Commander Paul G. Panton, R.N., who fought in Duckworth’s action at St. Domingo, and in the Hydra at the capture of Fort Bagur and three French privateers on the Catalonian coast in August 1807

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 2 clasps, St. Domingo [396], Hydra 6 Augt 1807 [11] (P. G. Panton, Midshipman.) edge bruise and dents to backstrap of clasp carriage, otherwise nearly extremely fine £10000-12000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The John Goddard Collection of Important Naval Medals and Nelson Letters.

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Provenance: Christie’s, March 1987.

St. Domingo [396 issued] - including 11 officers and 58 men of the Canopus.

Hydra 6 Augt 1807 [11 issued] - John Bennett, Pte. R.M. (Royal Marines Museum); Thomas Dredge, L.M.; William Finlaison, Midshipman (Known); Robert H. Goddard, Clerk (Royal Naval Museum); Robert Hayes, 1st Lieutenant R.M. (Royal Marines Museum); James Huntley, Captain Fore Top (Known); George King, L.M. (National Maritime Museum); John Lee, Cpl. R.M.; George Mundy, Captain R.N.; B. E. Quadline, Boy 2 Class; David Smith, Captain Main Top. To this number must now be added Paul G. Panton, Midshipman, who is verified aboard but not shown on the Admiralty roll, and further confirmed in the Navy List for 1852 as having received a medal with 2 clasps.

The medal is accompanied by an extremely rare archive containing numerous original documents, all contained in a purpose made blue buckram slip-case with gilt-embossed title to front and spine, comprising:

(a) Certificates of Service (2): H.M.S. Hydra (1804-10) and H.M.S. Ulysses (1810-11) signed by Captain George Mundy and Captain H. E. Reginald Baker respectively.

(b) Appointments (5): Acting Lieutenant, H.M.S. Marlborough (4 March 1811); Acting Lieutenant H.M.S. Morgiana (4 February 1812); Acting Lieutenant H.M. Sloop Colibri (25 February 1812) in which he served until she was wrecked, 23 August 1813; Lieutenant H.M. Sloop Colibri (6 June 1812); Lieutenant H.M. Sloop Bellette (5 June 1818).

(c) Report on the shipwreck of H.M. Sloop Colibri, 23 August 1813, probably in Lieutenant Panton’s own hand.

(d) Memorandum of Services (1804-14) completed by Lieutenant Panton; with accompanying Admiralty letter requesting the information (1817).

(e) Statements (2) detailing Lieutenant Panton’s account with his Navy Agents, Messrs. Cooke, Halford (1810-15 and 1818-22).

(f) Official letter addressed to Lieutenant Panton that accompanied the Naval General Service Medal (8 March 1849).

(g) Lieutenant Panton’s red leather-bound Passport (1851), for himself and his family ‘travelling on the Continent, with a maid servant’, signed by Lord Palmerston.

(h) Draught letter written by Lieutenant Panton (10 April 1852) petitioning the Duke of Northumberland for an appointment as Commander detailing his Naval service: ‘I have been allowed a Medal for Sir J. T. Duckworth’s action off St. Domingo whilst serving in the Canopus Flag Ship of Sir Thos. Louis, and the capture of Fort Begue (sic) and two armed vessels by the Hydra’; and the non-commital reply from the Admiralty, in its official envelope (12 April 1852).

(i) Commission for the rank of Commander (11 May 1853).

Paul Griffith Panton was born on 31 October 1795, second son of Jones Panton, Esq., of Plusgurm, County Anglesey. He entered the Navy on 19 July 1804, as First Class Volunteer on board the Hydra 38, Captain George Mundy; and on being lent, after cruising for some time in the Mediterranean, to the Canopus 80, flagship of Rear-Admiral Thomas Louis, fought in the action off St. Domingo on 6 February 1806. Having been created a Midshipman in Hydra in April 1807, and was present in her during the storming of the batteries at the port of Bagur, on the Catalonian coast, and the capture of three armed polacres which had sought refuge in the harbour, in August 1807. On leaving Hydra, he joined, in October 1810, the Ulysses 44, bearing the flag at Jersey of Vice-Admiral D’Auvergne. In March and July, 1811, he was successively nominated Acting-Lieutenant and Master’s Mate of the Marlborough 74, and Aeolus 32, Captains Matthew Henry Scott and Lord James Townshend; and on 7 February 1812, at which period he was again acting as Lieutenant in the Morgiana sloop, Captain David Scott, he was officially advanced to the rank he now holds. His last appointments were, on 25 February, to the Colibri 18, Captain John Thompson, under whom he was wrecked in Port Royal, Jamaica, 22 August 1813; 2 September following, to the Plantagenet 74, Captain Robert Lloyd, which ship he left in January 1814; and, 5 June 1818, to the Bellette 20, Captain George Richard Pechell, fitting for the Halifax station, whence he returned in 1821. Panton was promoted to Commander on 11 May 1853, retired 8 February 1865, and died at Bangor on Dee on 9 August 1872, aged 73 years.

Hydra cuts out three privateers in an audacious action in Bagur harbour on the Catalonian coast

On 6 August 1807, late in the evening, the British 38-gun frigate Hydra, Captain George Mundy, cruising off the coast of Catalonia, chased into the harbour of Bagur three armed vessels, a polacre ship and two polacre brigs. On the following morning, the 7th, the Hydra reconnoitred the port and discovered that the vessels were strongly defended both by nature and art, lying in a narrow harbour, under the close protection of a battery and tower upon a cliff on one side, and of rocks and bushes, admirably calculated for musketry, on the other. But having great faith in the firmness and resources of his people, Captain Mundy resolved to attempt cutting out the vessels.

Accordingly, at 50 minutes past noon, the Hydra came to an anchor, with springs on her cables, at the entrance of the harbour, and began the attack. A smart fire was returned by the battery and shipping, but which, after an hour's continuance, began to abate. Perceiving this, Captain Mundy despatched a division of his boats, with 50 seamen and marines, under the command of Lieutenant Edward O'Brien Drury, second of the ship, assisted by Lieutenants of marines John Hayes and Edward Pengelly, midshipman John Finlaison, and captain's clerk Robert Hendrick Goddard, a Volunteer, with orders to land on the flank of the enemy, and drive him from the battery. Notwithstanding the heavy fire kept up by the Hydra, the detachments became exposed to a cross discharge of langridge shot from the shipping and fort, and of musketry from the rocks. Unshaken, however, the British advanced, and, having mounted the cliff, which was of most difficult access, attacked the fort with so much intrepidity, that the enemy, having spiked the guns, consisting of four long 24-pounders, rushed out on one side, as the Hydra's officers and men entered at the other.

This gallant achievement enabled the Hydra to direct her fire solely at the vessels, which still maintained a steady cannonade upon the party on shore. Leaving Lieutenant Hayes and nearly the whole of the marines in charge of the guns in the battery, with orders to occupy the heights which commanded the decks of the vessels, as well as the opposite side of the harbour, where the enemy was numerously posted, Lieutenant Drury, with the remainder of the marines and the whole of the seamen of his division, advanced towards the town. As soon as the town was cleared, the French crews abandoned their vessels, and, formed in groups among the rocks and bushes, fired on the seamen, as the latter, having seized the boats on the beach, were boarding the polacres. Meanwhile another party of French sailors, having gained a height above Lieutenant Hayes and his men, annoyed the latter excessively, notwithstanding that some of the Hydra's guns kept playing upon the spot.

By 3.30 p.m. Lieutenant Drury was in complete possession of the vessels, and the seamen, with characteristic intrepidity and coolness, deliberately carried out hawsers to the very rocks occupied by the enemy, and continued warping out their prizes in the teeth of a fresh breeze, and in defiance of a galling fire of musketry. On seeing this, Captain Mundy despatched his third lieutenant, James Little, with the remainder of the boats, to assist Lieutenant Drury and his little party; and at 4 p.m. the three prizes rounded the point of the harbour. The marines then re-embarked, under a heavy discharge of musketry from the enemy, who had collected his whole force to harass the British rear.

The captured polacres were the ship Prince-Eugene of 16 guns and 130 men, brig Belle-Caroline, of 12 guns and 40 men, both belonging to Marseille, and brig Carmen-de-Rosario, of four guns and 40 men. Among the fortunate circumstances attending this very spirited and well-conducted enterprise, was that it was achieved with so slight a loss, as one seaman killed and two wounded on board the Hydra, and Mr. Goddard and three seamen and marines wounded of the detachment on shore. The frigate's damages, also, were confined to a few shot in the hull, slightly wounded fore and mizen topmasts and fore-topsail yard, and some trifling injury to her rigging. The name of Lieutenant Drury, in the list of commanders at the latter part of the year 1807, shows that his gallantry met its due reward.