Eyre Coote (the Younger)
Encyclopedia
Eyre Coote (General
Sir Eyre Coote until 1816; GCB
1815 - 1816) was an Irish
-born British
soldier and politician who served as Governor of Jamaica.
, Dean of Kilfenora
and wife (m. 31 July 1753) Grace Tilson (- 1 January 1767), brother of Charles Henry Coote (1754–1823), who succeeded the last Earl of Mountrath
as 2nd Baron Castle Coote in 1802, and nephew of Sir Eyre Coote, KB
, the celebrated Indian General
, to whose vast estates in England and Ireland he eventually succeeded.
and Trinity College Dublin, Coote purchased a commission in the 34th Regiment of Foot - of which his uncle was colonel - in 1774. He soon found himself bound for North America to fight in the American War of Independence, seeing action in Brooklyn
in August 1776, Brandywine
, Germantown
and Monmouth Court House
before finally being taken prisoner at the final Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Between 1790 and 1798, he represented Ballynakill
in the Irish House of Commons
. Subsequently he sat for Maryborough
until 1800.
He served in England and Ireland when they were threatened by French invasion and against the French on the Continent. He went on to serve in Holland, Egypt
and eventually became Governor-General
of Jamaica
(1806–1808) where he possibly sired an ancestor of Colin Powell
.
school for boys. On 25 November 1815 he entered the school and offered some boys money for an opportunity to flog
them. After that he asked them to flog him and rewarded them with money. Caught by the school nurse, he was charged for indecent conduct before the Lord Mayor of London
and acquitted after "donating" £1000 to the school: after that, he was subject to a military inquiry in April 1816 which stripped him of his rank and honours. He was appointed GCB 1815 and stripped of it 1816.
Coote did not stand again for parliament at the dissolution of 1818, and died 10 December 1823. He was twice married, and left issue by both wives. His first wife, Sarah (died 1795), daughter of John Rodbard, is the subject of one of George Romney
's famous paintings.
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir Eyre Coote until 1816; GCB
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...
1815 - 1816) was an Irish
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
-born British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
soldier and politician who served as Governor of Jamaica.
Background
He was the second son of the Very Rev. Charles Coote (1713 - 12 February 1776), DDDoctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
, Dean of Kilfenora
Kilfenora
Kilfenora is a small village in County Clare in Ireland, just south of The Burren. The village is noted for being the home to the Kilfenora Ceili Band and the location for much of the filming of the sitcom Father Ted.-Places of interest:...
and wife (m. 31 July 1753) Grace Tilson (- 1 January 1767), brother of Charles Henry Coote (1754–1823), who succeeded the last Earl of Mountrath
Earl of Mountrath
Earl of Mountrath was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created on 6 September 1660, along with the titles Viscount Coote and Baron Coote, for Sir Charles Coote, 2nd Baronet...
as 2nd Baron Castle Coote in 1802, and nephew of Sir Eyre Coote, KB
Eyre Coote (East India Company officer)
Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote, KB was an Irish soldier. He is best known for his many years of service with the British Army in India. His victory at the Battle of Wandiwash is considered a decisive turning point in the struggle for control in India between British and France...
, the celebrated Indian General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
, to whose vast estates in England and Ireland he eventually succeeded.
Career
Following studies at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College Dublin, Coote purchased a commission in the 34th Regiment of Foot - of which his uncle was colonel - in 1774. He soon found himself bound for North America to fight in the American War of Independence, seeing action in Brooklyn
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
in August 1776, Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
and Monmouth Court House
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
before finally being taken prisoner at the final Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Between 1790 and 1798, he represented Ballynakill
Ballynakill (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Ballynakill was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Ballynakill was not represented.-1689–1801:...
in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
. Subsequently he sat for Maryborough
Maryborough (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Maryborough was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:...
until 1800.
He served in England and Ireland when they were threatened by French invasion and against the French on the Continent. He went on to serve in Holland, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and eventually became Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
(1806–1808) where he possibly sired an ancestor of Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
.
Scandal and death
As "William Cooper" refers in his History of the Rod. Flagellation and the Flagellants, Sir Eyre was removed from the service on the 21 May 1816 because of the scandal he caused in the Christ's HospitalChrist's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
school for boys. On 25 November 1815 he entered the school and offered some boys money for an opportunity to flog
Flagellation
Flagellation or flogging is the act of methodically beating or whipping the human body. Specialised implements for it include rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails and the sjambok...
them. After that he asked them to flog him and rewarded them with money. Caught by the school nurse, he was charged for indecent conduct before the Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
and acquitted after "donating" £1000 to the school: after that, he was subject to a military inquiry in April 1816 which stripped him of his rank and honours. He was appointed GCB 1815 and stripped of it 1816.
Coote did not stand again for parliament at the dissolution of 1818, and died 10 December 1823. He was twice married, and left issue by both wives. His first wife, Sarah (died 1795), daughter of John Rodbard, is the subject of one of George Romney
George Romney (painter)
George Romney was an English portrait painter. He was the most fashionable artist of his day, painting many leading society figures - including his artistic muse, Emma Hamilton, mistress of Lord Nelson....
's famous paintings.
External links
- http://www.clements.umich.edu/clempage.html
- http://www.stephenwoodresearch.com/port/coo01.htm