Henry Wyndham (1790-1860)
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Henry Wyndham KCB
(12 May 1790 – 3 August 1860) was a British Army
General
and Conservative Party
politician. He was Member of Parliament
(MP) for Cockermouth
from 1852 to 1857 and for West Cumberland
from 1857 to until his death in 1860.
Wyndham was the second son of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
(1751–1837) and Elizabeth Ilive (died 1822), of Petworth House
, near Chichester
, West Sussex
, and a descendant of John Wyndham
who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Country
against the threat of Spanish invasion.
As a young officer, then-Captain (Guards officers held 'double' rank, so a Captain was also a Lieutenant-Colonel) Henry Wyndham fought at the Battle of Waterloo
in 1815, where he was severely injured. He had taken part in the famous closing of the gates at Hougoumont
and was said to have been so disturbed by the incident that he would never again close a door, preferring to sit in a room in a howling draught. During the battle, his life had been saved by Corporal James Graham
, the soldier responsible for slotting the bar home after the North Gate was shut.
Pictures of the battles of Battle of Vittoria and Waterloo were commissioned by Wyndham's father from George Jones
, RA. They hang in the Beauty Room of Petworth House.
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 Henry Wyndham KCB
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...
(12 May 1790 – 3 August 1860) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
General
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....
and Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. 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 Cockermouth
Cockermouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Cockermouth was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England in 1295, and again from 1641, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was a parliamentary borough represented by two...
from 1852 to 1857 and for West Cumberland
West Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
West Cumberlandwas a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election.- Boundaries :...
from 1857 to until his death in 1860.
Wyndham was the second son of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont
George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont was a British peer. A direct descendant of Sir John Wyndham, he succeeded to his father's titles in 1763 at the age of 12, inheriting estates at Petworth, Egremont, Leconfield and land in Wiltshire and Somerset. He later inherited the lands of the Earl...
(1751–1837) and Elizabeth Ilive (died 1822), of Petworth House
Petworth House
Petworth House in Petworth, West Sussex, England, is a late 17th-century mansion, rebuilt in 1688 by Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, and altered in the 1870s by Anthony Salvin...
, near Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, and a descendant of John Wyndham
John Wyndham (1558-1645)
Sir John Wyndham JP was an aristocratic English landowner who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Country against the threat of Spanish invasion....
who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
against the threat of Spanish invasion.
As a young officer, then-Captain (Guards officers held 'double' rank, so a Captain was also a Lieutenant-Colonel) Henry Wyndham fought at the Battle of 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...
in 1815, where he was severely injured. He had taken part in the famous closing of the gates at Hougoumont
Hougoumont
Hougoumont was a fortified farm held by Wellington's army in the Battle of Waterloo. It may also refer to:* Hougoumont , a convict ship;...
and was said to have been so disturbed by the incident that he would never again close a door, preferring to sit in a room in a howling draught. During the battle, his life had been saved by Corporal James Graham
James Graham (soldier)
James Graham was an Irish non-commissioned officer in the British Army during the Napoleonic wars, recognised as the "bravest man in the army". Serving in the Coldstream Guards, he was commended for his gallantry during the defence of Hougoumont, at Waterloo...
, the soldier responsible for slotting the bar home after the North Gate was shut.
Pictures of the battles of Battle of Vittoria and Waterloo were commissioned by Wyndham's father from George Jones
George Jones (painter)
George Jones was a British painter, and Keeper of the Royal Academy, most famous for his paintings of military subjects.-Life and work:...
, RA. They hang in the Beauty Room of Petworth House.