Reginald Thomas John Levinge

Reginald Thomas John Levinge (1813–1848) was a British aristocrat and second in line to the Levinge baronetcy but never became baronet. He served as a commander in the Royal Navy. He was donor of the some of the Levinge Papers which are held in the National Library of Ireland. Life He was born on 20 October 1813 the third son (and one of 12 children) of Sir Richard Levinge, baronet and Elizabeth Anne Parkyns. He was born at Knockdrin Castle in County Westmeath in Ireland. His maternal grandfather was Thomas Boothby Parkyns, Lord Radcliffe. His eldest brother, Richard, born in 1811, joined the British Army and reached the rank of Captain, later becoming Colonel of the Westmeath Militia. He had several brothers, including George in the Royal Horse Artillery, Augustus in the 71st Infantry, Charles also in the British Army, and Vere Henry Levinge who served as an officer in the Honourable East India Company. He entered the Royal Navy on 7 January 1827 aged 13. He passed the exam as a lieutenant in 1832 but did not receive a commission until October 1839 when he was placed as a lieutenant on the 72-gun HMS Melville under command of the Hon George Elliot in the East Indies. In February 1840 he moved to the smaller 16-gun HMS Wolverene under Captain William Tucker off the coast of Africa.