Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [1815-1835] (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
4 vols
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Bethune was the son of the army officer and historian Colonel John Drinkwater (d 1844) and it was not until 1837 that he took the name Bethune. He entered the Navy in 1815 as a first-class volunteer in the NORTHUMBERLAND and sailed in her from 1815 to 1816 on the voyage taking Napoleon to exile in St Helena. In 1817 he joined the LEANDER in North America; he then went to South America, where he served in the SUPERB and the CREOLE from 1819 until 1823. Still on this station, he was promoted to lieutenant, 1823, and joined the DORIS and then the BARHAM until promoted to commander in 1828. From 1828 to 1829 he commanded the ESPIEGLE, Jamaica Station. He was promoted to captain in 1830. At Palmerston's request, in 1835, he joined the Embassy of the Earl of Durham (1792-1840) to Russia to report on the naval installations in the Black Sea. Later he served in the East Indies and in the China War. He was made rear-admiral in 1855, vice-admiral in 1862, admiral in 1866 and retired in 1870.
Repository
Archival history
GB 0064 DRW [1815-1835] Collection 4 vols Bethune , Charles Ramsey Drinkwater , 1802-1884 , Admiral
Bethune was the son of the army officer and historian Colonel John Drinkwater (d 1844) and it was not until 1837 that he took the name Bethune. He entered the Navy in 1815 as a first-class volunteer in the NORTHUMBERLAND and sailed in her from 1815 to 1816 on the voyage taking Napoleon to exile in St Helena. In 1817 he joined the LEANDER in North America; he then went to South America, where he served in the SUPERB and the CREOLE from 1819 until 1823. Still on this station, he was promoted to lieutenant, 1823, and joined the DORIS and then the BARHAM until promoted to commander in 1828. From 1828 to 1829 he commanded the ESPIEGLE, Jamaica Station. He was promoted to captain in 1830. At Palmerston's request, in 1835, he joined the Embassy of the Earl of Durham (1792-1840) to Russia to report on the naval installations in the Black Sea. Later he served in the East Indies and in the China War. He was made rear-admiral in 1855, vice-admiral in 1862, admiral in 1866 and retired in 1870.
The papers were presented in 1958 by Captain R M Roberts.
Papers of Charles Ramsey Drinkwater Bethune comprising letters, written mainly by Bethune to his family, 1815 to 1835, and a number of watercolours.
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Please contact the Archive for further information.
English
Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .
Edited by Sarah Drewery, Jun 2011.
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
2010-08-26 Watercolour painting Naval operations Naval affairs Bethune , Charles Ramsey Drinkwater , 1802-1884 , Admiral Royal Navy Caribbean Saint Helena North America South America Military affairs Painting Military operations Southern Africa Military engineering Fine arts Military science Social sciences
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The papers were presented in 1958 by Captain R M Roberts.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers of Charles Ramsey Drinkwater Bethune comprising letters, written mainly by Bethune to his family, 1815 to 1835, and a number of watercolours.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
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Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
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Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
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Description control area
Description identifier
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Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English