Lord Henry Paulet

Born into the British nobility as a younger son of the Marquess of Winchester, he rose through the ranks and had gained his own command by the early stages of the French Revolutionary Wars.

He nevertheless rose through the ranks to reach vice-admiral, despite an incident that saw him court-martialled and dismissed, only to be reinstated by the intervention of the King; and a tendency to eccentricity.

Paulet served as one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty from 1813, and was installed as a Knight Commander of the Bath in 1815, but ill-health forced his retirement from active service shortly afterwards, and he would die of cancer in 1832.

He spent 11 years at this rank, during which time he was present at Admiral Sir George Rodney's victory at the Battle of the Saintes.

[2][3][4] After this success, Paulet returned to Britain and was given command of the 32-gun fifth rate HMS Astraea, cruising in the English Channel under the orders of Sir John Colpoys.

'[7] Paulet and the Thalia continued to serve in the Channel until January 1797, when they were sent with Rear-Admiral William Parker to reinforce John Jervis's fleet prior to the Battle of Cape St Vincent.

[7] He was brought to court-martial on 12 June 1798 aboard HMS Prince, and the offence being proved, the court had no choice but to dismiss him from the service.

[10] The Defence was paid off with the conclusion of the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, though the resumption of hostilities led to Paulet's return to service as captain of HMS Terrible.

On one occasion, while his ship was moored at Spithead, he asked his admiral for permission to take leave to visit London.

[4][8][11] He replaced William Johnstone Hope as one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in 1813, holding the position until being forced to retire in 1816 due to ill health.

[8] Increasingly ill during his last years from cancer, that it was believed had been brought on by a fall against a slide of one of the carronades aboard the Terrible, Paulet died on 28 January 1832 at his seat of Westhill Lodge, Tichfield, Hampshire.