Willoughby Harcourt Carter
Encyclopedia
Captain Willoughby Harcourt Carter (1822–1900) J.P., the first appointed Chief Constable
of Buckinghamshire
, from 1857 to 1867.
, India
, only son of Joshua Carter (1793-1866), a Judge
with the Bengal Civil Service at Gorakhpur
. His mother, Emily Agnes Campbell (1799–1889), was the eldest daughter of Duncan Campbell (1771–1840), 5th of Inverneill House
. Carter's maternal grandfather was a brother of Sir James Campbell of Inverneill and a nephew of General Sir Archibald Campbell
. He was a first cousin of Emily Georgina Carter-Campbell of Possil and Mrs George Fiott Day
. Carter was brought up in Ireland
by his grandfather, Willoughby Harcourt Carter (1767–1854), J.P., of Newpark, Co. Dublin, Attorney Exchequer of Dublin. They were named for their ancestor Willoughby Swift (1660-1715), the first cousin and benefactor of Jonathan Swift
.
at Harrow School
and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
. In 1839, he was appointed 2nd Lieutenant of the 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot
. By 1848, he was Captain of the 7th Royal Irish Fusiliers
, and before his retirment from the army he was Adjutant
to the Lanarkshire
Militia.
In Buckinghamshire
, a ratepaying battle between the conservative and large liberal landowning families in 1856 and 1857 had erupted over the formation of Buckinghamshire's first police force. In consequence of the county dispute, in 1857, Robert Carrington, 2nd Baron Carrington appointed Carter the first Chief Constable
of Buckinghamshire
as he was 'free from party' and 'a stranger to the county'. Carter devoted much of his energy in breaking up the close administrative relationship between the existing police force and the individual magistrates operating in petty sessions divisions. The smaller landowning magistrates gathered in quarter sessions did not appreciate Carter's re-organanization. When Carter retired in 1867, they made sure his successor, Captain Tyrwhitt-Drake, was a man firmly moulded by county connection and prestige. This move away from the last vestiges of 'professional' police was a reaction to the declining powers of individual magistrates in police matters. He retired from Buckinghamshire to 23 Clifton Terrace, Folkestone
, Kent
, where he served as a magistrate
.
, Carter married Eliza (1831–1903), daughter of George Palmes (1776–1851), J.P., D.L., of Naburn
Hall, North Yorkshire
, a descendant of Mary Boleyn
by Sir William Carey. Carter lived his adult life in England
, but owned just under 2000 acres (8.1 km²) at Annaghkeen, on Lough Corrib
, Co. Galway, which his family had held since 1667. He also owned property on Grafton Street, Dublin, and a further 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) in Queen's County, Ireland. He died at Elham
, Kent
, and was survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters. Their eldest daughter, Frances Edith Carter (1854-1950), married Lt.-Colonel Joseph Henry Banks. The Carter's youngest son, Brigadier General
Charles Herbert Philip Carter (1864-1943), C.B.E., was dismissed from the British army
and sent home for his part in the disastrous failure at the Battle of Fromelles
.
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, from 1857 to 1867.
Background
Born at BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, only son of Joshua Carter (1793-1866), a Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
with the Bengal Civil Service at Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...
. His mother, Emily Agnes Campbell (1799–1889), was the eldest daughter of Duncan Campbell (1771–1840), 5th of Inverneill House
Inverneill House
Inverneill House is a country house in Argyll, western Scotland. It stands on the west shore of Loch Fyne, around south of Lochgilphead. Although the house is not listed, the walled gardens and mausoleum on the estate are protected as category B listed buildings.]The lands of Inverneill first came...
. Carter's maternal grandfather was a brother of Sir James Campbell of Inverneill and a nephew of General Sir Archibald Campbell
Archibald Campbell (British Army officer)
General Sir Archibald Campbell KB served as Governor of Jamaica and Madras. He was a major Scottish landowner, Heritable Usher of the White Rod for Scotland and a Member of Parliament for the Stirling Burghs.-Birth:...
. He was a first cousin of Emily Georgina Carter-Campbell of Possil and Mrs George Fiott Day
George Fiott Day
Captain George Fiott Day VC CB was one of the earliest English recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was also a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.George Fiott Day...
. Carter was brought up in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
by his grandfather, Willoughby Harcourt Carter (1767–1854), J.P., of Newpark, Co. Dublin, Attorney Exchequer of Dublin. They were named for their ancestor Willoughby Swift (1660-1715), the first cousin and benefactor of Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
.
Career
Educated in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. In 1839, he was appointed 2nd Lieutenant of the 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot
64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot
The 64th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was created as the 2nd Battalion, 11th Regiment of Foot in 1756, redesignated as the 64th Regiment of Foot in 1758, and took a county title as the 64th Regiment of Foot in 1782...
. By 1848, he was Captain of the 7th Royal Irish Fusiliers
Royal Irish Fusiliers
The Royal Irish Fusiliers was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th Regiment of Foot and the 89th Regiment of Foot in 1881. The regiment's first title in 1881 was Princess Victoria's , changed in 1920 to The Royal Irish Fusiliers...
, and before his retirment from the army he was Adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
to the Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
Militia.
In Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, a ratepaying battle between the conservative and large liberal landowning families in 1856 and 1857 had erupted over the formation of Buckinghamshire's first police force. In consequence of the county dispute, in 1857, Robert Carrington, 2nd Baron Carrington appointed Carter the first Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
as he was 'free from party' and 'a stranger to the county'. Carter devoted much of his energy in breaking up the close administrative relationship between the existing police force and the individual magistrates operating in petty sessions divisions. The smaller landowning magistrates gathered in quarter sessions did not appreciate Carter's re-organanization. When Carter retired in 1867, they made sure his successor, Captain Tyrwhitt-Drake, was a man firmly moulded by county connection and prestige. This move away from the last vestiges of 'professional' police was a reaction to the declining powers of individual magistrates in police matters. He retired from Buckinghamshire to 23 Clifton Terrace, Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, where he served as a magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
.
Family
In 1853, at Devonport, DevonDevonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
, Carter married Eliza (1831–1903), daughter of George Palmes (1776–1851), J.P., D.L., of Naburn
Naburn
Naburn is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the eastern side of the River Ouse about south of York. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 470...
Hall, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, a descendant of Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn , was the sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn and a member of the Boleyn family, which enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII of England...
by Sir William Carey. Carter lived his adult life in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but owned just under 2000 acres (8.1 km²) at Annaghkeen, on Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway river connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the second largest lough in Ireland . It covers 178 km² and lies mostly in County Galway with a small area of its northeast corner in County Mayo.The first canal in...
, Co. Galway, which his family had held since 1667. He also owned property on Grafton Street, Dublin, and a further 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) in Queen's County, Ireland. He died at Elham
Elham
Elham is a village in East Kent situated approximately south of Canterbury and north east of Folkestone in the Elham Valley.-Toponomy:The origin of the village's name has always been a matter of argument. The village is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Alham. This may have derived from...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and was survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters. Their eldest daughter, Frances Edith Carter (1854-1950), married Lt.-Colonel Joseph Henry Banks. The Carter's youngest son, Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Charles Herbert Philip Carter (1864-1943), C.B.E., was dismissed from the 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...
and sent home for his part in the disastrous failure at the Battle of Fromelles
Battle of Fromelles
The Battle of Fromelles, sometimes known as the Action at Fromelles or the Battle of Fleurbaix , occurred in France between 19 July and 20 July 1916, during World War I...
.