William George Carlile Kent

William George Carlile Kent was born 1788 in Lanarkshire, Scotland as the second born son of John Kent, a purser in the navy.[2] William's paternal grandmother was Mary Hunter, older sister of Captain John Hunter, whom became the 2nd Governor of New South Wales in 1795.[3] In 1803 his father John became steward of Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth.[2]

On 2 July 1798 Kent joined the navy as a first-class volunteer on the 74-gun HMS Tigre, Captain Sir Sidney Smith. Kent was part of the crew on Tigre when it took part in the defense of Acre in May 1799.[4] In March 1800, Kent transferred to the 74-gun HMS Theseus, Captain John Stiles, which took part in blockade of Genoa, in 1800.[4] In late 1800 he joined the crew of HMS Atlas, Captain Theophilus Jones, in the English Channel.[4]

In January 1802, he joins the crew of HMS Buffalo, under command of his uncle William Kent, which was returning to the Colony of New South Wales with stores and supplies. Buffalo arrived in New South Wales on 16 October, she left on 21 April 1803 for Bengal, via Norfolk Island for a supply drop, to purchase livestock. Buffalo returned to Port Jackson, New South Wales on 13 June 1804, with the cattle purchased in India. In October 1804, Buffalo in company with HMS Lady Nelson, took Colonel William Paterson, the Lieutenant-Governor to establish a settlement at Port Dalrymple, Van Diemen's Land.

In August 1805, Governor Philip Gidley King, appointed Kent to acting lieutenant of Buffalo, but the confirmation of his appointment to lieutenant did not occur until 17 May 1809.[4] In January 1807 he was appointed acting first lieutenant of the HMS Porpoise, before being put in command of Lady Nelson in May. Lady Nelson and Porpoise were then used to ferry settlers from the abandoned settlement at Norfolk Island to the new settlements in Van Diemen's Land.

Lady Nelson returned to Sydney in March 1808, just months after Governor William Bligh had been over thrown in the Rum Rebellion. Major George Johnston had assumed the role of Lieutenant-Governor and Governor Bligh was being held prisoner in Government House. Bligh had written a commission for Kent to assume command Porpoise, after Lieutenant James Symons had deserted and returned to Britain. On 19 April, Kent took the Porpoise to Port Dalrymple to bring Lieutenant-Governor Paterson to Sydney to restore order between the governor and the New South Wales Corps, Paterson refused to sail so Porpoise returned without him. In January 1809 Lieutenant John Porteous had arrived from Britain to assume command of Porpoise. Kent was arrested, for failing to follow Bligh's order to "blow down the town of Sydney about the ears of the inhabitants",[2] he was confined to the ship until he would face a court martial in Britain.

An order for assembling a court martial was issued 31 December 1810. In January 1811 on board HMS Gladiator at Portsmouth, Kent's court martial on three charges took place. After three days of deliberations Kent was cleared on all charges, recommended for promotion and received pay as commander for the entirety of his confinement.

Kent took time off to recover his health from his long imprisonment, before in April 1812 joining the 98-gun HMS Union under his uncle William's command. His uncle was killed while in command of off sea at Toulon on 29 August. Kent became first lieutenant on HMS Sparrowhawk, Captain Thomas Ball Clowes, in December. While still serving on Sparrowhawk, he was promoted commander 15 June 1814. September while of off Malta, Kent was wounded, where he was blinded in both eyes, he eventually got some sight back in one eye. He was moved on to the retired list on half-pay. He was promoted from the retired list to captain in 1851.

Kent married on 30 December 1830, to Susannah Elizabeth Rankin, third daughter of John Rankin of Greenock, Scotland.