Benjamin Bloomfield, 1st Baron Bloomfield
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Benjamin Bloomfield, 1st Baron Bloomfield GCB
GCH
(13 April 1768 – 15 August 1846) was Private Secretary to the Sovereign
1817–1822.
Bloomfield was born in 1768, the son of John Bloomfield and Anne Charlotte Waller. and educated at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich. He joined the Royal Artillery
and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
in 1781. He served in Newfoundland, Gibraltar
, and at Brighton
in 1806, where, as a brevet
Major, he was in charge of a troop
of the Royal Horse Artillery
(he was also appointed a Gentleman in Waiting in that year). In 1814 he was promoted to Major-General. By 1826 he was Commanding Officer of the garrison
at Woolwich. He became Colonel Commandant
of the Royal Horse Artillery.
He was Member of Parliament
(MP) for Plymouth
from 1812 from 1818, and made a Privy Councillor
in 1817.
He was an Aide-de-Camp
1811–1814, was Chief Equerry
and Clerk Marshal
to the Prince of Wales
, and was Private Secretary to the King, Keeper of the Privy Purse
, and Receiver of the Duchy of Cornwall
1817–1822.
He was knighted
in 1815, and received the GCB in 1822, and ennobled
as Lord Bloomfield in 1825.
He married Harriott Douglas, daughter of John Douglas, on 7 September 1797. They had a son, John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield
, 1st Baron Bloomfield of Ciamhaltha (1802-1879) who was created Baron Bloomfield, of Ciamhaltha in the County of Tipperary, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
, on his retirement as British Ambassador to Austria, and two daughters, Georgina and Harriott
He died in 1846. His body is laid to rest at Borrisnafarney Parish Church Church in the Bloomfield Mausoleum . which is located 1.5 miles from the village of Moneygall
beside the Loughton Estate in County Offaly
Ireland
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
GCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
(13 April 1768 – 15 August 1846) was Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Private Secretary to the Sovereign
The Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
1817–1822.
Bloomfield was born in 1768, the son of John Bloomfield and Anne Charlotte Waller. and educated at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich. He joined the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in 1781. He served in Newfoundland, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, and at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
in 1806, where, as a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Major, he was in charge of a troop
Troop
A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. In many armies a troop is the equivalent unit to the infantry section or platoon...
of the Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
(he was also appointed a Gentleman in Waiting in that year). In 1814 he was promoted to Major-General. By 1826 he was Commanding Officer of the garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
at Woolwich. He became Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
of the Royal Horse Artillery.
He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Plymouth
Plymouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Plymouth was a parliamentary borough in Devon, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in 1298 and again from 1442 until 1918, when the borough was merged with the neighbouring Devonport and the combined area divided into three single-member constituencies.-In the...
from 1812 from 1818, and made a Privy Councillor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1817.
He was an Aide-de-Camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
1811–1814, was Chief Equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
and Clerk Marshal
Clerk Marshal
The Clerk Marshal was an official of the British Royal Household in the department of the Master of the Horse. From the Restoration the office was held with that of Avenor until the latter post was abolished in 1793. The office of Clerk Marshal was then combined with that of First or Chief Equerry...
to the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, and was Private Secretary to the King, Keeper of the Privy Purse
Keeper of the Privy Purse
The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom....
, and Receiver of the Duchy of Cornwall
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
1817–1822.
He was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1815, and received the GCB in 1822, and ennobled
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Lord Bloomfield in 1825.
He married Harriott Douglas, daughter of John Douglas, on 7 September 1797. They had a son, John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield
John Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield
John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield, GCB, PC, DL was a British peer and diplomatist.-Background:...
, 1st Baron Bloomfield of Ciamhaltha (1802-1879) who was created Baron Bloomfield, of Ciamhaltha in the County of Tipperary, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
, on his retirement as British Ambassador to Austria, and two daughters, Georgina and Harriott
He died in 1846. His body is laid to rest at Borrisnafarney Parish Church Church in the Bloomfield Mausoleum . which is located 1.5 miles from the village of Moneygall
Moneygall
Moneygall is a small village on the border of counties Offaly and North Tipperary, in Ireland. It is situated on the R445 road between Dublin and Limerick. At the time of the 2006 census, the village had a population of 298. Moneygall has a Catholic church, five shops, a post office, a national...
beside the Loughton Estate in County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...