John Richmond Webb
Encyclopedia
General John Richmond Webb (26 December 1667 – 5 September 1724) was an English military leader and Member of Parliament
.
Webb was the son of Colonel Edmund Richmond Webb, a Wiltshire
gentleman with a position in the household of Prince George of Denmark and second cousin to another Wiltshire man, Henry St John
, who was to become the Tory leader in Parliament during the reign of Queen Anne
. Webb was commissioned as a Cornet
of Dragoons in 1687, and on 3 February 1690 he married Henrietta Borlase, daughter of William Borlase and Joanna Bancks. In 1692, possibly using the wealth he acquired by his marriage, he purchased Biddesden House
at Ludgershall
in Wiltshire, an estate which carried with it the decisive electoral influence over the pocket borough of the same name.
He entered Parliament in 1695 as Tory member for Ludgershall
, and became a close political follower of St John. In the same year, he was promoted to Colonel of Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot
in 1695. In September 1697, Webb was dangerously injured in a duel. The following year he was briefly lost his seat in Parliament, but his defeat at Ludgershall was overturned on petition. He served in Flanders
in the campaign of 1702-1703, was a Brigadier at the Battle of Blenheim
and a Major-General at Ramillies
and Oudenarde
.
In September 1708, commanding the British troops at the Battle of Wijnendale
, he succeeded in protecting a convoy from superior French forces and delivering supplies to the besiegers of Lille
, which led eventually to the town's capture; but opponents of the army commander, Marlborough
, accused him of giving the credit in his initial dispatch to Webb's Whig
subordinate, William Cadogan
, for political reasons. Webb subsequently received full credit and the thanks of Parliament for the action, and the following year he was promoted to Lieutenant-General. Nevertheless, from this point onwards Webb became the centre of Tory agitation against Marlborough
.
In 1709, Webb served at the Battle of Malplaquet
, where he was severely wounded; he was awarded a substantial pension and returned to England, seeing no further active service. In 1710 he was appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight, a military post which among other advantages gave substantial influence in choosing the Members of Parliament who sat for the island's three boroughs; he took advantage of this by sitting as MP for Newport (Isle of Wight)
, a constituency traditionally represented by at least one distinguished military or naval figure, from 1713 to 1715. Furthermore, in 1712 he was promoted to General, and appointed commander of land forces in Great Britain. However, together with the other Tories, he was dismissed from his offices following the accession of George I
. Unable to expect re-election at Newport under the new Governor, his old rival Cadogan, he was forced once more to fall back on the family seat at Ludgershall, which he represented again from 1715 until his death.
His brother Thomas Richmond Webb was an ancestor of the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray
, and Webb is sympathetically depicted in Thackeray's historical novel The History of Henry Esmond
. His eldest son, also called John Richmond Webb
, was a lawyer, and briefly a judge and 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,...
.
Webb was the son of Colonel Edmund Richmond Webb, a Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
gentleman with a position in the household of Prince George of Denmark and second cousin to another Wiltshire man, Henry St John
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically despite his atheism. In 1715 he supported the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 which sought to overthrow the...
, who was to become the Tory leader in Parliament during the reign of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
. Webb was commissioned as a Cornet
Cornet (military rank)
Cornet was originally the third and lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop, after captain and lieutenant. A cornet is a new and junior officer.- Traditional duties :The cornet carried the troop standard, also known as a "cornet"....
of Dragoons in 1687, and on 3 February 1690 he married Henrietta Borlase, daughter of William Borlase and Joanna Bancks. In 1692, possibly using the wealth he acquired by his marriage, he purchased Biddesden House
Biddesden House
Biddesden House is a Grade I listed house near to Andover in Wiltshire, home to an Arabian Horse stud farm.-History:The house belonged to John Richmond Webb from 1692, and passed to other owners before being bought by Bryan Guinness in the 1930s, whose family still live there.-Biddesden Stud:The...
at Ludgershall
Ludgershall
Ludgershall is the name of more than one place. The name is Anglo Saxon in origin, meaning 'nook with a trapping spear'.In the United Kingdom:*Ludgershall, Buckinghamshire*Ludgershall, WiltshireAlso...
in Wiltshire, an estate which carried with it the decisive electoral influence over the pocket borough of the same name.
He entered Parliament in 1695 as Tory member for Ludgershall
Ludgershall (UK Parliament constituency)
Ludgershall was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.- 1295–1640 :- 1640–1832 :- Sources :...
, and became a close political follower of St John. In the same year, he was promoted to Colonel of Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot
8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot
The 8th Regiment of Foot, also referred to diminutively as the 8th Foot and the King's, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1685 and retitled the King's on 1 July 1881....
in 1695. In September 1697, Webb was dangerously injured in a duel. The following year he was briefly lost his seat in Parliament, but his defeat at Ludgershall was overturned on petition. He served in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in the campaign of 1702-1703, was a Brigadier at the Battle of Blenheim
Battle of Blenheim
The Battle of Blenheim , fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement...
and a Major-General at Ramillies
Battle of Ramillies
The Battle of Ramillies , fought on 23 May 1706, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of King Louis XIV of France in 1705...
and Oudenarde
Battle of Oudenarde
The Battle of Oudenaarde was a key battle in the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 11 July 1708 between the forces of Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire on the one side and the French on the other...
.
In September 1708, commanding the British troops at the Battle of Wijnendale
Battle of Wijnendale
The Battle of Wijnendale was a battle in the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 28 September 1708 near Wijnendale, Flanders, between an allied force protecting a convoy for the Siege of Lille and forces of Bourbon France and Spain...
, he succeeded in protecting a convoy from superior French forces and delivering supplies to the besiegers of Lille
Siege of Lille (1708)
The Siege of Lille was the salient operation of the 1708 campaign season during the War of the Spanish Succession...
, which led eventually to the town's capture; but opponents of the army commander, Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, accused him of giving the credit in his initial dispatch to Webb's Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
subordinate, William Cadogan
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan KT PC was a noted military officer in the army of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession...
, for political reasons. Webb subsequently received full credit and the thanks of Parliament for the action, and the following year he was promoted to Lieutenant-General. Nevertheless, from this point onwards Webb became the centre of Tory agitation against Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
.
In 1709, Webb served at the Battle of Malplaquet
Battle of Malplaquet
The Battle of Malplaquet, fought on 11 September 1709, was one of the main battles of the War of the Spanish Succession, which opposed the Bourbons of France and Spain against an alliance whose major members were the Habsburg Monarchy, Great Britain, the United Provinces and the Kingdom of...
, where he was severely wounded; he was awarded a substantial pension and returned to England, seeing no further active service. In 1710 he was appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight, a military post which among other advantages gave substantial influence in choosing the Members of Parliament who sat for the island's three boroughs; he took advantage of this by sitting as MP for Newport (Isle of Wight)
Newport (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a parliamentary borough located in Newport , which was abolished in for the 1885 general election. It was occasionally referred to by the alternative name of Medina....
, a constituency traditionally represented by at least one distinguished military or naval figure, from 1713 to 1715. Furthermore, in 1712 he was promoted to General, and appointed commander of land forces in Great Britain. However, together with the other Tories, he was dismissed from his offices following the accession of George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
. Unable to expect re-election at Newport under the new Governor, his old rival Cadogan, he was forced once more to fall back on the family seat at Ludgershall, which he represented again from 1715 until his death.
His brother Thomas Richmond Webb was an ancestor of the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
, and Webb is sympathetically depicted in Thackeray's historical novel The History of Henry Esmond
The History of Henry Esmond
The History of Henry Esmond is a historical novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, originally published in 1852. The book tells the story of the early life of Henry Esmond, a colonel in the service of Queen Anne of England...
. His eldest son, also called John Richmond Webb
John Richmond Webb (judge)
John Richmond Webb , of Biddesden in Hampshire, was an English lawyer who served briefly as a Member of Parliament and as a Welsh judge....
, was a lawyer, and briefly a judge and Member of Parliament.