Captain William Cayley (5 May 1742 – 3 January 1801) was a British Royal Navy officer.
Family and early life William Cayley was the fourth son of Sir George Cayley (1707–1791), the fourth of the Cayley baronets.Dugdale's Visitation of Yorkshire, pub. Surtees Society, 1859The Naval Chronicle vol.5, January–July 1801 He was christened at St Michael le Belfrey, York on 5 May 1742.Parish register entry
Naval career
William Cayley was commissioned a lieutenant in 1762. In 1781 he was appointed commander and captain of . The following year he was appointed captain of and saw action against a Franco-Spanish fleet in the indecisive Battle of Cape Spartel.
In 1794 he was captain of the newly commissioned . The following year he commissioned HMS Juste, a captured French ship, and commanded her for two months. He then took command of . Over the next few years he escorted convoys and engaged in various battles with the French. In May 1796 he captured Alexandre off Madeira, and freed the Portuguese ship Signior Montcalm, which Alexandre had previously captured.Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette 26 May 1796 The Royal Navy subsequently took her into service as . In December that year he was involved in an attack on the French fleet off Dominica.A Narrative of my Professional Adventures (1790-1839), by Sir William Henry Dillon, vol. 1, pub. Navy Records Society 1953 In 1797 he was present when Trinidad was surrendered to the British. In 1799 he was in the British fleet that received the surrender of Suriname.
Death He died at Chatham, Kent on 3 January 1801.The Naval Chronicle vol.5, January–July 1801
References
External links William Cayley (1742–1801) Cayley Family History website