Matthew Liddon joined the Royal Navy in 1804, serving in the West Indies where he was captured by French privateers. On his return to England, he joined HMS Pheasant in 1806, participating in an expedition to the Rio de la Plata under Sir Samuel Auchmuty. Between 1808 and 1818, he served in a succession of ships off the coasts of North America and Britain and in the Mediterranean, advancing to the rank of lieutenant in 1811.
In 1819, he took command of HMS Griper on the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1819-1820 (leader William Edward Parry), sailing in company with HMS Hecla to the Canadian Arctic to seek a passage through Lancaster Sound.
Setting out from London in May 1819, the expedition reached Davis Strait before proceeding to Lancaster Sound where the two vessels continued westward, exploring Prince Regent Inlet before progressing along Barrow Strait. On 6 September 1819, Parry crossed the meridian of 110° West, off the south shore of Melville Island, earning for the expedition the prize of 5,000 offered by Parliament for reaching this longitude. Prevented from progressing still further west by ice conditions, the expedition wintered at Winter Harbour on Melville Island, where the vessels remained until 1 August 1820.
After the expedition, he did not serve at sea again, advancing to the rank of commander in 1821 and retiring as captain in 1856. He died on 31 August 1869 at Clifton, near Bristol.
From the guide to the Mathew Liddon collection, 1821-1869, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
