William Bligh
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 17th and 18th Centuries
- Categories: Science, Military History
- Subcategories: Ships, Naval History, Explorers, Plants, Botany, Horticulture
- Curriculum: 19th Century European History, British History, 18th Century European History
Article abstract: Notorious for having lost the Bounty to mutineers in the South Pacific in 1789, Bligh had a long, distinguished but controversial career in the British navy.
Early Life
William Bligh was the only child of Francis Bligh (1721-1780) and Jane Pearce Bligh (1713-1769). His mother, a widow when she married Francis in 1753, had a daughter Catherine who was nineteen when William was born. His father, who would remarry twice following Jane’s death, was customs officer at Plymouth. The Bligh line was well established and quite distinguished in...
[The entire page is 2166 words long]
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