Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regard ...

Charles John Austen CB (23 June 1779 – 7 October 1852) was an officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and the youngest brother of novelist

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots oft ...

. He served during the

French Revolutionary The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...

and

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

, and beyond, eventually rising to the rank of

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regar ...

Family and early life

Charles was born in 1779 as the sixth and youngest son of the Reverend George Austen. His elder brother, Sir Francis Austen, also joined the Navy, and eventually became Admiral of the Fleet. Charles joined the Royal Naval Academy in July 1791, and by September 1794, he had become

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

aboard . He subsequently served aboard and . While serving aboard the ''Unicorn,'' Austen assisted in the capture of the 18-gun Dutch

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter par ...

''Comet'', the 44-gun French

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed an ...

''Tribune'', and the French transport ship ''Ville de l'Orient''. After transferring to ''Endymion'' he helped in the driving into

Hellevoetsluis Hellevoetsluis () is a small city and municipality in the western Netherlands. It is located in Voorne-Putten, South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water and it includes the population centres Nieuw-Helvoet, Nieuwenho ...

of the Dutch

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

''Brutus''. As a result of the latter action Austen was promoted to lieutenant on 13 December 1797, and appointed to HMS ''Scorpion''. He was aboard ''Scorpion'' long enough to be present at the capture of the Dutch brig ''Courier'', after which he transferred to HMS ''Tamar''. Aboard ''Tamar,'' Austen was frequently involved in attacks and engagements with

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

s and

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s out of

Algeciras Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algecir ...

. He returned to the ''Endymion'' in April 1800. On one occasion he set off in a small boat in a gale with only four other men, and succeeded in boarding and taking possession of the 18-gun ''Scipio'', with 149 men aboard. He kept control of her until the following day when ''Endymion'' could complete the capture. After his continued good service under Captain Charles Paget, the Admiralty promoted Austen to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

and he took command of the

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular s ...

on 10 October 1804.

Command

Austen spent the next five years serving on the North American Station, based at St. George's Town, at the East End of the developing

Imperial fortress Imperial fortress was the designation given in the British Empire to four colonies that were located in strategic positions from each of which Royal Navy squadrons could control the surrounding regions and, between them, much of the planet. His ...

Bermuda ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...

(where the Royal Naval Dockyard had yet to be completed at the West End), in

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestow ...

. He was promoted to Commander and given command of HMS Indian, a sloop newly built in Bermuda (when ashore, he lived at ''Alnwick'', near to Convict Bay and St. George's Garrison). He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 10 May 1810 when he was given command of the 74-gun , which was then the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

of Sir John Borlase Warren. Austen moved again the following September, joining . Between November 1811 and September 1814 Austen served as captain of , based at the Nore and flying the flag of Sir Thomas Williams. He was then given command of the 36-gun frigate and after the outbreak of hostilities with France Austen was dispatched in command of a squadron with and to hunt a Neapolitan squadron suspected to be at large in the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...

. After Naples had surrendered Austen was active in the blockade of

Brindisi Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Hist ...

. Lord Exmouth then sent him on to search of a French squadron, but with the end of the war with France in the intervening period he briefly turned his attention to suppressing piracy in the region. He successfully captured two pirate vessels in the port of Pavos, but disaster struck when the ''Phoenix'' was wrecked off

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

on 20 February 1816, through the ignorance of her pilots. Austen was appointed to the 46-gun on 2 June 1826, and was sent to the Jamaica station as the second in command. He was active in combating the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and had considerable success, intercepting a number of

slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast i ...

s bound for the United States and the Spanish colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico. He commanded the ''Aurora'' for two and a half years, until she was paid off in December 1828. Sir Edward Griffith Colpoys nominated Austen to become his

flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a " captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First ...

aboard on the North American and West Indies Station. Austen remained here until being forced to be invalided home after a severe accident in December 1830. Austen recovered and returned to service, being appointed to HMS ''Bellerophon'' on 14 April 1838. He was awarded a pension on 28 August 1840. During the Oriental Crisis of 1840, Britain waged an undeclared war against Mohammed Ali the Great, the ''vali'' (governor) of Egypt who was attempting to make the House of Ali the new ruling family in the Ottoman Empire by deposing the House of Ottoman. He sailed with the ''Bellerophon'' to the Mediterranean, and was active at the bombardment of

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square y ...

on 3 November 1840. As a result of his good service during the bombardment he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

on 18 December 1840. Austen and the ''Bellerophon'' returned home, where the latter was paid off in June 1841.

Flag rank and death

Austen was advanced to rear-admiral on 9 November 1846, and was appointed commander-in-chief in the East Indies and China Station on 14 January 1850, hoisting his flag the following day. He commanded the British expedition during the

Second Anglo-Burmese War The Second Anglo-Burmese War or the Second Burma War ( my, ဒုတိယ အင်္ဂလိပ် မြန်မာ စစ် ; 5 April 185220 January 1853) was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese Empire and British Em ...

but died of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting a ...

Prome Pyay (, ; mnw, ပြန် , ; also known as Prome and Pyè) is principal town of Pyay Township in the Bago Region in Myanmar. Pyay is located on the bank of the Irrawaddy River, north-west of Yangon. It is an important trade center for the ...

on 7 October 1852, at the age of 73. On 30 April 1852 Austen had been thanked for his services in Burma by the

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

, The Marquess of Dalhousie, who subsequently also formally recorded his regret for Austen's death. Austen is buried in the Esplanade Cemetery, in

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Di ...

, Sri Lanka his grave was rediscovered in 1984/1985. It is presumed that the monument at the Esplanade burial ground in

, is merely a

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of ceno ...

(as per J. Penry Lewis - ‘List of Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in Ceylon’ 1913). Because records do not indicate any last rites being given to Austen, thus it may appear that he was given a

Burial at sea Burial at sea is the disposal of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries. Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many different location ...

with full naval honours, and subsequently had his remains transported to Trincomalee. There is also a memorial at St. Anne’s Church in Portsmouth for Austen.

Family and issue

Austen married Frances Palmer, the youngest daughter of the late Attorney General of Bermuda, in 1807. The two had three children together. After the death of Frances in 1814, Charles married his late wife's sister Harriet Palmer in 1820, which was at that time contrary to church law and illegal in England, remaining so until the passage of the

Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907 The Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907 ( 7 Edw.7 c.47) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, allowing a man to marry his dead wife's sister, which had previously been forbidden. This prohibition had derived from a doctrin ...

. The couple produced four children, two of them sons, and one of whom followed his father into the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It i ...

. Austen was close to his older sister Jane, and is said to have offered naval vocabulary to help her revise the second edition of ''

Mansfield Park ''Mansfield Park'' is the third published novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton. A second edition was published in 1816 by John Murray, still within Austen's lifetime. The novel did not receive any public reviews unt ...

''.{{cite journal , last1=Knezevich , first1=Ruth , title=Jane Austen's Afterlife, West Indian Madams, and the Literary Porter Family: Two New Letters from Charles Austen , journal=Modern Philology , date=February 2015 , volume=112 , issue=3 , pages=554–568 , doi=10.1086/678675 , jstor=10.1086/678675 , s2cid=161425001 , url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/678675 , access-date=9 May 2021

Footnotes

Notes {{reflist, group=Note Citations {{Reflist, colwidth=30em

References

*{{cite book , title = The Gentleman's Magazine , publisher = F. Jefferies, year = 1853 *{{cite book , last = Burke, first = John , title = A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland Enjoying Territorial Possessions Or High Official Rank: But Uninvested with Heritable Honours , url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_yshsAAAAMAAJ, publisher = Colburn, year = 1836 * Hill, Constance (1902) ''Jane Austen: her homes & her friends''. (John Lane)

External links

{{Portal, Novels, Literature *{{cite web , url=http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=283 , title= Biography of Charles John Austen R.N., access-date=3 November 2008 , date= 3 November 2008 * {{cite wikisource , first=William Richard , last=O'Byrne , chapter=Austen, Charles John (a) , title=A Naval Biographical Dictionary , year=1849 , publisher= John Murray {{s-start {{s-mil {{succession box , title= Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China Station , years=1850–1852 , before= Sir Francis Collier , after= Sir Fleetwood Pellew {{end {{Jane Austen, state=collapsed {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Austen, Charles 1779 births 1852 deaths Austen family Royal Navy rear admirals Companions of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Deaths from cholera British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Burmese War People from Steventon, Hampshire Infectious disease deaths in Myanmar Royal Navy personnel of the Egyptian–Ottoman War (1839–1841) Jane Austen