Transcript

of

Obituary notices: R. P. Chaplin.

Trans. Devon. Assoc., 1884, Vol XVI, p. 53.

by

Rev. W. Harpley

Prepared by Michael Steer

Mr Chaplin appears to have been a successful officer of the Admiralty Accountant-General's Department, Royal Navy. The subject of naval finance is one of great complexity and of vast importance. The large sums of money with which the admiralty deals through estimates and expenditure underpin the existence of that complex organization.  The obituary was presented at the Association’s July 1884 Newton Abbot meeting. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

R P. Chaplin was born at Colchester, Essex, in 1818. He entered the Customs in 1837, but in 1838 was transferred to the Admiralty, Somerset House, where he remained until 1855, when he received the appointment of Accountant at Portsmouth Dockyard, whence he was transferred in the same capacity to Woolwich. He returned to the Admiralty as a first-class clerk about 1861 or 1862. In 1868 he received the appointment of Accountant in Devonport Dockyard, whence he retired in 1870. He was much respected in the service for the thorough manner in which he performed all his duties.

On his retirement he took up his residence at Torquay, and occupied himself in microscopic investigations.

He became a member of the Torquay Natural History Society in 1870, and was elected a Vice-President of that body in 1875.

He joined the Association in 1877, and died at his residence, Earlham, Torquay, on December 27th, 1883, aged about 65 years.