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PEDDER George Murray McKinley

George Murray McKinley was born on 30 Jul 1789 in England, Brading, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. He died on 26 Aug 1847 in Simonstown, Cape Province. 

This officer entered the Navy, in Jan. 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Achille 74, Capt. Geo. Murray, with whom he continued employed on the Home and Baltic stations as Midshipman in the Edgar 74, part of Lord Nelson’s fleet in the action off Copenhagen, and London 98, until transferred, in May, 1802, to the Penelope 36, Capt. Wm. Robt. Broughton. In Sept. 1804, on his return from a voyage to the Mediterranean, he joined the Monmouth 64, bearing the flag at North Yarmouth of Rear-Admiral Thos. Macnamara Russell. He next, in April, 1805, sailed in the Blenheim 74, flag-ship  of Sir Thos. Troubridge, for the East Indies; where, on 1 April, 1806, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Caroline of 42 guns, Capt. Peter Rainier. In that ship, on 18 Oct. 1806, he contributed, in a manner that won his Captain’s highest approbation, to the capture, near the island of Java, of the Dutch 14-gun brig Zeerop, and, in the course of the same day, after an action of half an hour, of the Maria-Riggersbergen of 40 guns and 270 men, 50 of whom were killed and wounded, with a loss to the Caroline, out of 204 men, of 3 killed and 18 wounded. In company with the Maria-Riggersbergen were the William 14, Patriot 18, and Zee-Ploeg 14, together with some gun-boats who partially assisted her; 30 other gun-boats lay in-shore, but did not attempt to come out.[3] On 27 Jan. 1807 Mr. Pedder was further present at the capture of the St. Raphael Spanish register-ship, mounting 16 guns, with a complement of 97 men, having on board 500,000 dollars in specie, and 1700 quintals of copper, besides a valuable cargo. In securing this rich prize the Caroline had 7 men wounded; the enemy’s vessel, before she surrendered, incurred a loss of 27 killed and wounded. Mr. Pedder was confirmed a Lieutenant 30 Sept. 1809, and was subsequently, until Aug. 1813, employed in the Ganges 74, Capts. Peter Halkett and Geo. Dundas, Argo 44, Capts. Fred. Warren and Cornelius Quinton, and Niemen 38, Capt. Sam. Pym, on the Baltic, Lisbon, Mediterranean, and Cape of Good Hope stations. At the period of his death he was Port-Captain at St. Simon’s Bay.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:

A_Naval_Biographical_Dictionary.djvu/902

Pedder, George Murray (British Residents)

Notes :

1813; May 5, Lt RN. Royal Navy, Nephew of the late Admiral Sir George MURRAY KCB married Elizabeth Wolfferum (Rev.Borcherds, Stellenbosch) of G M P from Southampton, Lieut. HMS Niemen.
1813; May 14,  Mrs Pedder & servant, PL in 'Severn' to England (88).
1818; May 2,  Mr & Mrs Pedder  family arrive. TB for the Cape' in 'Norfolk' ex Portsmouth .
1819; Sep 25,  bapt. of their son George Marthinus .
1821; Jul 8, bapt. (Eng. Church) of their  daughter Elizabeth .
1826; He established a whale fishery at St Helena Bay. Dep. Port Captain, Table Bay, & Commandant of Convict Depot on Robben Island (Theal's Records, vol. 26/28).,
1847; 26 Aug  DEATH at Simon's Town

Source : British Residents at the Cape:1795-1819. Author: Peter Philip 1981. ISBN 0 908396 46 5.

PEDDER, George Murray

1826; Feb 10, 297 Post Office Table Bay,

My Lord,

In pointing out to your Lordship my peculiar distressing situation I hope not to be deemed presumptuous. In the year 1818 I arrived in this Colony and established a Whale Fishery, embarking a capital of five thousand pounds sterling, all that I had hardly gained during the war, the whole of which property with my eldest son was destroyed by fire, done intentionally by the hands of two slaves. This event left me with a wife and four very young children in a perfect state of destitution, my half pay being involved in my misfortunes. The anxious feeling which has continued to mark the Government of this Colony that the afflicted and unfortunate may share its protection prompted me to solicit His Excellency Lord Charles SOMERSET's patronage for the appointment of deputy Port Captain. My destitute circumstances joined to my being so old an officer [that] the conviction His Lordship felt of its being necessary for the general good of the shipping interest of this Colony to place an experienced & active officer in the situation were reasons that induced His Excellency to honor me with the appointment. I beg leave to sate I was from the year 1799 until the peace in active service afloat and had the honor of serving under the lamented Lord NELSON in the action of the 2nd April 1801 & in the action with the enemy on the coast of France under the orders of Sir Sidney {SMITH] afterwards with Captain Peter RAINER in culling out the Dutch frigate (Maria Regensberger) afterwards HMS [Java?] In the action Capt P. RAINER honored me by public mention of my name in the official dispatches to the Admiralty. My misfortunes from fire have destroyed the means I had of reference except the two enclosed certificates. I can however with confidence refer your Lordship to Sir J. BRENTON Bart, who will not only confirm my assertions but satisfy your Lordship as to my competency to fill my present station, with justice to the public. His Excellency has been pleased to say he will honor me with a letter of recommendation to your Lordship. I beg leave to state the different ships I have served on.

Station Ships Commanders

Channel Achille Capt. G. MURRAY

(HMS Achille[Note 1] was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built by Cleverley Bros., a private shipyard at Gravesend, and launched on 16 April 1798. Her design was based on the lines of the captured French ship Pompée.[1] She was the fourth Royal Navy ship to be named after the Greek hero Achilles in the French style. Achille at Trafalgar On 21 October 1805, under the command of Captain Richard King, Achille was in Admiral Collingwood's column at the Battle of Trafalgar, seventh in the line, between Colossus and Revenge.[2] Achille opened fire on the rear of the French and Spanish fleet at 12.15, engaging the Montanes of 74 guns, for fifteen minutes, before sailing on to meet the Argonauta of 80 guns, which had already been battling with other British ships. After hours of fierce fighting, Argonauta fell silent and closed her gunports, but before Achille could accept her surrender, her French namesake Achille of 74 guns, moved in to engage the British ship. After exchanging broadsides, the French ship sailed on and was replaced on the starboard side by the 74-gun French ship Berwick, and for the next hour and a quarter she lay close alongside Achille, receiving a pounding that eventually forced her to surrender with over 250 casualties - almost half her crew. Achille took possession, and transferred some of her crew back on board as prisoners. Achille suffered 13 killed and 59 wounded in the battle, in stark comparison to the heavy losses she inflicted on her French and Spanish adversaries.[Note 2] On 17 July 1812, boats from Achille and Cerberus captured or destroyed 12 enemy trabaccolos off Venice.[4] She continued in active service until 1815, when she was decommissioned at Chatham, and laid up at Sheerness. She survived in this state until 1865, when she was sold for £3,600 to be broken up).

North Sea Edgar Do
Channel London Do
North Sea & Mediterranean Penelope W.R. BROUGHTON
India Blenheim Rear Admiral Sir Thomas STRAWBRIDGE
India & China Seas Caroline Peter RAINER
North Sea Ganges Geo. DUNDAS
Mediterranean Argo F. WARREN
Cape of Good Hope & America Niemen Sl. PYMM

I humbly hope your Lordship may be pleased to take into consideration my long service and to confirm my present ppointment.

I have the honor to remain Your Lordship's obedient servant
Lieut.R.N. G.M. PEDDER

301 This is to certify that Lieut. George Murray PEDDER served during the war in four different ships under the same commander as myself and that he was considered a zealous and attentive officer and a good seaman and I have reason to believe he is well qualified to fill any situation where nautical skill is required. Given under my hand on board HMS Martin, Simon's Bay January 31st

1826 Thomas WILSON Captain

302 This is to certify that Lieut. G.M. PEDDER has served as Lieutenant in His Majesty's ships since 1807 and has to my knowledge been considered a worthy and deserving officer, and must from the situations he has held be perfectly competent to undertake any employment where nautical knowledge is required. Given under my hand in ?? By this 28th day of January 1826 [illegible signature]

MERCHANTS' MEMORIAL re G.M. PEDDER, 1833 Written by Sue Mackay.

National Archives, Kew CO48/152, 452

The Memorial of the Merchants of Cape Town Humbly Sheweth That Memorialists have heard with deep regret that it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to remove Lieutenant PEDDER from his office of Commandant of Robben Island, in which situation he has gained the esteem of the community in general, and has been the means of doing essential service to the colony. They feel that it is of the utmost importance to the colonists that while the unhappy individuals condemned to penal establishments are suffering the punishments due to their offences, such a course of discipline and instruction should be pursued as would restore them to the Colony better men and more useful members of Society, and Memorialists would remind you, Sir, that Mr. PEDDER has been the means of greatly improving this settlement in these respects, that through his exertions religious and moral instruction have been introduced and cleanliness and good order established among the convicts, besides many great improvements made in the Island itself. Memorialists would humbly submit to your Honorable consideration that in the cases of EVA and FOGDEN no actual cruelty has been proved, and acquainted as they are with Mr. PEDDER's character they feel sure that none was intended, and they submit that a slight irregularity in the mode of punishment is scarcely a sufficient cause for the dismissal of a valuable and long tried servant, especially if you, Sir, will take into consideration the peculiarity of Mr. PEDDER's situation, the peculiarity of the case and the fact that there was no code of laws by which the Commandant could regulate his conduct. Memorialists trust that when you, Sir, are informed of the trifling nature of the offence and the valuable services which Mr. PEDDER has rendered to this Colony you will not proceed with a measure which must bring ruin upon a useful public servant and his helpless family, and may do a serious injury to the community Your Memorialists in duty bound will ever pray Geo. THOMPSON Wm. DICKSON Rob't WATERS H.E. RUTHERFOORD A.H. TREDGOLD D.W. HERTZOG C.PILLANS Hamilton ROSS Jno. DEANE Thos. JOHNSON J. THORNHILL J. SMITH Wm. HAWKINS Geo. GREIG Jos'h SIMPSON Wm. LEISCHING Wm. BILLINGSLY Geo. HERBERT W.A. VENNING  F.G. ROBERTSON Edw'd EAGAR G.W. SILBERBAUER VAN STALLE, SAPPE & MUNTINGH A. CHIAPPINI Geo. TWYCROSS R.W. EATON Jno. GADNEY Rich'd DOBEE T.B. EBDEN Jno. HAWKINS Thos. LE BULLEN W.G. ANDERSON E. CHRISTIAN J. MANNUEL Alex'r CHIAPPINI F.F. VOS Sen'r G. VOS O.M. BEIGH Thos. ELLIOTT J.A. BARTMAN J.P. VALENTIN Alex'r THOMPSON A.J. BECKER Henry BECKER W.F. HELZINGEN R. DE COCKE C.H.B. OZENBERY W.G. VOS F.L. LEISCHING Mi.Dr. J.H. ROSCOE W. SANDENBERGH R LEIBBRANDT [illegible signature] J.N. VOS J. MABILLE C. KORSTEN M. THALWITZER A. DE COCK J. SCHICKERLING G. MUNICK P.M. BUNK J.W. GEE J.A. OLTHOFF W. AZEROND J.G. HOFMEYER J.H. BECK V. DICK Jas. BRINK H.K. RUSSOUW W.S. COOKE J.H. BAM R. STEYTLER J.A. BUSLER H. QUINN H. WOLLASTON L. Ep. MERRINGTON A. THOMPSON E.J. JERRAM

A True Copy (signed) G.M. PEDDER 20th July 1833

Subject: [ZA-EC] Extracts from the South African Commercial Advertiser -September 1847

Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:21:21 +0100

Transcribed from CO53/8 at the national Archives in Kew, London

1847 Wednesday 1 September

DEATH at Simon's Town on the 26th August 1847, George Murry McKenly PEDDER

Esq, Royal Navy, late Port Captain, Simon's Bay, and Nephew of the lateAdmiral Sir George

MURRY KCB, aged 58 years and 27 days.

https://www.eggsa.org/newspapers/index.php/south-african-commercial-advertiser/15-sac-1829-apr-jun

George married Elisabeth WOLFERUM  on 05 May 1813 in Stellenbosch Neder Geref Church, Cape Colony. Elisabeth was christened in 1791.

They had the following children:

b1.  George Marthinus was born on 25 Aug 1819. He was christened on 19 Sep 1819 in Stellenbosch Neder Geref Church, Cape Colony. He died before 1853. George married Johanna Justina ESTERHUYZEN .

b2.  Elizabeth was born in 1821 in nie paarl; stellen. She died on 19 Nov 1869.
Elizabeth married Hendrik Pieter Herman DE WIT  on 23 Jul 1839 in Cape Town Neder Geref Church, Cape Colony.

b3.  Mary Jane was born on 17 Feb 1824. She was christened on 24 Aug 1824 in Stellenbosch Neder Geref Church, Cape Colony.

b4.  Caroline was born on 26 Jul 1826.

b5.  Wolfferine. .

b6.  Ann was born on 12 Nov 1831.
Ann married Dirk Stephanus Andreas WAGNER son of Johan Erhard WAGNER and Anna Elizabeth GEYER. Dirk was born on 12 Apr 1815. He was christened on 09 Dec 1815 in Paarl Neder Geref Church, Cape Colony.


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