It is not a little remarkable, that the late Sir Charles Hardy, his father, and his grandfather, were all in the navy; and that each of them had the honour of being knighted, for his respective services.

His grandfather, Sir Thomas Hardy, was a native of the island of Guernsey. He entered into the navy, under the patronage of Admiral Churchill, whom he had served in the capacity of clerk, and who procured for him a lieutenant's commission. He was made commander in the Charles fire-ship, on the 6th of January, 1693; and, in the, month of May following, he was removed into the Swallow prize, a small frigate, of 18 guns, which was stationed off Guernsey, to protect the trade of that island from the depredations of French privateers.—He is believed to have attained to the command of a ship of the line, very soon after his entrance into the service, and is thought to have been never unemployed; but the only mention which is made of him, during the reign of King William, is, that in October, 1696, when captain of the Pendennis, of 48 guns, he was employed to convoy the mast ships from Norway.