Willoughby Lake

Sir Willoughby Thomas Lake
Born	8 January 1773
Died	18 February 1847 (aged 74)
Allegiance	Great Britain  United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	HMS Rattler HMS Topaze HMS Gibraltar HMS Magnificent North American Station
Battles/wars	Napoleonic Wars
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Admiral Sir Willoughby Thomas Lake KCB (8 January 1773 – 18 February 1847) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, North American Station.

Naval career

Born the son of Sir James Winter Lake, 3rd Baronet and Joyce Crowther,^[1] Lake joined the Royal Navy around 1790. By 1795 he was in command of the sloop HMS Rattler.^[2] He was promoted to post captain in 1796.^[3]

In April 1803 he took command of HMS Topaze. In her he captured four privateers before leaving her in June 1806 for HMS Gibraltar, the ship in which, in 1807, he chased Napoleon Bonaparte's brother along the French coast.^[4] He also commanded Magnificent during an attack on Santander in 1812.^[5] He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, North American Station in 1824 and was promoted to Admiral of the White in 1842.^[6][7]

Family

In 1795 he married Charlotte MacBride, daughter of John MacBride; they had one daughter.^[8]

References

1. Ancestors of BBC
2. Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy
3. National Archives ADM 9/2/2
4. James, Vol. 4, p. 207
5. Naval History of Great Britain, Vol.6
6. Monumental Inscriptions of St Luke's Church, Woolwich
7. Naval Brevet The Sydney Herald, 16 April 1842
8. Tracy. Who's who in Nelson's Navy. p. 234.

Further reading

• James, William (2002) [1827]. The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 4, 1805–1807. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-908-5.
• Tracy, Nicholas (2006). Who's who in Nelson's Navy: 200 Naval Heroes. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-244-5.
• O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). " Lake, Willoughby Thomas".  A Naval Biographical Dictionary. John Murray. Wikisource.