# Henry Codrington

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Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet (1808–1877)

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Codrington KCB Rear-Admiral Henry John Codrington (Lowes Cato Dickinson) Born (1808-08-17)17 August 1808 Died 4 August 1877(1877-08-04) (aged 68) Eaton Square, London Allegiance United Kingdom Branch Royal Navy Service years 1823–1872 Rank Admiral of the Fleet Commands HMS Orestes HMS Talbot HMS Queen HMS St Vincent HMS Thetis HMS Royal George Malta Dockyard Plymouth Command Conflicts Greek War of Independence Egyptian–Ottoman War Crimean War Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

[Admiral of the Fleet](/source/Admiral_of_the_Fleet_(Royal_Navy)) **Sir Henry John Codrington** [KCB](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) (17 October 1808 – 4 August 1877) was a [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) officer. As a junior officer, he saw action during the [Greek War of Independence](/source/Greek_War_of_Independence) and was present at the [Battle of Navarino](/source/Battle_of_Navarino). He later undertook a survey of enemy positions prior to the bombardment of [Acre](/source/Acre%2C_Israel) during the [Egyptian–Ottoman War](/source/Egyptian%E2%80%93Ottoman_War_(1839%E2%80%9341)).

As a [captain](/source/Captain_(Royal_Navy)), Codrington provided refuge on board ship for [Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany](/source/Leopold_II%2C_Grand_Duke_of_Tuscany) and his family who were fleeing from revolutionary forces and then commanded [HMS *Royal George*](/source/HMS_Royal_George_(1827)) in the [Baltic Sea](/source/Baltic_Sea) during the [Crimean War](/source/Crimean_War). He went on to be Admiral superintendent of [Malta Dockyard](/source/Malta_Dockyard) and then [Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth](/source/Commander-in-Chief%2C_Plymouth).

## Early career

The fifth-rate [HMS *Thetis*](/source/HMS_Thetis_(1846)), refuge to [Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany](/source/Leopold_II%2C_Grand_Duke_of_Tuscany) under Codrington's command

Born the son of [Admiral Sir Edward Codrington](/source/Edward_Codrington) and Jane Hall. His great grandfather was [Sir William Codrington, 1st Baronet](/source/Sir_William_Codrington%2C_1st_Baronet) of [Dodington Park](/source/Dodington_Park).[1]

Codrington joined the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) in February 1823.[2] He was initially appointed to the [fifth-rate](/source/Fifth-rate) [HMS *Apollo*](/source/HMS_Apollo_(1805)) at [Portsmouth](/source/Portsmouth) and then transferred to the fifth-rate [HMS *Sybille*](/source/French_frigate_Sibylle_(1791)) at [Deptford](/source/Deptford) in July 1824.[3] Promoted to [midshipman](/source/Midshipman), he transferred to the fifth-rate [HMS *Naiad*](/source/HMS_Naiad_(1797)) in August 1824 and took park in operations against pirates later in the year, supporting the blockade of [Algiers](/source/Algiers) by British forces; he then served in the British squadron off Greece, during the [Greek War of Independence](/source/Greek_War_of_Independence).[3] He transferred to the [second-rate](/source/Second-rate) [HMS *Asia*](/source/HMS_Asia_(1824)), flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, [Mediterranean Fleet](/source/Mediterranean_Fleet), in October 1826 and was present at the [Battle of Navarino](/source/Battle_of_Navarino) in October 1827.[3] During the battle he acted as signal midshipman and was wounded and, following the action during which the [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Empire) fleet was destroyed, he was awarded the Russian [Order of St. Vladimir](/source/Order_of_St._Vladimir), the French [Legion of Honour](/source/Legion_of_Honour) and the Greek [Order of the Redeemer](/source/Order_of_the_Redeemer) for his services.[3]

After serving briefly in the [third-rate](/source/Third-rate) [HMS *Warspite*](/source/HMS_Warspite_(1807)) and then in the fifth-rate [HMS *Madagascar*](/source/HMS_Madagascar_(1822)), Codrington was promoted to [lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant_(navy)) on 12 June 1829.[3] He was appointed to the [first-rate](/source/First-rate) [HMS *Victory*](/source/HMS_Victory), [flagship](/source/Flagship) of the [Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth](/source/Commander-in-Chief%2C_Portsmouth), in June 1829 and then transferred to the first-rate [HMS *Prince Regent*](/source/HMS_Prince_Regent_(1823)), flagship of the [Commander-in-Chief, The Nore](/source/Commander-in-Chief%2C_The_Nore), in August 1829, to the fifth-rate [HMS *Briton*](/source/HMS_Briton_(1812)) for "particular service" in April 1830 and to the first-rate [HMS *Caledonia*](/source/HMS_Caledonia_(1808)), flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, [Channel Squadron](/source/Channel_Fleet), for an experimental cruise in June 1831.[4]

The first-rate [HMS *Royal George*](/source/HMS_Royal_George_(1827)), commanded by Codrington during the Crimean War

Promoted to [commander](/source/Commander_(Royal_Navy)) on 20 October 1831, Codrington became commanding officer of the [sloop](/source/Sloop-of-war) [HMS *Orestes*](/source/HMS_Orestes_(1824)) in the Mediterranean Fleet in June 1834.[4] Promoted to [captain](/source/Captain_(Royal_Navy)) on 20 January 1836, he became commanding officer of the [sixth-rate](/source/Sixth-rate) [HMS *Talbot*](/source/HMS_Talbot_(1824)) in March 1838 and in that capacity undertook a survey of enemy positions prior to the bombardment of [Acre](/source/Acre%2C_Israel) in November 1840 during the [Egyptian–Ottoman War](/source/Egyptian%E2%80%93Ottoman_War_(1839%E2%80%9341)).[4] For this service he was appointed a [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath).[2]

Codrington went on to command the first-rate [HMS *Queen*](/source/HMS_Queen_(1839)), his father's flagship as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, in March 1841 and then to command the first-rate [HMS *St Vincent*](/source/HMS_St_Vincent_(1815)), his father's next flagship as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, in October 1841.[4] He became commanding officer of the fifth-rate [HMS *Thetis*](/source/HMS_Thetis_(1846)) in the Mediterranean Fleet in October 1846 and provided refuge on board ship for [Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany](/source/Leopold_II%2C_Grand_Duke_of_Tuscany) and his family who were fleeing from revolutionary forces in 1848.[4]

Codrington became commanding officer of the first-rate [HMS *Royal George*](/source/HMS_Royal_George_(1827)) in the [Baltic Sea](/source/Baltic_Sea) in October 1853 and took part in naval operations during the [Crimean War](/source/Crimean_War).[4] Admiral [Sir Charles Napier](/source/Charles_Napier_(Royal_Navy_officer)) threatened to court-martial him for failing to achieve the required standards but the [Admiralty](/source/British_Admiralty) refused to support this course of action.[4] Promoted to [commodore](/source/Commodore_(Royal_Navy)), he was given command of a squadron of [gunboats](/source/Gunboat) with his [broad pennant](/source/Broad_pennant) in the second-rate [HMS *Algiers*](/source/HMS_Algiers_(1854)) in February 1856.[4] The Admiralty envisaged that he would lead a mission to attack the naval base at [Kronstadt](/source/Kronstadt) but the War ended with the [Treaty of Paris](/source/Congress_of_Paris_(1856)) in March 1856 and the mission was abandoned.[4]

## Senior command

Promoted to [rear admiral](/source/Rear_admiral_(Royal_Navy)) on 19 March 1857,[5] Codrington became Admiral Superintendent of [Malta Dockyard](/source/Malta_Dockyard), with his flag in the first-rate [HMS *Hibernia*](/source/HMS_Hibernia_(1804)), in July 1858.[6] Promoted to [vice admiral](/source/Vice_admiral_(Royal_Navy)) on 24 September 1863,[7] he was advanced to [Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) on 13 March 1867.[8] Promoted to full [admiral](/source/Admiral_(Royal_Navy)) on 18 October 1867,[9] he became [Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth](/source/Commander-in-Chief%2C_Plymouth) in November 1869.[6] He was promoted to [Admiral of the Fleet](/source/Admiral_of_the_Fleet_(Royal_Navy)) on 22 January 1877[10] and died at his home at [Eaton Square](/source/Eaton_Square) in [London](/source/London) on 4 August 1877.[6]

## Family

The South side of [Eaton Square](/source/Eaton_Square) in London; Codrington lived at No. 112

In April 1849 Codrington married Helen Jane Webb (1828–1876); they had two daughters.[4] They had a much publicised divorce in 1864 in which the Admiral accused her of having a close relationship with the women's rights activist [Emily Faithfull](/source/Emily_Faithfull).[11] This notorious legal case, the Codrington Affair, was fictionalisd by [Emma Donoghue](/source/Emma_Donoghue) in *The Sealed Letter* (2008).[12] The novel was joint winner of the [2009 Lambda Literary Award](/source/2009_Lambda_Literary_Awards) for Lesbian Fiction.[13]

He married Catherine Aitchison (née Compton) in August 1869; they had one daughter.[6]

Ellen Codrington, the younger of the two daughters from Henry Codrington's first marriage, married in 1878 John Roche Dasent, the eldest son of [George Webbe Dasent](/source/George_Webbe_Dasent), the translator of Norse mythology.[14]

Anne Codrington, his eldest daughter married [Henry Finch-Hatton, later 13th Earl of Winchilsea](/source/Henry_Finch-Hatton%2C_13th_Earl_of_Winchilsea) in 1882, had issues include [Guy Finch-Hatton, 14th Earl of Winchilsea](/source/Guy_Finch-Hatton%2C_14th_Earl_of_Winchilsea), who married wealthy American heiress and the big-game hunter [Denys Finch-Hatton](/source/Denys_Finch_Hatton).[1]

## See also

- O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). ["Codrington, Henry John"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Naval_Biographical_Dictionary/Codrington,_Henry_John). [*A Naval Biographical Dictionary*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Naval_Biographical_Dictionary). [John Murray](/source/John_Murray_(publishing_house)) – via [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource).

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [*Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ve8_AQAAMAAJ&dq=anne+jane+codrington+winchilsea&pg=PA299). Burke's Peerage Limited. 1885.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-odnb_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-odnb_2-1) ["Sir Henry Codrington"](http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5797). *[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography)* (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/ref:odnb/5797](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F5797). Retrieved 1 February 2015. (Subscription, [Wikipedia Library](https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/partners/88/) access or [UK public library membership](https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#public) required.)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-heath51_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-heath51_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-heath51_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-heath51_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-heath51_3-4) Heathcote, p. 51

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-heath52_4-9) Heathcote, p. 52

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["No. 21982"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/21982/page/1136). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 27 March 1857. p. 1136.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-heath53_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-heath53_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-heath53_6-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-heath53_6-3) Heathcote, p. 53

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["No. 22776"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/22776/page/4743). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 2 October 1863. p. 4743.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["No. 23230"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23230/page/1724). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 15 March 1867. p. 1724.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["No. 23315"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/23315/page/5666). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 10 June 1948. p. 5666.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["No. 24411"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/24411/page/436). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 30 January 1877. p. 436.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Emily Faithfull"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180904094946/http://gerald-massey.org.uk/faithfull/index.htm). Archived from [the original](http://gerald-massey.org.uk/faithfull/index.htm) on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Donoghue, Emma. ["The Sealed Letter: Author's Note"](http://www.picador.com/blog/october-2011/the-sealed-letter-author-s-note). *Picador*. Retrieved 21 November 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Cerna, Antonio Gonzalez (18 February 2010). ["21st Annual Lambda Literary Awards"](http://www.lambdaliterary.org/winners-finalists/02/18/lambda-literary-awards-2008-2/). *Lambda Literary*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [*Popular tales from the Norse by Sir George Webbe Dasent, with a memoir by Arthur Irwin Dasent*](http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x002150168;view=1up;seq=47). 1903. p. xli.

## Sources

- Heathcote, Tony (2002). *The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995*. Pen & Sword. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-85052-835-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85052-835-6).

## External links

- [William Loney](http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=255) Career History

Military offices Preceded by Montagu Stopford Admiral Superintendent, Malta Dockyard 1858–1863 Succeeded by Horatio Austin Preceded by Sir William Martin Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth 1869–1872 Succeeded by Sir Henry Keppel

Authority control databases International VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States Other SNAC

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Henry Codrington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Codrington) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Codrington?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.