Francis Loraine Petre
Encyclopedia
Francis Loraine Petre OBE (1852–1925) was a British civil servant in India and a military historian upon his retirement. He wrote a two-volume regimental history of the Norfolk Regiment, but is best known for his works on the Napoleonic Wars
. The grandson of the 11th Baron Petre
, he was educated at Oscott College and joined the Bar
in 1880. He took the civil service exam and subsequently joined the Indian Civil Service. He retired as Commissioner of Allahabad
in 1900.
Subsequently, he chose a literary career, pursuing interests in the history of the Napoleonic Wars. He wrote five books on the Wars, most of which are in use a century later. His studies of Napoleon's conquest of Prussia 1806–1807 (1901) and Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, 1806–1807 (1901) were among the first such books in the English language. He also wrote several regimental histories, a study of Simon Bolivar
, and a descriptive study of Colombia
. World War I
interrupted his literary pursuits; he served in the Finance Branch of the Ministry of Munitions. In 1920, Petre was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
. His father, the Honorable Edmund George Petre, was born 23 June 1829 (d. 1 September 1889), in London's Marylebone district; he was the son of William Petre, 11th Baron Petre, and his second wife, Emma Agnes Howard. Edmund married Marianna Jane Kerr, born in 1831 in Midlothian
(Edinburgh), Scotland, the daughter of the accountant and stock broker Lorraine M. Kerr, Esquire, They married 3 June 1851, at her home at 26 India Street in Glasgow, Lanarckshire. Edmund Petre worked as a stockbroker.
Petre was born at Netherley House
, in Aberdeen
, Scotland
on 22 February 1852, Loraine Petre's younger sister, Rosamund Catherine, was born in 25 August 1857, at the High Elms, in Hampton Court (now Hampton, London
). She married in 1884 to William Henry Hare Hedges-White, an Irish Peer
, the fourth and last Earl of Bantry
. Petre maintained his connections to his illustrious family; in 1873, his cousin married George Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard
, and he was listed as a guest.
In 1887, Petre married Maud Ellen Rawlinson, the daughter of a clergyman; their son, Roderick L(oraine), born 1888 in Indore
, India; Roderick attended school near Midsomer Norton
and Stratton-on-the-Fosse
. where he sang treble in the boys choir. Roderick served in the South Wales Borderers in the Galipoli campaign of World War I
, and was awarded the Military Cross
. Eventually he achieved the rank of major-general
. A daughter, Enid, was born in 1890, and a second daughter was born in 1894 and died the same year.
in 1873. The next year he competed in the examinations for the Indian Civil Service, in which he was placed fourth of the top thirty. Initially he served in the North-Western Provinces
, and later in Oudh. From 1885 to 1889, he was at Hyderabad, in the Political Department. He also served in the Secretariat of the Indian Board of Revenue. Upon his retirement in 1900, he was Commissioner of Allahabad
.
While serving in India, he published several articles on Indian politics and culture, and on the progress of the central states of India. In 1888, his article on "Progress and Prospects of Native States of Central India" was published in the Asiatic Quarterly Review. After retirement, he maintained his interest in India Affairs: he regularly attended the meetings of the East India Society, a group of civil servants and military men who had served in the Far East and India, and of which he was a member of the governing council. In 1901, he presented a paper, The Indian Sectarists and their Relation to the Administration, which was published in the Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review. In 1907, during the civil turmoil in India, he wrote to the editor of The Times
(London) to clarify the problems faced by local police forces in maintaining civil order in the Indian Provinces.
led him to seek out studies of the European campaigns. The lack of English language studies on the wars, particularly the campaigns of 1806 and 1807, encouraged him to write both Napoleon's Conquest of Prussia 1806 and Napoleon's campaign in Poland, 1806–1807. The latter, originally published in 1910, has been reprinted in several additions, the most recent in 2001 by Stackpole and Greenwood Press. His Napoleon's Conquest of Prussia 1806, first published in 1901, entered three editions: in 1907, by J. Lane and in 1914; its 1907 and subsequent editions contained an introduction by the Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
. Both of these campaigns, Petre surmised, were Napoleon's greatest achievements: never again did he organize so great a campaign, nor did his political or military power reach such heights.
Similarly, his Napoleon & the Archduke Charles; a history of the Franco-Austrian campaign in the valley of the Danube in 1809 reflected the dearth of English language material on the subject. For Petre, the campaign was of particular interest as the one of two campaigns in which Napoleon was opposed by arguably his most able continental opponent. In 1809, that opponent was the Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
; the other campaign, in Italy 1797, that opponent was Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
. His son Rodrick assisted with the mapmaking. The volume entered three reprints–1916, 1976, 1989—and a second edition in 1991, reprinted in 2001, reflected the ongoing fascination with the Napoleonic wars.
Both Napoleon's last campaign in Germany, 1813 and Napoleon at Bay 1814, were translated immediately into German, and both had 1970s reprints.
In Napoleon's Last Campaign, Petre posits that the Emperor Napoleon abandoned the guiding principles of his previous success, which lay in his relentless pursuit of his opponent's main army. In the Saxon Campaign, Napoleon lost sight of his primary objectives, becoming mired in secondary achievements. Petre noted also the vast increase in sheer numbers, on both sides of the contest, and predicted that in terms of numbers, "we must wait for the wars of tomorrow to see those numbers exceeded." World War I
interrupted his work as a military historian; he was recalled from retirement to work in the Finance office of the Munitions Ministry. On 26 March 1920, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Petre wrote a two-volume history of the Norfolk Regiment, the second volume of which was published a month before his death. In addition, he also wrote histories of the Royal Berkshire Regiment (Royal Berks), the 1st Gurkha Rifles, and the Scots Guards in the Great War 1914–1918. His regimental histories also included The 1st, King George's Own, Gurkha Rifles-The Malaun Regiment, 1815–1921.
Petre also wrote two books on South America
, responding to the need for investors to find additional information in a convenient form in English. In it, he maintained, he simply collated information and in his tour of the country he remained on what he called "the beaten tracks", principal cities, and the countryside. Furthermore, he maintained, he used statistical information supplied by the President of Columbia. The book includes photographs that he took himself. His second book on South America was Simon Bolivar—El Libertador; a life of the chief leader in the revolt against Spain in Venezuela, New Granada and Peru.
Databases
Books
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. The grandson of the 11th Baron Petre
Baron Petre
Baron Petre , of Writtle, in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1603 for Sir John Petre. He represented Essex in parliament and served as Lord Lieutenant of Essex...
, he was educated at Oscott College and joined the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
in 1880. He took the civil service exam and subsequently joined the Indian Civil Service. He retired as Commissioner of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
in 1900.
Subsequently, he chose a literary career, pursuing interests in the history of the Napoleonic Wars. He wrote five books on the Wars, most of which are in use a century later. His studies of Napoleon's conquest of Prussia 1806–1807 (1901) and Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, 1806–1807 (1901) were among the first such books in the English language. He also wrote several regimental histories, a study of Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
, and a descriptive study of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
interrupted his literary pursuits; he served in the Finance Branch of the Ministry of Munitions. In 1920, Petre was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Family
F. Loraine Petre descended from an aristocratic English Roman Catholic family, the House of PetreBaron Petre
Baron Petre , of Writtle, in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1603 for Sir John Petre. He represented Essex in parliament and served as Lord Lieutenant of Essex...
. His father, the Honorable Edmund George Petre, was born 23 June 1829 (d. 1 September 1889), in London's Marylebone district; he was the son of William Petre, 11th Baron Petre, and his second wife, Emma Agnes Howard. Edmund married Marianna Jane Kerr, born in 1831 in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
(Edinburgh), Scotland, the daughter of the accountant and stock broker Lorraine M. Kerr, Esquire, They married 3 June 1851, at her home at 26 India Street in Glasgow, Lanarckshire. Edmund Petre worked as a stockbroker.
Petre was born at Netherley House
Netherley House
Netherley House is a mansion built by Alexander Silver in the late 18th century in Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated near the northerly flowing drainage of Crynoch Burn . The home was sold to Horatio Ross by James Silver, son of George Silver in 1853 for 33,000 pounds sterling....
, in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 22 February 1852, Loraine Petre's younger sister, Rosamund Catherine, was born in 25 August 1857, at the High Elms, in Hampton Court (now Hampton, London
Hampton, London
Hampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Formerly it was in the county of Middlesex, which was formerly also its postal county. The population is about 9,500...
). She married in 1884 to William Henry Hare Hedges-White, an Irish Peer
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
, the fourth and last Earl of Bantry
Earl of Bantry
Earl of Bantry, of Bantry in the County of Cork, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1816 for Richard White, 1st Viscount Bantry, who had helped repelling the French invasion at Bantry Bay in 1797...
. Petre maintained his connections to his illustrious family; in 1873, his cousin married George Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard
George Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard
George Arthur Hastings Forbes, 7th Earl of Granard KP was an Irish peer and soldier, styled Viscount Forbes from 1836 to 1837....
, and he was listed as a guest.
In 1887, Petre married Maud Ellen Rawlinson, the daughter of a clergyman; their son, Roderick L(oraine), born 1888 in Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
, India; Roderick attended school near Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...
and Stratton-on-the-Fosse
Stratton-on-the-Fosse
Stratton-on-the-Fosse is a village and civil parish located on the edge of the Mendip Hills, south-west of Westfield, north-east of Shepton Mallet, and from Frome, in Somerset, England. It has a population 1,045, and has a rural agricultural landscape, although it was part of the once-thriving...
. where he sang treble in the boys choir. Roderick served in the South Wales Borderers in the Galipoli campaign of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
. Eventually he achieved the rank of major-general
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
. A daughter, Enid, was born in 1890, and a second daughter was born in 1894 and died the same year.
Education and career
Petre was educated at Oscott College, and called to the Bar by Lincoln's InnLincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
in 1873. The next year he competed in the examinations for the Indian Civil Service, in which he was placed fourth of the top thirty. Initially he served in the North-Western Provinces
North-Western Provinces
The North-Western Provinces was an administrative region in British India which succeeded the Ceded and Conquered Provinces and existed in one form or another from 1836 until 1902, when it became the Agra Province within the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh .-Area:The province included all...
, and later in Oudh. From 1885 to 1889, he was at Hyderabad, in the Political Department. He also served in the Secretariat of the Indian Board of Revenue. Upon his retirement in 1900, he was Commissioner of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
.
While serving in India, he published several articles on Indian politics and culture, and on the progress of the central states of India. In 1888, his article on "Progress and Prospects of Native States of Central India" was published in the Asiatic Quarterly Review. After retirement, he maintained his interest in India Affairs: he regularly attended the meetings of the East India Society, a group of civil servants and military men who had served in the Far East and India, and of which he was a member of the governing council. In 1901, he presented a paper, The Indian Sectarists and their Relation to the Administration, which was published in the Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review. In 1907, during the civil turmoil in India, he wrote to the editor of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(London) to clarify the problems faced by local police forces in maintaining civil order in the Indian Provinces.
Military historian
On his retirement from the Indian Civil Service, his interest in the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
led him to seek out studies of the European campaigns. The lack of English language studies on the wars, particularly the campaigns of 1806 and 1807, encouraged him to write both Napoleon's Conquest of Prussia 1806 and Napoleon's campaign in Poland, 1806–1807. The latter, originally published in 1910, has been reprinted in several additions, the most recent in 2001 by Stackpole and Greenwood Press. His Napoleon's Conquest of Prussia 1806, first published in 1901, entered three editions: in 1907, by J. Lane and in 1914; its 1907 and subsequent editions contained an introduction by the Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
. Both of these campaigns, Petre surmised, were Napoleon's greatest achievements: never again did he organize so great a campaign, nor did his political or military power reach such heights.
Similarly, his Napoleon & the Archduke Charles; a history of the Franco-Austrian campaign in the valley of the Danube in 1809 reflected the dearth of English language material on the subject. For Petre, the campaign was of particular interest as the one of two campaigns in which Napoleon was opposed by arguably his most able continental opponent. In 1809, that opponent was the Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
; the other campaign, in Italy 1797, that opponent was Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigismund, Count Wurmser was an Austrian field marshal during the French Revolutionary Wars. Although he fought in the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and mounted several successful campaigns in the Rhineland in the initial years of the French Revolutionary Wars, he...
. His son Rodrick assisted with the mapmaking. The volume entered three reprints–1916, 1976, 1989—and a second edition in 1991, reprinted in 2001, reflected the ongoing fascination with the Napoleonic wars.
Both Napoleon's last campaign in Germany, 1813 and Napoleon at Bay 1814, were translated immediately into German, and both had 1970s reprints.
In Napoleon's Last Campaign, Petre posits that the Emperor Napoleon abandoned the guiding principles of his previous success, which lay in his relentless pursuit of his opponent's main army. In the Saxon Campaign, Napoleon lost sight of his primary objectives, becoming mired in secondary achievements. Petre noted also the vast increase in sheer numbers, on both sides of the contest, and predicted that in terms of numbers, "we must wait for the wars of tomorrow to see those numbers exceeded." World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
interrupted his work as a military historian; he was recalled from retirement to work in the Finance office of the Munitions Ministry. On 26 March 1920, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Petre wrote a two-volume history of the Norfolk Regiment, the second volume of which was published a month before his death. In addition, he also wrote histories of the Royal Berkshire Regiment (Royal Berks), the 1st Gurkha Rifles, and the Scots Guards in the Great War 1914–1918. His regimental histories also included The 1st, King George's Own, Gurkha Rifles-The Malaun Regiment, 1815–1921.
Petre also wrote two books on South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, responding to the need for investors to find additional information in a convenient form in English. In it, he maintained, he simply collated information and in his tour of the country he remained on what he called "the beaten tracks", principal cities, and the countryside. Furthermore, he maintained, he used statistical information supplied by the President of Columbia. The book includes photographs that he took himself. His second book on South America was Simon Bolivar—El Libertador; a life of the chief leader in the revolt against Spain in Venezuela, New Granada and Peru.
List of books
- Napoleon's conquest of Prussia 1806–1807, London: S. Low, 1901. OCLC: 457586317.
- Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, 1806–1807. London: John Lane, 1907. OCLC: 504519385
- Napoleon & the Archduke Charles; a history of the Franco-Austrian campaign in the valley of the Danube in 1809. London, J. Lane; New York, J. Lane Co., 1909 [1908]. OCLC: 511002.
- Napoleon's last campaign in Germany, 1813, London & New York, John Lane Co., 1912. OCLC: 3677122.
- Napoleon at bay 1814. New York, John Lane Co., 1914. OCLC: 503529 and OCLC: 252434389.
Sources
Periodicals- "Death of Right Honorable Lord Petre." The Ipswich Journal. (Ipswich, England), Saturday, July 6, 1850; Issue 5800.
- "Births." The Aberdeen Journal (Aberdeen, Scotland), Wednesday, March 3, 1852; Issue 5434.
- "Births." The EraThe Era (newspaper)The Era was a British weekly paper, published from 1838 to 1939. Originally a general newspaper, it became noted for its sports coverage, and later for its theatrical content.-History:...
(London, England), Sunday, August 30, 1857; Issue 988. - "Marriage of the Earl of Granard." The Belfast News-Letter (Belfast, IrelandBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
), Saturday, September 6, 1873; Issue 55738. - "Indian Civil Service Competition." The Pall Mall Gazette (London, England), Saturday, April 27, 1872; Issue 2247.
- "Library Table. The Bristol MercuryBristol Mercury|-See also:-Bibliography:* Bridgman, L, Jane's fighting aircraft of World War II. Crescent. ISBN 0-517-67964-7* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
and Daily Post (Bristol, England), Monday, July 2, 1888; Issue 12523. - "The Quarterlies." Glasgow Herald (Glasgow, Scotland), Thursday, August 2, 1888; Issue 184.
- "Death of the Earl of Bantry." Manchester Times (Manchester, England). Friday, December 4, 1891; Issue 1792.
- F. Loraine Petre (obituary). The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, Monday, May 11, 1925; pg. 8; Issue 43958; col C.
Databases
- Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861. Data imaged from the National Archives, London, England. Class: RG9; Piece: 458; Folio: 82; Page: 11; GSU roll: 542642.
- Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1871. Class: RG10; Piece: 161; Folio: 83; Page: 34; GSU roll: 823299.&
- Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1881. Class: RG11; Piece: 47; Folio: 116; Page: 43; GSU roll: 1341011.
- Scotland. 1851 Scotland Census. Reels 1-217. General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. Parish: Barony; ED: 54; Page: 2; Line: 26; Roll 389; Year: 1851
Books
- Lodge, Edmund. The peerage of the British empire as at present existing. London: Saunders and Otley, 1850, OCLC 457524910.
- Petre, F. Loraine. Napoleon's conquest of Prussia 1806–1807, London: S. Low, 1901. OCLC: 457586317.
- Petre, F. Loraine. Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, 1806–1807. London: John Lane, 1907. OCLC: 504519385
- Petre, F. Loraine. Napoleon & the Archduke Charles; a history of the Franco-Austrian campaign in the valley of the Danube in 1809. London, J. Lane; New York, J. Lane Co., 1909 [1908]. OCLC: 511002.
- Petre, F. Loraine. Napoleon's last campaign in Germany, 1813, London & New York, John Lane Co., 1912. OCLC: 3677122.