A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Pridham, Richard
PRIDHAM. (Capt., 1830. f-p., 33; h-p., 24.)
Richard Pridham is uncle of Lieut. Wm. White Pridham, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, in Aug. 1790, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Royal Sovereign, Capt. Fisher, lying at Plymouth; proceeded in 1791 to Newfoundland in the Syren 32, Capt. John Manley; and during the first four years of the war was employed on the Irish, West India, and Mediterranean stations, in the Alarm 32 and Veteran 64, both commanded by Capt. Lewis Robertson, Vanguard 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Thompson, Assurance and Blanche frigates, Capts. Chas. Sawyer and D’Arcy Preston, and Ville de Paris 110, flag-ship of Sir John Jervis. In the Vetekan he served at the siege of Fleur d’Epée and as Aide-de-Camp to Capt. Robertson, who was killed, in the attack on the town of Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. When Midshipman of the Blanche he contributed in one of her boats to the capture of a schooner from under the land at Ste. Lucie; and on 19 Dec. 1796, having fallen in, when in company with La Minerve, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Nelson, with the two Spanish 40-gun frigates Sabina and Ceres, he assisted, while La Minerve took possession of the former, in enforcing the surrender of the Ceres. He was also present in many attacks made by Nelson on the coasts of France and Spain; on one of which occasions a red-hot shot fired from a battery lodged itself in the hold of the Blanche. In June, 1797, Mr. Pridham was successively nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Meleager 32 and Colossus 74, Capts. Chas. Ogle and Geo. Murray. He was confirmed, 2 Jan. 1798, into the Argo 44, Capts. John Hill and Jas. Bowen; and was next appointed – 26 Dec. 1799, to the Centaur 74, Capts. John Markham and Bendall Robt. Littlehales, the latter of whom he accompanied to the West Indies – 3 Feb. 1803, to the Excellent 74, Capt. John Nash, in which ship he returned to Portsmouth and 4 June following, to the Hussar 38, Capt. Philip Wilkinson. In the Argo Mr. Pridham commanded a company of seamen with guns, and acted as Adjutant to the Naval Battalion at the reduction of Minorca in Nov. 1798; on 6 Feb. following he assisted in the same ship at the capture of the Santa Teresa Spanish frigate of 42 guns and 530 men, including 250 soldiers; and he was subsequently employed in her boats at the cutting out of 14 Spanish vessels from the river Ebro. The Hussar being wrecked off the Saintes during her passage home with despatches from Ferrol 8 Feb. 1804, it was his misfortune to be detained a prisoner of war in France from that period until May, 1814; on 15 June in which year he was advanced to the rank of Commander. His subsequent appointments were – 4 Nov. 1814, to the Prince Frederick receiving-ship at Plymouth, where he was paid off in Feb. 1815 – 24 March, 1816, for three years, to a command in the Ordinary at the same place – 16 Aug. 1819, to the Water-Guard Service in Lincolnshire, in which he continued until 1824 – 26 Oct. 1825, to the Nimrod 18, on the Irish station, where he remained until obliged by ill-health to resign in 1826 – and 25 Jan. 1829, to the Zebra 18, fitting for the East Indies. On 23 Sept. 1829, in a severe gale off the Cape of Good Hope, his left arm was broken and his wrist dislocated by a fall on the deck at midnight; and he also experienced severe injury in the head. Although his arm was so much hurt that he still feels the effects, he has never received any compensation. He returned home on the occasion of his promotion to Post-rank 22 July, 1830; and has not been since afloat.
Capt. Pridham married, 20 March, 1801, Miss Glanville, of Plymouth, a lady by whom he has had issue six children, two only of whom are living. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.