Benedictus Marwood Kelly

Benedictus Marwood Kelly was an officer of the Royal Navy. He rose to the rank of admiral after service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Kelly was born in Holsworthy, Devon onFebruary 1785 and baptised onSeptember 1790. He was the son of Benedictus Marwood Kelly lawyer and private banker, and Mary Coham. He entered the Royal Navy onOctober 1798 as an able seaman aboard HMS160Niger, serving under Captain Philip Wodehouse. He moved with Wodehouse to the 28gun HMS160Volage and then to the 80gun HMS160Gibraltar in November 1799, under the command of his uncle, Captain William Hancock Kelly. Benedictus spent the next six years aboard her, and in her assisted at the capture of Admiral JeanBaptiste Perres squadron of three frigates and two brigs onJune 1799. He attended the expedition of 1800 and 1801 to Ferrol and Egypt, and was wounded in a boat attack on the French defences at Portoferraio on the island of Elba. He spent some time on the books of the 100gun HMS Royal William, the flagship of Admiral George Montagu and the 74gun HMS160Swiftsure under Captain Mark Robinson.

Source: Wikipedia