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Alured Clarke

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For the clergyman who became Dean of Exeter, seeAlured Clarke (priest).

Field Marshal
Sir Alured Clarke
GCB
ActingGovernor-General of the Presidency of Fort William
In office
1797–1798
MonarchGeorge III
Preceded bySir John Shore
Succeeded byThe Earl of Mornington
Personal details
Born24 November 1744
Died16 September 1832 (aged 87)
Llangollen,Wales
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Years of service1759–1802
RankField Marshal
CommandsMadras Army
Commander-in-Chief of India
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
The National Assembly of Quebec, formerly the Parliament of Lower Canada, first convened by Sir Alured Clarke in December 1792 (the painting in the background depicts one of the first sittings of the Parliament of Lower Canada in January 1793)

Sir Alured ClarkeGCB(24 November 1744 – 16 September 1832) was aBritish Armyofficer. He took charge of all British troops inGeorgiain May 1780 and was then deployed toPhiladelphiato supervise the evacuation of Britishprisoners of warat the closing stages of theAmerican Revolutionary War.He went on to beGovernor of Jamaicaand thenlieutenant-governor of Lower Canadain which role he had responsibility for implementing theConstitutional Act 1791.He was then sent to India where he became Commander-in-Chief of theMadras Army,then brieflyGovernor-General of Indiaand finallyCommander-in-Chief of Indiaduring theFourth Anglo-Mysore War.

Military career

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Born the son ofCharles Clarke(c.1702–1750) and Jane Clarke (née Mullins),[1]Alured Clarke was educated atEton Collegeand was commissioned as anensignin the50th Regiment of Footon 20 March 1759.[2]Later that year he served in Germany under theMarquess of Granby.[1]Promoted tolieutenantin the 50th Regiment of Foot on 10 May 1760 and tocaptainin the52nd Regiment of Footon 30 December 1763, he transferred to the5th Regiment of Foot,stationed in Ireland, in January 1767 and was then promoted tomajorin the54th Regiment of Footin 1771.[2]

Promoted tolieutenant-coloneland given the command of the7th Regiment of Foot,serving in America, on 13 May 1777,[3]Clarke took charge of all British troops inGeorgiain May 1780 and, having been promoted tocolonelon 16 May 1782, he was then deployed toPhiladelphiato supervise the evacuation of Britishprisoners of warin May 1783.[1]

Clarke becameGovernor of Jamaicain summer 1784.[2]Promoted tomajor-generalon 1 May 1790,[4]he acquitted himself well enough as Governor of Jamaica that he was recommended toKing George IIIas a suitable person to becomelieutenant-governor of Lower Canadain October 1790.[5]In the absence of thegovernor,who had departed for England in August 1791, he took command of British forces and set about implementing theConstitutional Act 1791which involved settling geographical boundaries (betweenLower Canadaand the United States and between Lower Canada and the rest of Canada), offering land to settlers and convening the firstlegislature of the Province.[5]Clarke served as lieutenant-governor of Lower Canada until Summer 1793, when the Governor returned to Canada and Clarke could return to England.[2]

Clarke was sent to India in 1795 with instructions to interrupt his voyage at theCape of Good Hopewhere he and his force defeated a Dutch army atWynbergon 16 September 1795 and then spent the next two months on arranging administrative matters before proceeding to India.[6]On arrival in India in early 1796 he became Commander-in-Chief of theMadras Army.He was promoted to the local rank oflieutenant-generalon 3 May 1796 and, having been appointed aKnight Companion of the Order of the Bathon 14 January 1797, he was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general on 4 February 1797.[7]He became actingGovernor-General of Indiain March 1798 (in which capacity he also served as acting Commander-in-Chief of theBengal Army) and then becameCommander-in-Chief, Indiain May 1798.[2]Although Clarke was not present at theSiege of Seringapatamin April 1799, his army was victorious thereby successfully concluding theFourth Anglo-Mysore War.[1]He returned to England in March 1801 and was promoted to fullgeneralon 11 May 1802.[8]Following a re-organisation of the order, he was advanced toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bathon 4 January 1815.[9]

In 1803 he appeared, alongsideVice-Admiral NelsonandSir Evan Nepean,as a character witness in the treason trial of ColonelEdward Despard.Together they testified to Despard's service in the Caribbean.[10][11]

Clarke also served as honorary colonel of 1st Battalion60th Royal American Regiment,[12]of the68th Regiment of Foot,[13]of the5th Regiment of Foot[14]and then of the7th Regiment of Foot.[15]

In retirement, Clarke lived atMansfield Streetin London.[16]He was promoted tofield marshalon the occasion of the coronation ofKing William IVon 22 July 1830.[17]He died atLlangollenin Wales on 16 September 1832 while visiting his niece.[18]

Family

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Clarke marriedElizabeth Catherine Hunterin 1770,[1]who eight years earlier had eloped with the marriedEarl of Pembroke.[1]Kitty had a son by Pembroke, and received a pension from him until 1790, but Clarke and she had no children.[1]

References

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  1. ^abcdefgBrown, Robert. "Clarke, Alured".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/5485.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  2. ^abcdeHeathcote, p. 89
  3. ^"No. 11770".The London Gazette.13 May 1777. p. 2.
  4. ^"No. 13196".The London Gazette.27 April 1790. p. 258.
  5. ^ab"Alured Clarke".Dictionary of Canadian Biography(online ed.).University of Toronto Press.1979–2016.
  6. ^"No. 15434".The London Gazette.8 December 1801. p. 1465.
  7. ^"No. 13976".The London Gazette.31 January 1797. p. 106.
  8. ^"No. 15478".The London Gazette.8 May 1802. p. 466.
  9. ^"No. 16972".The London Gazette.4 January 1815. p. 18.
  10. ^Gurney, William Brodie; Gurney, Joseph (1803).The Trial of Edward Marcus Despard, Esquire: For High Treason, at the Session House, Newington, Surrey, On Monday the Seventh of February, 1803.London: M Gurney. p. 176.
  11. ^Jay, Mike (2004).The Unfortunate Colonel Despard.London: Bantam Press. p. 197.ISBN0593051955.
  12. ^"No. 13324".The London Gazette.9 July 1791. p. 399.
  13. ^"No. 13693".The London Gazette.12 August 1794. p. 828.
  14. ^"No. 13718".The London Gazette.28 October 1794. p. 1076.
  15. ^"No. 15400".The London Gazette.22 August 1801. p. 1035.
  16. ^Sir Alured Clarke manuscript material: 1 item, 1819.OCLC608094147.
  17. ^"No. 18709".The London Gazette.23 July 1830. p. 1534.
  18. ^Heathcote, p. 90

Sources

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  • Heathcote, Tony (1999).The British Field Marshals, 1736–1997: A Biographical Dictionary.Barnsley: Leo Cooper.ISBN0-85052-696-5.

Further reading

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Government offices
Preceded by Governor of Jamaica
1784–1790 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Colonel of the68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot
1794 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Colonel of the7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fuzileers)
1801–1832 		Succeeded by
Preceded by C-in-C, Madras Army
1796–1797 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Governor-General of India,acting
1798 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, India
1798–1801 		Succeeded by
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