People of Presteigne 2
Rear Admiral Sir Peter Puget (1765-1822)
Puget's
Presteigne
residence in
Broad Street
as it appears
today
A naval careerThe Puget family were descended from Huguenot ancestors who settled in London and Ireland after the persecutions of Louis XIV.
Peter Puget was the sixth child of seven and on the death of the father a career as a naval officer was probably seen as a sensible option for a younger son with few expectations.
He was thus enrolled as a Captain’s Servant in 1778 at the age of twelve, serving in the West Indies, Gibralter and the English Channel before being appointed as a lieutenant on the sloop Discovery. Her commander Captain Vancouver took the Discovery and her tender Chatham to the west coast of North America where she was to survey the area, search for a north-west passage, and then circumnavigate the globe.
Puget quickly established himself as skillful surveyor and was given command of the armed tender Chatham by Vancouver in 1793. He had the great honour of having Puget Sound and Puget Island named after him by Vancouver himself.
In his later naval career he commanded ships of the line on various European stations and was commended for his bravery at the Battle of Copenhagen. From 1810-18 he was Commissioner for the Navy at Madras, and was knighted in 1819. He became Rear Admiral of the Blue by natural order of seniority in 1821
Powys
County Archives
Service for the county
In 1801 the Puget family moved to Presteigne, living first at
Broadheath
House and then the Red House (or Brick House) in Broad Street
(seen right as it appeared in the late 19th century).
Between lengthy periods on foreign service Puget fulfilled the
roles in the public and official life of the county expected
of a country gentleman.
He served on the grand and petty juries and among other trials
he served on the jury during the trial of Mary
Morgan. He became a Justice of the Peace and a trustee of
the Radnorshire Turnpike Trust in 1806.
On his retirement from the Navy and return from India the Pugets
moved first to London and then Bath, where Sir Peter could get
treatment for his troublesome gout. He died there in 1822
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