William Bligh
Royal Navy officer and colonial administrator (1754–1817)
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Key Takeaways
- William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a Royal Navy vice-admiral and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1808.
- The reasons behind the mutiny continue to be debated.
- Bligh and his men reached Timor alive, after a journey of 3,618 nautical miles (6,700 km; 4,160 mi).
- His actions directed against the trade resulted in the so-called Rum Rebellion, during which Bligh was placed under arrest on 26 January 1808 by the New South Wales Corps and deposed from his command, an act which the Foreign Office later declared to be illegal.
- Early life Bligh was born on 9 September 1754, but it is not clear where.
William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a Royal Navy vice-admiral and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1808. He is best known for his role in the mutiny on HMS Bounty, which occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command. The reasons behind the mutiny continue to be debated. After being set adrift in Bounty's launch by the mutineers, Bligh and those loyal to him stopped for supplies on Tofua, losing one man to native attacks. Bligh and his men reached Timor alive, after a journey of 3,618 nautical miles (6,700 km; 4,160 mi).
On 13 August 1806, Bligh was appointed governor of the British colony of New South Wales, with orders to clean up the corrupt rum trade of the New South Wales Corps. His actions directed against the trade resulted in the so-called Rum Rebellion, during which Bligh was placed under arrest on 26 January 1808 by the New South Wales Corps and deposed from his command, an act which the Foreign Office later declared to be illegal. He died in London on 7 December 1817.
Early life
Bligh was born on 9 September 1754, but it is not clear where. It is likely that he was born in Plymouth, Devon, as he was baptised at St Andrew's Church on Royal Parade in Plymouth on 4 October 1754, where Bligh's father, Francis, was serving as a customs officer. Bligh's ancestral home of Tinten Manor in St Tudy, near Bodmin, Cornwall, is also a possibility. Bligh's mother, Jane Pearce (née Balsam), was a widow who married Francis at the age of 40.
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