BICKERTON, Sir Richard, 2nd Bt. (1759-1832), of Upwood, Hunts.

Bickerton entered the navy in his father’s ship and saw service in the Mediterranean in both the American and Napoleonic wars, with a command in the Channel Fleet in the interval.1Marshall, Naval Biog. i. 125; Gent. Mag. (1832), i. 175; DNB. Buckingham, Court and Cabinets, iv. 159. He distinguished himself in the blockades of Cadiz and Egypt (1800) and was knighted by the Sultan when the French evacuated Egypt. He received the thanks of the House on 18 May 1801 and 12 Nov. 1802. After alternating with Nelson in the chief command of Mediterranean operations, he came home ill in September 1805. He was given, in April 1807, a place on the Admiralty Board, though it was not at first to his liking.2Buckingham, Court and Cabinets, iv. 159. After tying for second place in the Poole election of 1807, where he stood on the Admiralty interest, he was successful in the fresh election.

In Parliament he invariably supported administration. He was staunch during the Scheldt debates, January-March 1810, though his name was withdrawn from the committee of inquiry on the understanding that he would not be able to attend it. In April it was claimed that he would resign with his chief Lord Mulgrave unless Lord Chatham was displaced.3Parl. Deb. xv. 317; Lonsdale mss Ward to Lonsdale, 7 Apr. 1810. He voted against the reform of criminal law, of sinecures and of Parliament in May 1810. He was in the govenment minority on the Regency, 1 Jan. 1811. On 7 Feb. 1812 he voted against the bill to abolish reversions and on 21 and 24 Feb. against the abolition of McMahon’s paymastership. He seldom spoke and only on naval matters, 3 Apr. 1810, 18 July 1811, 25 Feb. and 17 Mar. 1812: on the second of these occasions he said that in 37 years in the navy, 22 of them on active service, he had never seen gagging practised; and on the last he defended the Plymouth breakwater plan.

Bickerton gave up his place on the retirement of Charles Philip Yorke from the Admiralty in March 1812, when he was appointed port admiral at Portsmouth.4NMM, YOR/11/13; Fremantle mss, W. H. T. Fremantel, 22 Mar. 1812. He did not seek re-election at the dissolution and henceforward devoted himself to his professional duties. He died 9 Feb. 1832.