William Peckover was a gunner in the Royal Navy and served on several vessels most notably commanded by James Cook and William Bligh. He was born 17 June 1748, son of Daniel Peckover and Mary Aviesin, in Chelwell Valley, Northamptonshire.
By the time Peckover was a crewmember on the HMAV Bounty he was one of the most experienced on the vessel. He sailed on all three of Captain James Cook's pacific expeditions, had already visited Tahiti four times and was fluent in the Polynesian language. Bounty landed at Tahiti October 1788, where Bligh had Peckover supervise trading negotiations with the islanders while breadfruit plants were collected for transportation.
During the mutiny and subsequent events
On April 28, 1789, during the return voyage to England, Peckover had been on watch duty from midnight to 4:00 am and was still asleep when Fletcher Christianseized control of the ship. Peckover was confined to his cabin during the mutiny, and not allowed up on deck until Bligh and his loyalists were being cast off the ship into the 23-foot launch. Peckover survived the 3,500 nautical mile voyage in Bounty's launch to the Dutch East Indies port of Coupang on Timor and later during the mutineer's court martial in Britain, testified in favour of Midshipman Peter Heywood. In July 1792, Commodore Pasley, planned to contact Peckover, who at the time was living in Woolwich. According to a footnote to the "Report of the Court Martial of Ten of the Mutineers", in May 1794, he was living at No. 13 Gun Alley, in Wapping, London.
Later navy career
Peckover served on various ships during Britain's involvement in the American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Royal Navy records state Peckover served as a gunner on the following vessels:
Peckover applied for a position as gunner on HMS Providence but was refused by Bligh. In a letter to Sir Joseph Banks, July 17, 1791, Bligh wrote: ‘‘Should Peckover my late Gunner ever trouble you to render him further services I shall esteem it a favour if you will tell him I informed you he was a vicious and worthless fellow – He applied to me to render him service & wanted to be appointed Gunner of the Providence but as I had determined never to suffer an officer who was with me in the Bounty to sail with again, it was for the cause I did not apply for him.’’ Bligh’s refusal to appoint Peckover was partly due to Edward Christian’s polemic testimony against Bligh in an effort to clear his brother’s name. Christian states in his appendix: "In the evidence of Mr. Peckover and Mr. Fryer, it is proved that Mr. Nelson the botanist said, upon hearing the commencement of the mutiny, "We know whose fault this is, or who is to blame, Mr. Fryer, what have we brought upon ourselves?" In addition to this, it ought to be known that Mr. Nelson, in conversation afterwards with an officer at Timor, who was speaking of returning with Captain Bligh if he got another ship, observed, "I am surprized that you should think of going a second time with,, who has been the cause of all our losses." The last known record of Peckover mentions him serving on the HMS Gelykheid in 1801,and is not mentioned any further in navy records. Peckover died 16 May 1819, aged 71 and resting place is at the Holy Trinity church, Colchester, Essex.
