Recent updates


Recent Comments



Mathew Flinders


NationalityBritish 
RolesNaval Sailor 
Date of Birth16.3.1774 - Donington, LincolnshireNMM
First Known Service31.1.1790NMM
WifeAnnNMM
DaughterAnn (b1812/04/12)NMM
Last Known Service7.5.1810NMM
Date of Death19.7.1814NMM

Event History


Date fromDate toEventSource
31.1.1790 LieutenantNMM
17931795
Bellerophon (74) 1786-1836
British 74 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
1824 Renamed "Captivity"
, Midshipman
NMM
1.6.1794 Glorious 1st of June 
16.6.179517.6.1795First Battle of Groix 
16.2.1801 CommanderCSORN
16.2.18011803
Investigator (18) 1798-1810
British 18 Gun
Unrated Armed Vessel
1801 Renamed "Investigator"
, Commander, and Commanding Officer
BWAS-1793
7.5.1810 CaptainCSORN

Notes on Officer


Letter of Commission as a LieutenantNMM

By the Commiƒsioners for Executing the Office of

Lord High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland

&C and of all His Majesty's Plantations &C


To Mr Mathew Flinders hereby appointed

Lieutenant of His Majesty's Ship the Reliance.


By Virtue of the Power and Authority to us given, We do hereby constitute and appoint you Lieutenant of His Majesty's Ship the Reliance. Willing and requiring you forthwith to go on board and take upon you the Charge and Command of Lieutenant in her accordingly. Strictly Charging and Commanding all the Officers and Company belonging to the said Ship subordinate to you to behave themselves jointly and severally in their respective Employments, with all due Respect and Obedience unto you their said Lieutenant; And you likewise to observe and execute as well the General printed Instructions as what Orders and Directions as you shall from time to time receive from your Captain or any other your superior Officers for His Majesty's service. Hereof nor you nor any of you may fail as you will answer the contrary at your peril. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant. Given under our hands and the Seal of the Office of Admiralty this Thirty first day of January 1790. in the Thirty eighth Year of His Majesty's Reign.



By Command of their Lordships


Evan Nepean [Other signatures have been cut away]


Seniority 31st Jan.1790


Letter of Commission as a LieutenantNMM

By the Commissioners for Executing the Office of

Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

&C and of all His Majesty's Plantations &C


To Lieut . Matthew Flinders hereby appointed

Lieutenant of His Majesty's Sloop the Investigator.


By Virtue of the Power and Authority to us given, We do hereby constitute and appoint you Lieutenant of His Majesty's Sloop the Investigator. Willing and requiring you forthwith to go on board and take upon you the Charge and Command of Lieutenant in her accordingly. Strictly Charging and Commanding all the Officers and Company belonging to the said Sloop subordinate to you to behave themselves jointly and severally, in their respective Employments, with all due Respect and Obedience unto you their said Lieutenant And you likewise to observe and execute as well the General printed Instructions as what Orders and Directions as you shall from time to time receive from your Captain or any other your superior Officers for His Majesty's service. Hereof nor you nor any of you may fail as you will answer the contrary at your peril. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant. Given under our hands and the Seal of the Office of Admiralty this Nineteenth day of January 1801. in the Forty first Year of His Majesty's Reign.


By Command of their Lordships


Nepean, Spencer, Young [signature has been cut away]


Seniority 31st Jany.1798


Letter of Commission as a CommanderNMM

By the Commissioners for Executing the Office of

Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Ireland &C

To Matthew Flinders Esq hereby appointed

Commander of His Majesty's Sloop the Investigator


By Virtue of the Power and Authority to Us given, We do hereby constitute and appoint you Commanderof His Majesty's sloop the Investigator. Willing and requiring you forthwith to go on board and take upon you the Charge and Command of commander in her accordingly. Strictly Charging and Commanding all the Officers and Company of the said Sloop to behave themselves jointly and severally, in their respective Employments, with all due Respect and Obedience unto you their said Commander and you likewise to observe and execute the General Printed Instructions, and such Orders and Directions as you shall from time to time receive from Us, or any other your superior Officers, for His Majesty's Service. Hereof nor you nor any of you may fail as you will answer the Contrary at your peril. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant. Given under our hands and the Seal of the Office of Admiralty this Sixteenth day of February 1801 In the Forty first Year of His Majesty's Reign.


By Command of their Lordships


Nepean, Spencer, Young


Letter of Commission as a CaptainNMM

By the Commiƒsioners for Executing the Office of

Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Ireland &C


To Matthew Flinders Esq hereby appointed

Captain of His Majesty's Ship the Ramillies


By virtue of the Power and Authority to Us given, We do hereby constitute and appoint you Captain of His Majesty's Ship the Ramillies. Willing and requiring you forthwith to go on board and take upon you the Charge and Command of Captain in her accordingly. Strictly Charging and Commanding all the Officers and Company of the said Ship to behave themselves jointly and severally, in their respective Employments, with all due Respect and Obedience unto you their said
Captain and you likewise to observe and execute the General Printed Instructions, and such Orders and Directions as you shall from time to time receive from Us, or any other your Superior Officers, for His Majesty's Service. Hereof nor you nor any of you may fail as you will answer the Contrary at your Peril. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant. Given under our hands and the Seal of the Office of Admiralty this Seventh day of May 1810. In the Fiftieth Year of His Majesty's Reign.


By Command of their Lordships


Barrow, Yorke and Ward.



Previous comments on this page

Posted by Jon Miller on Saturday 11th of July 2026 15:49

Portsmouth, 21 February 1801: Charles Tinling, Esq, of the Snake; A Browne, Esq, of the Good Design, and I Brooks, Esq of the Shark, to the rank of Post-Captains; Lieutenants Roberts and Elliott, to be Commanders; the former succeeds to the Snake, and the latter to the Good Design; and Lieutenant Flinders to be a Commander, and is appointed to the Investigator (late Zenophon), now fitting for a voyage of discovery. Captain Burrows, to the Seagull. Captain Inglis to the Cruel cutter. Lord Augustus Fitzroy to the Oiseau; Captain Carthew to the Shark; and Lieutenant Smith, to the rank of Commander, and to the command of the Milbrook schooner. [Hampshire Telegraph, 23 February 1801]


Posted by James Walters on Tuesday 18th of February 2025 08:09

To this record can be added his midshipman’s record. He was first entered Lieutenant’s servant on HMS Alert on 23 Oct 1789 to 4 August 1790. He was not actually onboard as he joins HMS Scipio 64 guns in May 1790 under Thomas Pasley. He then transfers to HMS Bellerophon on 28 July 1790, nominally as an AB, following Captain Thomas Pasley (uncle of Peter Heywood, the Bounty Mutineer). Appointed midshipman on midshipman on 2 August 1790. He then joins HMS Dictator on 14 April awaiting transfer to join HMS Providence under William Bligh. He was appointed to the ship on 16 April 1791. After the end of that voyage he then signs back onboard Bellerophon on 7 September 1793 again initially as an AB.


Make a comment about this page







Recent comments to other pages

Date postedByPage
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:18Jon Miller
Philip HughesBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1802-1818
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:17Jon Miller
William DunsfordBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1802-1809
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:16Jon Miller
William MacNamaraBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1794-1803
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:15Jon Miller
Charles JonesBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1796-1805
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:14Jon Miller