Henry Somerset (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Somerset KCB
KH
(30 December 1794 – 15 February 1862) was a British Army officer, the eldest son of Lord Charles Somerset
.
He was commissioned a cornet on 5 December 1811, and lieutenant on 30 December 1812. He fought in the Peninsular War
and with the 18th Hussars at Waterloo
, serving as aide-de-camp
to his uncle Lord Edward Somerset
. On 6 October 1815, he was made a captain.
On 1 April 1817, he married Frances Sarah Heathcote (21 June 1790 – 16 March 1886), with whom he had seven daughters and three sons:
Soon after his marriage, Somerset proceeded to the Cape Colony
, where his father was governor, and served with the Cape Mounted Rifles throughout the Xhosa Wars
. On 25 March 1823, he was made major, and on 17 July 1824, lieutenant-colonel. In 1834, he was made a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order
, and later a Companion of the Bath. In 1846, he defeated the Xhosa on the Gwangu, and was promoted major-general on 11 November 1851. At the conclusion of the 8th Xhosa War in 1853, he was made a Knight Commander of the Bath for his services, and left the Cape to go on the staff at Bombay. He served as the Commander-in-chief
of Bombay from 26 March 1855 to March 1860, and then returned to England. On 29 January 1857 he was promoted lieutenant-general. He died in Gibraltar
in 1862.
Somerset stood as godfather
to Henry Somerset Todd, who, in turn, transmitted the Somerset name to W. Somerset Maugham
.
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...
KH
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...
(30 December 1794 – 15 February 1862) was a British Army officer, the eldest son of Lord Charles Somerset
Lord Charles Somerset
General Lord Charles Henry Somerset PC was a British soldier, politician and colonial administrator. He was governor of the Cape Colony, South Africa, from 1814 to 1826.-Background:...
.
He was commissioned a cornet on 5 December 1811, and lieutenant on 30 December 1812. He fought in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
and with the 18th Hussars at Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, serving as 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...
to his uncle Lord Edward Somerset
Lord Edward Somerset
General Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset GCB was a British soldier.He was the third son of the 5th duke of Beaufort, and elder brother of Lord Raglan....
. On 6 October 1815, he was made a captain.
On 1 April 1817, he married Frances Sarah Heathcote (21 June 1790 – 16 March 1886), with whom he had seven daughters and three sons:
- Leonora Louisa Somerset (d. 28 September 1913), who was married to Lt-Gen. Montague Cholmeley Johnstone (3 March 1804 – 22 September 1874) on 31 December 1844, with whom she had one child, a daughter.
- Col. Charles Henry Somerset (1819 – 4 November 1863)
- Col. Henry George Edward Somerset (28 December 1829 – 5 April 1920)
- FitzRoy MacLean Henry Somerset (1 November 1839 – 29 June 1907)
- Elizabeth Harriet Frances Somerset (d. 9. Nov 1869); who married on 21 September 1841 Maj.-Gen. Peter Maclean
Soon after his marriage, Somerset proceeded to the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
, where his father was governor, and served with the Cape Mounted Rifles throughout the Xhosa Wars
Xhosa wars
The Xhosa Wars, also known as the Cape Frontier Wars, were a series of nine wars between the Xhosa people and European settlers, from 1779 to 1879 in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa....
. On 25 March 1823, he was made major, and on 17 July 1824, lieutenant-colonel. In 1834, he was made a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order
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...
, and later a Companion of the Bath. In 1846, he defeated the Xhosa on the Gwangu, and was promoted major-general on 11 November 1851. At the conclusion of the 8th Xhosa War in 1853, he was made a Knight Commander of the Bath for his services, and left the Cape to go on the staff at Bombay. He served as the Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of Bombay from 26 March 1855 to March 1860, and then returned to England. On 29 January 1857 he was promoted lieutenant-general. He died in 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...
in 1862.
Somerset stood as godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
to Henry Somerset Todd, who, in turn, transmitted the Somerset name to W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
.