Charles Robert Malden
Encyclopedia
Charles Robert Malden was a nineteenth century British
naval
officer, surveyor and educator. Discoverer of Malden Island
in the central Pacific, which is named in his honour. Founder of the Windlesham House School
at Brighton
, England
.
Malden was born in Putney
, Surrey
, son of Jonas Malden, a surgeon. He entered British naval service at the age of 11 on 22 June 1809. He served nine years as a volunteer 1st class, midshipman
, and mate
, including one year in the English Channel
and Bay of Biscay
(1809), four years at the Cape of Good Hope
and in the East Indies
(1809–14), two and a half years on the North American and West Indian stations (1814–16), and a year and a half in the Mediterranean (1817–18). He was present at the capture of Mauritius
and Java, and at the battles of Baltimore
and New Orleans
.
He passed the examination in the elements of mathematics
and the theory of navigation
at the Royal Naval College
on 2–4 September 1816, and became a 1st Lieutenant on 1 September 1818. In eight years of active service as an officer, he served two and a half years in a surveying ship in the Mediterranean (1818–21), one and a half years in a surveying sloop in the English Channel and off the coast of Ireland
(1823–24), and one and a half years as Surveyor of the frigate during a voyage (1824–26) to and from the Hawaiian Islands
(then known as the "Sandwich islands").
In Hawaii he surveyed harbours which, he noted, were "said not to exist by Captains Cook and Vancouver." On the return voyage he discovered and explored uninhabited Malden Island in the central Pacific on 30 July 1825. After his return he left active service but remained at half pay. He served for several years as hydrographer to King William IV
.
Malden married Frances Cole, daughter of Rev. William Hodgson Cole, rector of West Clandon
and Vicar of Wonersh
, near Guildford
, Surrey
, on 8 April 1828. He became the father of seven sons and a daughter.
From 1830-36 he took pupils for the Royal Navy at Ryde
, Isle of Wight
. He purchased the school of Henry Worsley
at Newport
, Isle of Wight, in December 1836, reopened it as a preparatory school
on 20 February 1837, and moved it to Montpelier Road in Brighton in December 1837. He built the Windlesham House School
at Brighton in 1844, and conducted the school until his death there in 1855.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naval
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer, surveyor and educator. Discoverer of Malden Island
Malden Island
Malden Island, sometimes called Independence Island in the nineteenth century, is a low, arid, uninhabited island in the central Pacific Ocean, about in area...
in the central Pacific, which is named in his honour. Founder of the Windlesham House School
Windlesham House School
Windlesham House School was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory school in the United Kingdom. The independent school is located near Washington, West Sussex having moved there in 1934. It caters for over 300 pupils, both boarding and day, aged from four to...
at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Malden was born in Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, son of Jonas Malden, a surgeon. He entered British naval service at the age of 11 on 22 June 1809. He served nine years as a volunteer 1st class, midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
, and mate
Mate
Mate may refer to one of the following meanings based on the generic dictionary definitions of the word:* One of a pair of animals involved in mating* Mate , a colloquialism used to refer to a friend* A naval officer:...
, including one year in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
(1809), four years at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
(1809–14), two and a half years on the North American and West Indian stations (1814–16), and a year and a half in the Mediterranean (1817–18). He was present at the capture of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
and Java, and at the battles of Baltimore
Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading...
and New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
.
He passed the examination in the elements of mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and the theory of navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
at the Royal Naval College
Royal Naval College
Royal Naval College may refer to:* Royal Naval Academy in Portsmouth , renamed the Royal Naval College in 1806* Royal Naval College, Greenwich * Royal Naval College, Osborne...
on 2–4 September 1816, and became a 1st Lieutenant on 1 September 1818. In eight years of active service as an officer, he served two and a half years in a surveying ship in the Mediterranean (1818–21), one and a half years in a surveying sloop in the English Channel and off the coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(1823–24), and one and a half years as Surveyor of the frigate during a voyage (1824–26) to and from the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
(then known as the "Sandwich islands").
In Hawaii he surveyed harbours which, he noted, were "said not to exist by Captains Cook and Vancouver." On the return voyage he discovered and explored uninhabited Malden Island in the central Pacific on 30 July 1825. After his return he left active service but remained at half pay. He served for several years as hydrographer to King William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
.
Malden married Frances Cole, daughter of Rev. William Hodgson Cole, rector of West Clandon
West Clandon
West Clandon is a village in Surrey, England. It is within 4 miles of the M25 and the A3. Nearby villages include Send, Ripley, Ockham, East and West Horsley. Local towns are Woking and Guildford....
and Vicar of Wonersh
Wonersh
Wonersh is a small Surrey village in England. Wonersh is about 3 miles SSE of Guildford on the B2128 road from Guildford, Shalford to Cranleigh...
, near Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, on 8 April 1828. He became the father of seven sons and a daughter.
From 1830-36 he took pupils for the Royal Navy at Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
, Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. He purchased the school of Henry Worsley
Henry Worsley
Henry Worsley may refer to*Sir Henry Worsley, 2nd Baronet*Sir Henry Worsley-Holmes, 8th Baronet of the Worsley Baronets*Sir Henry Worsley-Taylor, 1st Baronet of the Worsley-Taylor Baronets...
at Newport
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...
, Isle of Wight, in December 1836, reopened it as a preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
on 20 February 1837, and moved it to Montpelier Road in Brighton in December 1837. He built the Windlesham House School
Windlesham House School
Windlesham House School was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory school in the United Kingdom. The independent school is located near Washington, West Sussex having moved there in 1934. It caters for over 300 pupils, both boarding and day, aged from four to...
at Brighton in 1844, and conducted the school until his death there in 1855.