20 Facts About Edward Codrington

Edward Codrington's father was the youngest son of Sir William Codrington, 1st Baronet.

Once there, Edward Codrington ignored all other ships and focused entirely on closing with a hitherto unengaged French ship, the Swiftsure, forcing her to surrender.

Edward Codrington then attacked but failed to capture the Spanish flagship Principe de Asturias before moving on to the Intrepide, the only ship of the northern division to return.

Edward Codrington went to great lengths to help the Spanish besieged at Tarragona by the French Army of Aragon under Louis Gabriel Suchet.

Edward Codrington spent many nights in the port area guiding cannon launches against the enemy.

Edward Codrington was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Blue on 4 June 1814, while he was serving off the coast of North America as captain of the fleet to Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane during the operations against Washington, Baltimore and New Orleans during the War of 1812.

Edward Codrington became a Rear-Admiral of the Red on 12 August 1819, and then a vice admiral on 10 July 1821.

Edward Codrington was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1822.

In December 1826 Edward Codrington was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and sailed on 1 February 1827.

Edward Codrington's orders were to enforce a peaceful solution on the situation in Greece, but Codrington was not known for his diplomacy, and on 20 October 1827 he destroyed the Turkish and Egyptian fleet at the Battle of Navarino while in command of a combined British, French and Russian fleet.

Edward Codrington remained there till May 1828, when he sailed to join his French and Russian colleagues on the coast of the Morea.

Edward Codrington had heard on 22 June of his own supersession, but, as his successor had not arrived, he carried out the arrangement made on 25 July, and his presence at Alexandria led to the treaty of 6 August 1828, by which the evacuation of the Morea was settled.

Edward Codrington's services were recognised by the grant of the Grand Cross of the Bath, but there is no doubt that the British government was embarrassed by his heavy-handed gunboat diplomacy and not too impressed by the further weakening of Russia's main opponent, the Ottomans.

Edward Codrington commanded a training squadron in the Channel in 1831 and became a full admiral on 10 January 1837.

Edward Codrington was elected member of parliament for Devonport in 1832, and sat for that constituency until he accepted the Chiltern Hundreds in 1839.

Edward Codrington left two sons, both of whom achieved distinction in the British armed forces.

Sir William Edward Codrington was a commander in the Crimean War.

Edward Codrington had been taking a cutter to Hydra when a squall overturned the boat, drowning him, a merchant, and three crewmen.

Edward Codrington was buried in St Peter's Church, Eaton Square, but in 1954 the remains were reburied at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, plot number 70.

In June 2020, a plaque in Brighton commemorating Edward Codrington was removed following protest over the commemoration of a slave owner as part of the George Floyd protests.