August 9, 1848

Captain Frederick Marryat died at Langham in Norfolk. He was a former Royal Navy officer, born in 1792, who had a distinguished literary career.

A close associate of Charles Dickens, Marryat wrote at length about naval affairs. Marryat’s Code was a widely used system of flag signalling at sea. Later he turned his hand to children’s fiction. His best known work was Children of the New Forest (1847) which was set during the English Civil War period.