He served as
Midshipman to Captain
Peter Warren aboard the
Squirrel off the coast of North America when he was in his twenties and thereafter in the West Indies under
Commodore Knowles who promoted him to command the
storeship Bien Aimé on 12 August 1744. He was based in Boston in July 1745 again under
Commodore Peter Warren when he was placed in command of the
Mermaid and also in charge of a
convoy returning to England in March 1746. He remained in command of the
Mermaid based in Portsmouth until September 1747. He was then without a ship and on
half pay until he was given the command of and commissioned the
Antelope in May 1756, transferring to the
Royal Anne guardship based in
Spithead in August of the same year. Six months later he served as
Flag-Captain under Admiral
Henry Osborn in command of the
Prince. In 1758 he was appointed to the
St George and it was in command of this vessel that he departed for the West Indies joining the squadron under the command of
Commodore Moore. Engagements at this time included the failed attack on
Martinique and the
invasion of Guadeloupe in 1758/1759. The
St George returned to Europe at the end of 1759 and remained there attached to the
Grand Fleet in the
Bay of Biscay until the declaration of peace. From 1769 Gayton commanded the
guardship San Antonio at Portsmouth. He was promoted to
rear-admiral in October 1770 and left England four years later with his flag on the
Antelope to take command of the
Jamaica Station where he met a young
Horatio Nelson, then Lieutenant Nelson when he served as lieutenant aboard the
Lowestoffe. Gayton had many difficulties with the French officials that were his counterparts in
Cap Français as well as the French governor concerning movements of his forces in the conduct of their duties. He was promoted to the rank of
vice-admiral in February 1776. During his time as commander of Jamaica station, more than 235 vessels were seized. He returned to England in April 1778, after which he had no further service. He gained the rank of admiral in April 1782. He was succeeded by
Sir Peter Parker as commander of Jamaica station. His health was very poor in his last years, and he died in Fareham on 5 March 1785 aged 74. The
National Maritime Museum has his portrait by
John Singleton Copley painted in 1779. ==Marriage and family==