John Griffin Whitwell, 4th Baron Howard de Walden
Encyclopedia
Field Marshal
John Griffin Whitwell, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, 1st Baron Braybrooke, KB
(13 March 1719 – 25 May 1797) was a British
nobleman and soldier
.
in Northamptonshire
and educated at Winchester College
, Whitwell was commissioned as an ensign in the 3rd regiment of Foot Guards
in 1739.
He served in the Netherlands
and Germany
during the War of the Austrian Succession
from 1740 to 1748.
He became Member of Parliament
for Andover
in 1749. His aunt Elizabeth, Countess of Portsmouth agreed to leave him her interest in Audley End if he changed his surname to Griffin: he did so in 1749, by Act of Parliament
, becoming John Griffin Griffin.
He also served in the Seven Year's War from 1756. He was briefly Colonel
of the 50th Regiment of Foot
in 1759 and was promoted to Major-General that same year.
He was appointed Commanding Officer
of the 33rd Regiment of Foot in 1760 and promoted to lieutenant-general in 1761. He was also appointed KB
in 1761 and promoted to full general
in 1778.
He was Colonel
of the 1st Troop, Horse Grenadier Guards
from 1766 and of the 4th Dragoons
from 1788.
The Barony of Howard de Walden
was called out of abeyance
in his favour on 3 August 1784. He was additionally created 1st Baron Braybrooke
in 1788. He was made a field marshal
on 30 July 1796. He died at Audley End in 1797.
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
John Griffin Whitwell, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, 1st Baron Braybrooke, KB
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...
(13 March 1719 – 25 May 1797) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
nobleman and soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
.
Military career
Born at OundleOundle
Oundle is an ancient market town on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 5,345 or 5,674 . It lies some north of London and south-west of Peterborough...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, Whitwell was commissioned as an ensign in the 3rd regiment of Foot Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
in 1739.
He served in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
from 1740 to 1748.
He became 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,...
for Andover
Andover (UK Parliament constituency)
Andover was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1295 to 1307, and again from 1586, 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 in Hampshire,...
in 1749. His aunt Elizabeth, Countess of Portsmouth agreed to leave him her interest in Audley End if he changed his surname to Griffin: he did so in 1749, by Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, becoming John Griffin Griffin.
He also served in the Seven Year's War from 1756. He was briefly Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the 50th Regiment of Foot
50th Regiment of Foot
50th Regiment of Foot may refer to:*50th Regiment of Foot , or Shirley's Regiment, raised 1754*50th Regiment of Foot, formed as the 52nd and renumbered in 1756...
in 1759 and was promoted to Major-General that same year.
He was appointed Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the 33rd Regiment of Foot in 1760 and promoted to lieutenant-general in 1761. He was also appointed KB
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...
in 1761 and promoted to full 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....
in 1778.
He was Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the 1st Troop, Horse Grenadier Guards
Horse Grenadier Guards
The Horse Grenadier Guards were a series of cavalry troops in the British Household Cavalry between 1687 and 1788, who used grenades and other explosives in battle. Originally attached to the Horse Guards, they became independent for a century before being disbanded...
from 1766 and of the 4th Dragoons
4th Queen's Own Hussars
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958....
from 1788.
The Barony of Howard de Walden
Baron Howard de Walden
Baron Howard de Walden is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ of summons, by Queen Elizabeth I for Admiral Lord Thomas Howard, a younger son of the 4th Duke of Norfolk, in 1597. The title was reportedly granted for the Admiral's role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588...
was called out of abeyance
Abeyance
Abeyance is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. In law, the term abeyance can only be applied to such future estates as have not yet vested or possibly...
in his favour on 3 August 1784. He was additionally created 1st Baron Braybrooke
Baron Braybrooke
Lord Braybrooke, Baron of Braybrooke, in the County of Northampton, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1788 for John Whitwell, 4th Baron Howard de Walden, with remainder to his kinsman Richard Neville-Aldworth...
in 1788. He was made a field marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
on 30 July 1796. He died at Audley End in 1797.