Joseph Denman
Rear Admiral Joseph Denman (23 June 1810 – 26 November 1874) was a British naval officer, most noted for his actions against the slave trade as a captain of the West Africa squadron.
He was the son of Thomas Denman, the first Lord Denman (1779-1854), Lord Chief Justice. He entered the Royal Navy on the 7th April 1823, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1831 and commander in 1835. [1]
In 1840, while negotiating for the release of two Britons, Denman also negotiated a treaty abolishing the slave trade in the territory of the Gallinas, liberating 841 slaves, and also destroyed the slave barracoons on the banks of the river. As a consequence, he was sued by the Spanish slavers for damages. Although his actions were initially praised, and he was promoted to Captain in August 1841, in 1842 the admiralty banned the anti-slave patrols from the destruction of property. [2]
Denman then wrote the book of orders for the squadron, which was to be issued to every serving officer, called Instructions for the Guidance of Her Majesty’s Naval Officers Employed in the Suppression of the Slave Trade.
Denman ended his career as Rear Admiral in command of the Pacific station from 1864 until his retirement in April 1866.
Denman Island, off the Coast of British Columbia, Canada, is named after him. [3]