Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator.
He died in London on 7 December 1817. ==Early life== William Bligh was born on 9 September 1754, but it is not clear where.
It is likely that he was born in Plymouth, Devon, as he was baptised at St Andrew's Church on Royal Parade in Plymouth on 4 October 1754, where Bligh's father, Francis (1721–1780), was serving as a customs officer.
State Library of New South Wales, Safe 1/241b William Bligh, Letter from William Bligh to Sir Joseph Banks, 26 November 1805, letter was written from the Lady Madeleleine Sinclair several months before she sailed for New South Wales, State Library of New South Wales, Safe 1/241c. William Bligh - Papers, 1769-1822, undated, A.
Naval and Other papers, 1769-1822, undated, State Library of New South Wales, series 414414. William Bligh, Pardon granted to Joseph Moreton by William Bligh, 29 October 1806, 1 folder of textual material - manuscript, State Library of New South Wales, Am 68 Digitised versions of Bligh's logbooks are available on the Library’s website.
In 1770, at age 16, he joined HMS Hunter as an able seaman, the term used because there was no vacancy for a midshipman.
In September 1771, Bligh was transferred to and remained on the ship for three years. In 1776, Bligh was selected by Captain James Cook (1728–1779), for the position of sailing master of and accompanied Cook in July 1776 on Cook's third voyage to the Pacific Ocean, during which Cook was killed.
In September 1771, Bligh was transferred to and remained on the ship for three years. In 1776, Bligh was selected by Captain James Cook (1728–1779), for the position of sailing master of and accompanied Cook in July 1776 on Cook's third voyage to the Pacific Ocean, during which Cook was killed.
Bligh returned to England at the end of 1780 and was able to supply details of Cook's last voyage. Bligh married Elizabeth Betham, daughter of a customs collector (stationed in Douglas, Isle of Man), on 4 February 1781.
Bligh returned to England at the end of 1780 and was able to supply details of Cook's last voyage. Bligh married Elizabeth Betham, daughter of a customs collector (stationed in Douglas, Isle of Man), on 4 February 1781.
Soon after this, in August 1781, he fought in the Battle of Dogger Bank under Admiral Parker, which won him his commission as a lieutenant.
He also fought with Lord Howe at Gibraltar in 1782. Between 1783 and 1787, Bligh was a captain in the merchant service.
He also fought with Lord Howe at Gibraltar in 1782. Between 1783 and 1787, Bligh was a captain in the merchant service.
He also fought with Lord Howe at Gibraltar in 1782. Between 1783 and 1787, Bligh was a captain in the merchant service.
In 1787, Bligh was selected as commander of His Majesty's Armed Transport Bounty.
Meanwhile, Bligh completed a voyage of more than 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) to the west in the launch to reach safety north of Australia in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia) and began the process of bringing the mutineers to justice. ===First breadfruit voyage=== In 1787, Lieutenant Bligh, as he then was, took command of HMAV Bounty.
HMS Bounty papers, 1787-1794, B.
Tasmania, Adventure Bay (21 August 1788) 2.
first arrival at Tahiti (26 October 1788) 3.
The Mutiny on the Bounty occurred during his command of in 1789; after being set adrift in Bounty's launch by the mutineers, Bligh and his loyal men all reached Timor alive, after a journey of .
Bligh took Christian under his wing, and the two became friends. ==Voyage of Bounty== The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel HMAV Bounty occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789.
Bounty departed Tahiti heading east in April 1789. ===Mutiny=== Because the vessel was rated only as a cutter, Bounty had no commissioned officers other than Bligh (who was then only a lieutenant), a very small crew, and no Royal Marines to provide protection from hostile natives during stops or to enforce security on board ship.
The mutiny, which took place on 28 April 1789 during the return voyage, was led by Christian and supported by eighteen of the crew.
Wm Bligh Commander from Otaheite towards Jamaica" which he used to record events from 5 April 1789 to 13 March 1790.
Early in June they passed through the Endeavour Strait and sailed again on the open sea until they reached Coupang, a settlement on Timor, on 14 June 1789.
departure for the Caribbean (4 April 1789) 4.
28 April 1789: mutiny Travel of the mutineers (yellow): 7.
Tubuai (6 July 1789) 8.
Tubuai (16 July 1789) 10.
third arrival at Tahiti (22 September 1789) 11.
departure from Tahiti (23 September 1789) 12.
Tongatapu (15 November 1789) 13.
Bligh's party set adrift (29 April 1789) 15.
Wm Bligh, 5 April 1789 -13 Mar 1790, original logbook covering the mutiny and carried by Bligh on his subsequent boat journey to Timor. A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty, 1790 A Voyage to the South Sea, 1792 Rutter, Owen, Turbulent Journey: A Life of William Bligh, Vice-admiral of the Blue, I.
Wm Bligh Commander from Otaheite towards Jamaica" which he used to record events from 5 April 1789 to 13 March 1790.
More prisoners would likely have perished, had not William Moulter, a bosun's mate, unlocked their cages before jumping off the sinking vessel. ===Aftermath=== In October 1790, Bligh was honourably acquitted at the court-martial inquiring into the loss of Bounty.
15 January 1790: Pitcairn, burning of the Bounty Travel of Bligh's boat (green): 14.
HMS Falcon, Commission, 1790, C.
HMS Medea, Commission, 1790, D.
Wm Bligh, 5 April 1789 -13 Mar 1790, original logbook covering the mutiny and carried by Bligh on his subsequent boat journey to Timor. A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty, 1790 A Voyage to the South Sea, 1792 Rutter, Owen, Turbulent Journey: A Life of William Bligh, Vice-admiral of the Blue, I.
From 1791 to 1793, as master and commander of and in company with under the command of Nathaniel Portlock, he undertook again to transport breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies.
HMS Providence and the tender HMS Assistant, papers, 1791-1793, undated, E.
Wm Bligh, 5 April 1789 -13 Mar 1790, original logbook covering the mutiny and carried by Bligh on his subsequent boat journey to Timor. A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty, 1790 A Voyage to the South Sea, 1792 Rutter, Owen, Turbulent Journey: A Life of William Bligh, Vice-admiral of the Blue, I.
From 1791 to 1793, as master and commander of and in company with under the command of Nathaniel Portlock, he undertook again to transport breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies.
HMS Warley, Commission, 1795, F.
HMS Calcutta, Commission, 1795, G.
HMS Director, papers, 1796, 1797, undated, H.
HMS Director, papers, 1796, 1797, undated, H.
Director captured Vrijheid and the Dutch commander, Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter. Bligh went on to serve under Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801, in command of , a 56-gun ship of the line, which was experimentally fitted exclusively with carronades.
HMS Glatton, papers, 1801, I.
HMS Irresistable, Commission, 1801, J.
HMS Warrior, Commission, 1804, K.
Accordingly, he was offered the position of Governor of New South Wales on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks (President of the Royal Society and a main sponsor of the breadfruit expeditions) and appointed in March 1805, at £2,000 per annum, twice the pay of the retiring governor, Philip Gidley King.
State Library of New South Wales, Safe 1/241b William Bligh, Letter from William Bligh to Sir Joseph Banks, 26 November 1805, letter was written from the Lady Madeleleine Sinclair several months before she sailed for New South Wales, State Library of New South Wales, Safe 1/241c. William Bligh - Papers, 1769-1822, undated, A.
Captain and Governor-in-Chief of the Territory of New South Wales and its dependencies, papers, 1805-1811, undated, L.
Bligh's logbooks documenting the mutiny were officially inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World register on 26 February 2021. Seventeen years after the Bounty mutiny, on 13 August 1806, he was appointed Governor of New South Wales in Australia, with orders to clean up the corrupt rum trade of the New South Wales Corps.
He arrived in Sydney on 6 August 1806, to become the fourth governor.
Naval and Other papers, 1769-1822, undated, State Library of New South Wales, series 414414. William Bligh, Pardon granted to Joseph Moreton by William Bligh, 29 October 1806, 1 folder of textual material - manuscript, State Library of New South Wales, Am 68 Digitised versions of Bligh's logbooks are available on the Library’s website.
From the tombstones in Ebenezer and Richmond cemeteries (areas being settled west of Sydney during Bligh's tenure as governor), can be seen the number of boys born around 1807 to 1811 who received "William Bligh" as a given name, e.g.
His actions directed against the trade resulted in the so-called Rum Rebellion, during which Bligh was placed under arrest on 26 January 1808 by the New South Wales Corps and deposed from his command, an act which the British Foreign Office later declared to be illegal.
Jamison and his military associates were defying government regulations by engaging in private trading ventures for profit, a practice which Bligh was determined to put a stop to. The conflict between Bligh and the entrenched colonists culminated in another mutiny, the Rum Rebellion, when, on 26 January 1808, 400 soldiers of the New South Wales Corps under the command of Major George Johnston marched on Government House in Sydney to arrest Bligh.
Bligh failed to gain support from the authorities in Hobart to retake control of New South Wales, and remained effectively imprisoned on the Porpoise from 1808 until January 1810. Shortly after Bligh's arrest, a watercolour illustrating the arrest by an unknown artist was exhibited in Sydney at perhaps Australia's first public art exhibition.
In the days immediately prior to their departure, his daughter, Mary Putland (widowed in 1808), was hastily married to the new Lieutenant-Governor, Maurice Charles O'Connell, and remained in Sydney.
Charles Francis Greville, 10 September 1808.
10 September 1808; Autograph letter, signed, written from Government House, Sydney (8 pages).
Bligh relates the circumstances of his seizure by the New South Corps on 26 January 1808 and subsequent house arrest, blaming the events on the machinations of John Macarthur, State Library of New South Wales, Safe 1/49. Rev.
8 June 1809 at Windsor, ancestor of Malcolm Bligh Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia; and James Bligh Johnston, b.1809 at Ebenezer, son of Andrew Johnston, who designed Ebenezer Chapel, Australia's oldest extant church and oldest extant school. Bligh received a letter in January 1810, advising him that the rebellion had been declared illegal, and that the British Foreign Office had declared it to be a mutiny.
Bligh failed to gain support from the authorities in Hobart to retake control of New South Wales, and remained effectively imprisoned on the Porpoise from 1808 until January 1810. Shortly after Bligh's arrest, a watercolour illustrating the arrest by an unknown artist was exhibited in Sydney at perhaps Australia's first public art exhibition.
8 June 1809 at Windsor, ancestor of Malcolm Bligh Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia; and James Bligh Johnston, b.1809 at Ebenezer, son of Andrew Johnston, who designed Ebenezer Chapel, Australia's oldest extant church and oldest extant school. Bligh received a letter in January 1810, advising him that the rebellion had been declared illegal, and that the British Foreign Office had declared it to be a mutiny.
He arrived in Sydney on 17 January 1810, only two weeks into Macquarie's tenure.
He departed to attend the trial on 12 May 1810, arriving on 25 October 1810.
His accent and strong language being misunderstood by the locals as French, he is temporarily imprisoned as a spy. The situation in Sydney in 1810, with Bligh returning from Tasmania to be restored as governor, is the setting of Naomi Novik's fantasy novel Tongues of Serpents (Harper-Collins, 2011). On 16 December 1964, the "Adobe Dick" episode of the cartoon The Flintstones (episode 129) paid a humorous homage to Cpt.
From the tombstones in Ebenezer and Richmond cemeteries (areas being settled west of Sydney during Bligh's tenure as governor), can be seen the number of boys born around 1807 to 1811 who received "William Bligh" as a given name, e.g.
Dr Vyse, papers concerning William Bligh, 1811, Proceedings of A General Court-Martial held at Chelsea Hospital ...
Johnston ..., London, Sherwood, Neely and Jones, 1811.
Dr Vyse presenting him with the above book, 13 November 1811.
In 1814 he was promoted again to vice admiral of the blue.
Perhaps significantly, he never again received an important command, though with the Napoleonic Wars almost over there would have been few fleet commands available. Bligh was recruited to chart and map Dublin Bay, and recommended the building walls for a refuge harbour at what was then known as Dunleary; the large harbour and naval base subsequently built there between 1816 and 1821 was called Kingstown, later renamed Dún Laoghaire.
Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator.
He died in London on 7 December 1817. ==Early life== William Bligh was born on 9 September 1754, but it is not clear where.
The wall which was constructed using a design by George Halpin resulted in the formation of North Bull Island by the sand cleared by the river's now more narrowly focused force. ==Death== Bligh died in Bond Street, London, on 7 December 1817 and was buried in a family plot at St.
Perhaps significantly, he never again received an important command, though with the Napoleonic Wars almost over there would have been few fleet commands available. Bligh was recruited to chart and map Dublin Bay, and recommended the building walls for a refuge harbour at what was then known as Dunleary; the large harbour and naval base subsequently built there between 1816 and 1821 was called Kingstown, later renamed Dún Laoghaire.
1790, Bligh family papers, principally those of Vice-Admiral William Bligh, were presented to the then Public Library of New South Wales on 29 October 1902 by Bligh's grandson William Russell Bligh.
These papers were subsequently transferred from the Public Library to the Mitchell Library in June 1910, State Library of New South Wales, Safe 1/47. Greville, Charles Francis, Letter from William Bligh to Rt.
Nicholson and Watson, 1936 Mackaness, George, The Life of Vice-Admiral William Bligh, R.N., F.R.S.
His accent and strong language being misunderstood by the locals as French, he is temporarily imprisoned as a spy. The situation in Sydney in 1810, with Bligh returning from Tasmania to be restored as governor, is the setting of Naomi Novik's fantasy novel Tongues of Serpents (Harper-Collins, 2011). On 16 December 1964, the "Adobe Dick" episode of the cartoon The Flintstones (episode 129) paid a humorous homage to Cpt.
Shaw, 'Bligh, William (1754 –1817)', Australian Dictionary of Biography], Volume 1, Melbourne University Press, 1966, pp. 118–12 Royal Naval Museum, The Mutiny on HMS Bounty The Extraordinary Life, Times and Travels of Vice-Admiral William Bligh.
His accent and strong language being misunderstood by the locals as French, he is temporarily imprisoned as a spy. The situation in Sydney in 1810, with Bligh returning from Tasmania to be restored as governor, is the setting of Naomi Novik's fantasy novel Tongues of Serpents (Harper-Collins, 2011). On 16 December 1964, the "Adobe Dick" episode of the cartoon The Flintstones (episode 129) paid a humorous homage to Cpt.
Bligh's logbooks documenting the mutiny were officially inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World register on 26 February 2021. Seventeen years after the Bounty mutiny, on 13 August 1806, he was appointed Governor of New South Wales in Australia, with orders to clean up the corrupt rum trade of the New South Wales Corps.
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