William Parke
Encyclopedia
General Sir William Parke was born on 17 May 1822 in London in England. He was the son of Charles Parke, a land owner, formerly H.B.M Commissioner to the kingdom of Mexico and Deputy Lieutenant
of Dorset and Letitia Alcock, the sister of Thomas Alcock (MP)
.
He served in the Crimean War
, commanding the 72nd Highlanders from June 1855, and became Lieutenant Colonel in the same year, taking part in the expedition to Kertch and the siege of Sevastapol.
Posted to India at the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
he was First Class Brigadier and from March 1858 commanded the second brigade of the Rajaputana Field Force and led the assault on Kotah in 1859. He also took part in the pursuit of Tantya Tope and Rao Sahib in Central India. In 1860 he transferred to the 53rd Foot. Parke held numerous staff positions with the home army and became a Major General in 1868, subsequently reaching Lieutenant General in 1877.
After his retirement he served as regimental Colonel with the 2nd battalion Worcester Regiment and subsequently the Seaforth Highlanders
in which position he remained until 1897. Parke was decorated with the KCB in 1887, and died on 1897-03-29.
Bt in 1865 and lived at Thornhill house a Palladian style mansion built by Sir James Thornhill
near Stalbridge
in North Dorset.
They had a son William who was born in 1866 and died unmarried, and a daughter Dorothy Eden Parke who married Somerset Arthur Sherston who was killed in action in 1915. William Parke's elder brother Charles Joseph Parke was High Sheriff
of Dorset
in 1868. His niece Ellen Henrietta Parke married Philip Thomas Godsal
the inventor of the Godsal Gun. Parke was also great uncle to Lieutenant Wilfred Parke
the first aviator to recover successfully from an accidental spin
.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Dorset and Letitia Alcock, the sister of Thomas Alcock (MP)
Thomas Alcock (MP)
Thomas Alcock was a British politician.Thomas Alcock was born in Putney,the son of Joseph Alcock of Roehampton. He was educated at Harrow and served briefly in the 1st Dragoon Guards...
.
Career
Parke was commissioned in 1840 into the Duke of Albany's own Highlanders.He served in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, commanding the 72nd Highlanders from June 1855, and became Lieutenant Colonel in the same year, taking part in the expedition to Kertch and the siege of Sevastapol.
Posted to India at the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
he was First Class Brigadier and from March 1858 commanded the second brigade of the Rajaputana Field Force and led the assault on Kotah in 1859. He also took part in the pursuit of Tantya Tope and Rao Sahib in Central India. In 1860 he transferred to the 53rd Foot. Parke held numerous staff positions with the home army and became a Major General in 1868, subsequently reaching Lieutenant General in 1877.
After his retirement he served as regimental Colonel with the 2nd battalion Worcester Regiment and subsequently the Seaforth Highlanders
Seaforth Highlanders
The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the Great War...
in which position he remained until 1897. Parke was decorated with the KCB in 1887, and died on 1897-03-29.
Family
Parke married Anna Maria, daughter of Major General William Nepean the second son of Sir Evan NepeanEvan Nepean
Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet PC was a British politician and colonial administrator.-Early career:...
Bt in 1865 and lived at Thornhill house a Palladian style mansion built by Sir James Thornhill
James Thornhill
Sir James Thornhill was an English painter of historical subjects, in the Italian baroque tradition.-Life:...
near Stalbridge
Stalbridge
Stalbridge is a small town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale area of North Dorset district, near the border with Somerset. In 2001 the town had a population of 2,579, and is still growing. 30.8% of the inhabitants are retired...
in North Dorset.
They had a son William who was born in 1866 and died unmarried, and a daughter Dorothy Eden Parke who married Somerset Arthur Sherston who was killed in action in 1915. William Parke's elder brother Charles Joseph Parke was High Sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in 1868. His niece Ellen Henrietta Parke married Philip Thomas Godsal
Philip Thomas Godsal
Major Philip Thomas Godsal, Soldier, gentleman, marksman, historian and inventor of a gun mechanism was born at Plas Fron, Wrexham in 1850, the son of Philip William Godsal, of Iscoyd Park and Charlotte Harriet Garth...
the inventor of the Godsal Gun. Parke was also great uncle to Lieutenant Wilfred Parke
Wilfred Parke
Lieutenant Wilfred Parke RN was a British airman and became the first aviator to recover from an accidental spin.-Family:Parkes's father was Alfred Watlington Parke, the Rector of Uplyme and his mother was Hilda Fort...
the first aviator to recover successfully from an accidental spin
Spin (flight)
In aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in autorotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew downward path. Spins can be entered intentionally or unintentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw...
.