William Henry Clinton

William Henry Clinton
William Henry Clinton
Born	23 December 1769
Died	15 February 1846 (aged 76)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General
Battles/wars	French Revolutionary; Napoleonic Wars; First Miguelist War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

GeneralSir William Henry ClintonGCB KCH(23 December 1769 – 15 February 1846) was a British general during theFrench RevolutionaryandNapoleonic Warsas well as theFirst Miguelist War.He was also the grandson of AdmiralGeorge Clintonand elder brother of Lieutenant General SirHenry Clinton.^[1]

Military career[edit]

Born to General SirHenry Clintonin 1769, Clinton entered theBritish Armyin 1784 as acornetin the 7th Light Dragoons. Under theDuke of York,Clinton took part in the Flanders and Low Countries campaigns as a captain in the 1st Guards in 1793, winning promotion to Lieutenant Colonel the following year. Serving as aMember of Parliament(MP) forEast Retfordfrom 1794 to 1796, he left Parliament to becomeaide-de-campto the Duke.

In 1799, Clinton travelled to Italy on a diplomatic mission to Russian forces, before returning to take part in the Dutch expedition later that year. In 1801, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and participated in the capture of Madeira. He was then appointed governor ofMadeirafrom July 1801 until March 1802, before becomingMilitary Secretaryin 1803 andQuartermaster-GeneralinIrelandin 1804. He returned to Parliament in 1806 as MP forBoroughbridge,a seat he held until 1818. After another diplomatic mission toSwedenin 1807, Clinton became a major-general the following year.

During 1812, Clinton served in the Mediterranean leading a division atMessinaon the Italian island ofSicily,where he commanded a force of 12,000 British and Spanish troops.^[2]He commanded the1st Division of the independent Army on the Tarragona,during thePeninsular Warbetween 1812 and 1813, Clinton won distinction during theBattle of Castallaon 13 April 1813. In June 1813, Clinton became commander-in-chief of the British Forces in eastern Spain serving until April 1814, however he would see little action for the remainder of the war. After promotion to Lieutenant General, Clinton was knightedOrder of the Bathin 1815. In 1814 he was given the Colonelcy of the55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot,a position he held until his death.^[3]

Returning to his post as a member of Parliament, he would command a division consisting of around 5,000 soldiers during theFirst Miguelist Warwhere he attempted to support Portuguese forces from December 1826 until April 1828. Promoted a fullgeneral,Clinton resigned from Parliament serving as governor ofChelsea Hospitalfrom 1842 until his death on 15 February 1846 on Cockenhatch, nearRoyston,Herts. There is a memorial plaque to Clinton in St. Mary Magdalene Church,Barkway,Herts.^[4]^[5]

Personal[edit]

Clinton was married toLady Dorothea Louisa Holroyd^[6]and had two sons who both served in theBritish Army.

References[edit]

^"Sir Henry Clinton | British military officer | Britannica".Encyclopædia Britannica.Retrieved20 June2022.
^A New Biographical Dictionary, of 3000 Contemporary Public Characters, British and Foreign, of All Ranks and Professions.G. B. Whittaker. 1825. p. 369.
^"55th Regiment of Foot-Colonels".Retrieved6 July2016.
^Bromley, Janet; Bromley, David (2015).Wellington's Men Remembered Volume 1: A Register of Memorials to Soldiers who Fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo- Volume I: A to L.Pen and Sword. p. 197.ISBN 978-1-4738-5768-1.
^"Sir Henry Clinton | British military officer | Britannica".Encyclopædia Britannica.Retrieved20 June2022.
^Stern, Marvin (2004)."Stanley [née Holroyd], Lady Maria Josepha (1771–1863), letter writer and liberal advocate".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74489.Retrieved4 January2021.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)

Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:"Clinton, William Henry".Dictionary of National Biography.London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

External links[edit]

Hansard1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by William Henry Clinton
"Clinton, Sir Henrys.v.Sir William Henry Clinton ".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 6 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 529.
Clinton PapersatJohn Rylands Library,University of Manchester.

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir John Ingilby The Earl of Lincoln	Member of ParliamentforEast Retford 1794–1796 With:Sir John Ingilby	Succeeded by William Petrie Sir Wharton Amcotts
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Edward Portman Viscount Castlereagh	Member of ParliamentforBoroughbridge 1806–1818 With:Henry Dawkinsto 1808 Henry Clintonfrom 1808	Succeeded by Marmaduke Lawson George Mundy
Preceded by Henry Willoughby George Hay Dawkins-Pennant	Member of ParliamentforNewark 1818–1829 With:Henry Willoughby	Succeeded by Henry Willoughby Michael Thomas Sadler
Military offices
Preceded by Robert Brownrigg	Military Secretary 1803–1804	Succeeded by James Willoughby Gordon
Preceded by Sir Colin Campbell	Colonel of the55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot 1814–1846	Succeeded by The Lord Saltoun
Preceded by Sir George Murray	Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance 1825–1829	Succeeded by Lord Edward Somerset

[1] "Sir Henry Clinton | British military officer | Britannica".Encyclopædia Britannica.Retrieved20 June2022.

[WH-2] A New Biographical Dictionary, of 3000 Contemporary Public Characters, British and Foreign, of All Ranks and Professions.G. B. Whittaker. 1825. p. 369.

[3] "55th Regiment of Foot-Colonels".Retrieved6 July2016.

[4] Bromley, Janet; Bromley, David (2015).Wellington's Men Remembered Volume 1: A Register of Memorials to Soldiers who Fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo- Volume I: A to L.Pen and Sword. p. 197.ISBN 978-1-4738-5768-1.

[5] "Sir Henry Clinton | British military officer | Britannica".Encyclopædia Britannica.Retrieved20 June2022.

[6] Stern, Marvin (2004)."Stanley [née Holroyd], Lady Maria Josepha (1771–1863), letter writer and liberal advocate".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/74489.Retrieved4 January2021.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)

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