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Auction: 9022 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 107

x Naval General Service 1793-1840, one clasp, Endymion Wh President (G.V. Oughton, Purser.), scratch marks to edge overall, remnants of lacquer, very fine Estimate £ 5,000-6,000 George V. Oughton served as Purser in H.M.S. Endymion for the action with the American 50 gun frigate President, 15.1.1815. The Endymion pursued the American ship for twelve hours and engaged her in a fierce fight for over two hours before she surrendered to other British ships of the same squadron as Endymion off Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Captain H. Hope of the Endymion received a Small Naval Gold Medal for this action. Paymaster George Voller Oughton, born Sussex; originally the recipient´´s surname was ´´Outon´´, he changed it to ´´Oughton´´ in 1818; joined Royal Navy as Landsman, 1800, and was posted to H.M.S. Achilles the same year; transferred to H.M.S. Edgar, March 1801, and advanced to Ordinary Seaman; the latter ship was to form part of Admiral Nelson´´s Squadron at the bombardment of Copenhagen, 2.4.1801; Edgar´´s Muster list shows ´´Outon´´ aboard for this close quarter action, and this is further supported by Oughton himself in an abbreviated series of notes on his service, dated 1851, when ´´I was slightly wounded on board Edgar at the battle of Copenhagen´´; despite this his name does not appear as an applicant for the clasp ´´Copenhagen 1801´´, however, one assumes that Oughton knew of the ´´advertisement´´ to claim this particular clasp in addition to the one he applied for and received; the compiler of the 1850 Navy List (Joseph Allen) annotates ´´Oughton´´ as in receipt of NGS Medal with two clasps, of which ´´Copenhagen 1801´´ is one, however, there are many examples of similar ´´errors´´ based on "Service" rather than "Approval" for clasp(s) in these particular Navy Lists; ´´Outon´´ was posted in the same rate to H.M.S. London (Captain R.W. Outway), August 1801; promoted Midshipman in September of the same year; appointed as Clerk H.M.S. Amazon, December 1802; the latter became part of Nelson´´s Mediterranean Fleet, and in August 1804 ´´Outon´´ was transferred as an ´´un-rated´´ supernumerary to Nelson´´s Flag ship, H.M.S. Victory; by the end of the month he was promoted to Midshipman; whilst Victory lay in Pula Bay, Nelson personally signed ´´Outon´´s´´ Warrant for the vacancy of Purser in H.M.S. Childers, 14.12.1804; this appointment fell through and Nelson signed a second Warrant for ´´Outon´´ to be Acting Purser, H.M.S. Bittern; whilst in service with the latter he was ´´severely hurt when Acting Purser 1806 and invalided from that ship for compound fracture of the right leg´´ (recipient´´s service notes refer); promoted Purser, December 1807, and appointed in this capacity to H.M.S. Endymion in September of the following year; he was to serve two commissions with her, during which time she famously chased, engaged, and led to the capture of the American frigate President; the latter had been part of an American Squadron blockaded in New York; on 14.1.1815 she had taken the opportunity to ´´make a dash for it´´ when a storm arose and blew the British ships off the coast, ´´Before daylight the next morning.... she ran into the British Squadron, and a headlong chase followed..... In the afternoon the wind became light and baffling, and the Endymion forged to the front and gained rapidly on the President..... For three hours the ships occasionally interchanged shots from their bow and stern chasers. At about half-past five the Endymion drew up close, and began to pour holes in her broadsides on the President´´s starboard quarter, where not a gun of the latter would bear. For half an hour the President bore the battering as best she might, unable to retaliate; and did not like to alter her course, lest she should lessen her chance of escape. Moreover, Decatur expected the Endymion to come up abeam. But Captain Hope kept his position by yawing, not wishing to forfeit his advantage. In this he was quite right, for the President suffered more during the half-hour when she had to endure the unreturned fire of her opponent than during the entire remainder of the combat. At six o´´clock Decatur found his position unbearable, and kept off, heading to the south. The two frigates ran abreast, the Americans using the starboard, the British the port, battery. Decatur tried to close with his antagonist, but the latter, being both lighter and swifter ship, hauled up and frustrated the attempt. The President then endeavoured to dismantle the British frigate, and thus get rid of her. In this she was successful. The Endymion´´s sails were cut from her yards, and she fell astern, the fire gradually dying away on both sides. The last shot was fired from the President. Three hours afterwards, at eleven o´´clock, the Pomone caught up with the President, and gave her two broadsides, which killed and wounded a considerable number of people. The Endymion was out of sight astern. Decatur did not return the fire, but surrendered..... In the President twenty-four were killed and fifty wounded; in the Endymion eleven were killed and fourteen wounded.´´ (The War with The United States, 1812-15, refers); ´´Outon´´ was paid off in January 1815; his next appointment, with his name now officially changed to Oughton, was to H.M.S. Tribune, before service in H.M.S. Lively, 1.11.1823-23.1.1826; during this period of service Oughton was to find himself involved in repelling a Royal Coup in Portugal; H.M.S.´´s Windsor Castle and Lively under the overall command of Captain C. Dashwood lay in the river Tagus when, ´´an attempt was made on the night of the 29th April [1824] to overturn the Portuguese Government by dethroning the Monarch, and establishing the Queen as Regent. The whole of the armed force were drawn out by the order of the Infante, Dom Miguel, [Second son of the King and Commander-in-Chief of the Army], and the King was absolutely a prisoner in his palace until rescued by the energy of the whole of the Diplomatic Corps rushing through a host of bayonets into the Royal presence´´ (Captain Dashwood´´s Despatch, Windsor Castle, refers); on the 9th May the King and his Court took refuge in H.M.S. Windsor Castle, ´´in utmost danger of losing both his Crown and life´´ (Ibid); other notable public figures also sought refuge in H.M.S. Lively, including Sarmento, the former Charge d´´Affaires in London; the Muster Book for the Windsor Castle gives a total of some 478 Portuguese subjects who took refuge within her wooden walls; Dom Miguel was lured aboard the Windsor Castle in order to show filial obedience to his father; once aboard he was trapped and transferred to a Portuguese frigate which was to be accompanied and guarded by Oughton´´s ship, H.M.S. Lively, as far as Brest, where the young Infante was to be exiled; as a token of his appreciation for the part played by the Royal Navy King John VI of Portugal not only bestowed various classes of the Order of the Tower and Sword upon the British Officers but he also especially created and conferred a Portrait Badge for those who had assisted the King; this badge was exemplified by two anchors cruciforming the oval portrait of the King, and with the ship´´s names of Windsor Castle and Lively respectively as part of the design on two of the three types of ´´reverse´´; whilst no list of those to whom it was awarded survives it is likely that Oughton received the badge to accompany his Knight of the Tower and Sword (London Gazette 21.4.1825); Oughton´´s later appointments included in H.M.S. Ramilles, Ganges, Vernon, President, Hastings, Queen and Superb; whilst serving with the Ramilles he was re-appointed within the vessel as Pursur for the ´´Right Division´´ of the Kent Coast Blockade; the Coast Blockade was an attempt at combating smuggling, which had become particularly rife during the wars with France; in effect Oughton was part of the forerunner to what was to later become H.M. Coast Guard; whilst serving in H.M.S. Superb, in 1852, when according to his own account he was aged 63, ´´G.V. Oughton received a severe contusion of the left knee and leg with considerable abrasions of skin whilst employed at Chia, Sardinia, whilst procuring fresh provisions for part of the Squadron which was detached by Admiral Parker for the purpose of watering. The effects of the injury were aggravated from it having happened in the neighbourhood of old cicatrized wounds´´ (Wounds Certificate signed by Assistant Surgeon, H.M.S. Superb, refers); a note from the recipient on the Certificate says, ´´I am still desirous to serve´´, despite this plea to stay in the only way of life he knew, he was placed on the Retired List to date from 5.4.1852, and he was to die two years later.

Estimate
£5,000 to £6,000