Admiral D'Arcy Preston (1765 – 21 January 1847, Askham Bryan, York) was a British naval officer of the 18th and 19th centuries.
[1] Preston entered the Royal Navy on 10 May 1781 as a volunteer on board HMS Portland on the Newfoundland Station.
[1][2] Between September 1782 and November 1790 Preston served widely, on the North American, Mediterranean, Home, and again the Newfoundland Station.
[1] Preston's next command came on 17 May 1796 when he was appointed to the brand new sloop HMS Termagant to serve in the North Sea.
On 19 December Blanche was sailing in company with HMS Minerve, the flagship of Commodore Horatio Nelson, when they encountered the Spanish 40-gun frigates Sabina and Ceres.
[6][7][8] On 4 July 1803 Preston took command of the sea fencibles between Flamborough and the River Tees; he held this position until 28 February 1810.