, when he was superseded, having been advanced to Post-rank on 23 of the previous Nov. He afterwards served as Secretary to Rear-Admiral Bowles on the Irish station from 29 May to 15 Sept. 1843; and from 8 Oct. 1845, until Oct. 1846, he had command of the Alarm 26, on the North America and West India station.

Capt. Frankland officiated as Page of Honour to Lord Colville at the coronation of George IV. He has published two books of travels. Agents – Goode and Lawrence.

FRANKLAND. (Captain, 1835. f-p., 14; h-p., 26.)

Edward Augustus Frankland, born 23 May, 1794, at Yarlington, is second son of the late Rev.