Anthony Bacon (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major General Anthony Bacon (1796–2 July 1864) was a notable cavalry officer and commander in the Napoleonic wars
.
in Glamorgan
, the son of Anthony Bushby Bacon (1772-1827) of Elcot Park
at Kintbury
and Benham Park
at Marsh Benham
in Speen
near Newbury
in Berkshire
, one of the richest commoners in England. The younger Bacon was educated at Eton College
Bacon's grandparents were Anthony Bacon
(1718-1786), the industrialist, and his mistress Mary Bushby, of Gloucestershire. This Bacon was a notable ironmaster and colliery owner in Wales who made Merthyr Tydfil
the iron-smelting centre of Great Britain, was one of the richest men of his time. However, the sons showed little or no interest in their father's businesses and rapidly sold or leased them to men such as Richard Crawshay
, who was one of the witnesses to the father's will. This included the mineral rights at Cyfarthfa.
General Bacon's sister Emily married 1835 a wealthy landowner Lt. Col. Thomas Peers Williams
(1795-1875), MP for Great Marlow
1820-1868 and Father of the House of Commons December 1867-1868; several of their daughters, and therefore Bacon's nieces, married into the Peerage.
In 1826, after Lord Lucan's purchase of the colonelcy
of the 17th Lancers
, he sold out in despair. Initially, he sent in his papers to the Duke of Wellington
, but these were returned. He then sold his commission.
where they did not prosper, thanks to Bacon's habit of borrowing heavily to spend on large projects without paying the workmen. Bacon had hoped to found a new colony in South Australia
, but his plans were rejected by the authorities.
but lost his command for looting and selling horses after the emperor's death. He spent the rest of his life trying to obtain arrears in pay and reimbursement of his own money spent in Portugal. He also carried on a running battle with Lord Lucan over the Battle of Balaclava
.
in Hampshire
in 1864, and his three surviving children settled in Australia, where they were soon joined by widow, Lady Charlotte Harley (1801http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PEH/is_60/ai_108114098 - 1880).
Bacon had married Lady Charlotte in 1823. She was legally the secondhttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PEH/is_60/ai_108114098 or third daughter of Edward Harley, the Earl of Oxford
by his wife, Jane Elizabeth
, daughter of Rev. James Scott, M.A., Vicar of Itchen Stoke
in Hampshire. However, Jane was a notable mistress of Lord Byron, and Charlotte was almost certainly fathered by one of her mother's many lovers. Charlotte was a muse for Lord Byron's Ianthehttp://www.iln.org.uk/iln_years/year/1880.htm. Her brother Alfred Harley, 6th Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
died 19 January 1853 without issue, but with four sisters as co-heiresseshttp://www.dianneelizabeth.com/Surname/Harley/earl_of_oxford.html, including Lady Jane Harley, wife of Henry Bickersteth, Lord Langdale. By 1877, after long litigation over her brother's estate, Lady Charlotte returned to England as his heiress and died in 1880.
The couple's children included the early Australian settlers, Harley Ereville Bacon and Nora Creina, the wife of Charles Burney Younghttp://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/sa/misc/crema.htmhttp://www.council.robe.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=185 and mother of the Australian MP, H.D. Young of Kanmantoo. Their youngest son, Anthony Harley Bacon, was the father of Gladys Luz Bacon (d. 28 January 1932), whose own sonhttp://www.thepeerage.com/p8514.htm#i85131 became the 14th Earl of Kinnoul, and Harley Bacon, who, in 1900, became engaged to Countess Melanie von Seckendorff, one of Germany's richest heiresses
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Family background
Bacon was born at LlandaffLlandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
in Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, the son of Anthony Bushby Bacon (1772-1827) of Elcot Park
Elcot Park Hotel
The Ramada Jarvis Hotel Newbury Elcot Park is a four star country hotel belonging to the Ramada Jarvis hotel chain, situated within of land in the locality of Elcot near Kintbury in the English county of Berkshire.- History :...
at Kintbury
Kintbury
Kintbury is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England, between the towns of Newbury and Hungerford.-Amenities:In Kintbury there is the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary, Church of England primary school, post office, corner shop, and a butcher...
and Benham Park
Benham Park
Benham Park is a mansion in the English county of Berkshire, within the civil parish of Speen. It is located west of Newbury, not far off the A34, near the village of Marsh Benham....
at Marsh Benham
Marsh Benham
Marsh Benham is a village in civil parish of Speen in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, just west of Newbury.-External links:...
in Speen
Speen, Berkshire
Speen is a village and civil parish in the unitary district of West Berkshire and county of Berkshire, England. The parish is about north west of Newbury....
near Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, one of the richest commoners in England. The younger Bacon was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
Bacon's grandparents were Anthony Bacon
Anthony Bacon (industrialist)
Anthony Bacon was an English-born merchant and industrialist who was significantly responsible for the emergence of Merthyr Tydfil as the iron-smelting centre of Britain.-Background:...
(1718-1786), the industrialist, and his mistress Mary Bushby, of Gloucestershire. This Bacon was a notable ironmaster and colliery owner in Wales who made Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
the iron-smelting centre of Great Britain, was one of the richest men of his time. However, the sons showed little or no interest in their father's businesses and rapidly sold or leased them to men such as Richard Crawshay
Richard Crawshay
Richard Crawshay was a London iron merchant and then South Wales ironmaster.Richard Crawshay was born in Normanton in the West Riding of Yorkshire...
, who was one of the witnesses to the father's will. This included the mineral rights at Cyfarthfa.
General Bacon's sister Emily married 1835 a wealthy landowner Lt. Col. Thomas Peers Williams
Thomas Peers Williams
Lt.-Col. Thomas Peers Williams was MP for Great Marlow 1820-1868 and December 1867-1868.Peers Williams live at Craig-y-Don near Beaumaris on Anglesey and Temple House at Bisham in Berkshire, near Marlow...
(1795-1875), MP for Great Marlow
Great Marlow (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Marlow, sometimes simply called Marlow, was a parliamentary borough in Buckinghamshire. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons between 1301 and 1307, and again from 1624 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-History:In the...
1820-1868 and Father of the House of Commons December 1867-1868; several of their daughters, and therefore Bacon's nieces, married into the Peerage.
Reputation
Despite his father's great fortune, Bacon had the habit of high living. This was attributed by Dodge (reviewing a book) to the father's habit of refusing to give the son a regular allowance and paying his debts. Unfortunately, in 1823, he married an expensive wife in Lady Charlotte Harley. Either this couple or the father dissipated the elder Anthony Bacon's fortune; in 1827, when the father died, his estate was discovered to be heavily encumbered. Bacon was ruined, and in November 1829 actually imprisoned for debt.Early military career
Anthony Bacon formerly of the 10th Hussars was a Waterloo hero who won the Waterloo Medal.In 1826, after Lord Lucan's purchase of the colonelcy
Sale of commissions
The sale of commissions was a common practice in most European armies where wealthy and noble officers purchased their rank. Only the Imperial Russian Army and the Prussian Army never used such a system. While initially shunned in the French Revolutionary Army, it was eventually revived in the...
of the 17th Lancers
17th Lancers
The 17th Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War...
, he sold out in despair. Initially, he sent in his papers to the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, but these were returned. He then sold his commission.
Colonial promoter
After Bacon was imprisoned for debt November 1829-1831, the family emigrated to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where they did not prosper, thanks to Bacon's habit of borrowing heavily to spend on large projects without paying the workmen. Bacon had hoped to found a new colony in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, but his plans were rejected by the authorities.
Later military career
Bacon returned to Europe, and espoused the cause of Pedro I of Brazil during the Liberal WarsLiberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
but lost his command for looting and selling horses after the emperor's death. He spent the rest of his life trying to obtain arrears in pay and reimbursement of his own money spent in Portugal. He also carried on a running battle with Lord Lucan over the Battle of Balaclava
Battle of Balaclava
The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War, was part of the Anglo-French-Turkish campaign to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, Russia's principal naval base on the Black Sea...
.
Wife and children
General Bacon died at his home in CrondallCrondall
Crondall is a village and large civil parish in the north east of Hampshire, England and is all that remains of the old Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. Various earlier spellings have in common the use of a "u" instead of the "o" and the village is still properly...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in 1864, and his three surviving children settled in Australia, where they were soon joined by widow, Lady Charlotte Harley (1801http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PEH/is_60/ai_108114098 - 1880).
Bacon had married Lady Charlotte in 1823. She was legally the secondhttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PEH/is_60/ai_108114098 or third daughter of Edward Harley, the Earl of Oxford
Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Edward Harley, 5th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was an English nobleman.Harley was the son of John Harley...
by his wife, Jane Elizabeth
Jane Elizabeth Scott
Jane Elizabeth Harley , Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer was a notable English noblewoman, known as a patron of the Reform movement and a lover of Lord Byron.-Life:...
, daughter of Rev. James Scott, M.A., Vicar of Itchen Stoke
Itchen Stoke
Itchen Stoke is a village in Hampshire, England. The village lies in the valley of the River Itchen, north east of Winchester, and south east of Itchen Abbas....
in Hampshire. However, Jane was a notable mistress of Lord Byron, and Charlotte was almost certainly fathered by one of her mother's many lovers. Charlotte was a muse for Lord Byron's Ianthehttp://www.iln.org.uk/iln_years/year/1880.htm. Her brother Alfred Harley, 6th Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Alfred Harley, 6th Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Alfred Harley, 6th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer , styled Lord Harley between 1828 and 1849, was a British peer and the last holder of the title of Earl of Oxford and Mortimer....
died 19 January 1853 without issue, but with four sisters as co-heiresseshttp://www.dianneelizabeth.com/Surname/Harley/earl_of_oxford.html, including Lady Jane Harley, wife of Henry Bickersteth, Lord Langdale. By 1877, after long litigation over her brother's estate, Lady Charlotte returned to England as his heiress and died in 1880.
The couple's children included the early Australian settlers, Harley Ereville Bacon and Nora Creina, the wife of Charles Burney Younghttp://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/sa/misc/crema.htmhttp://www.council.robe.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=185 and mother of the Australian MP, H.D. Young of Kanmantoo. Their youngest son, Anthony Harley Bacon, was the father of Gladys Luz Bacon (d. 28 January 1932), whose own sonhttp://www.thepeerage.com/p8514.htm#i85131 became the 14th Earl of Kinnoul, and Harley Bacon, who, in 1900, became engaged to Countess Melanie von Seckendorff, one of Germany's richest heiresses
Further reading
- The Story of General Bacon by Alnod J. Boger, or the reviewhttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-8762(190310)9%3A1%3C175%3ATSOGB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7 by Theodore Ayrault DodgeTheodore Ayrault DodgeTheodore Ayrault Dodge was an American officer and military historian. He fought as a Union officer in the American Civil War; as a writer, he was devoted to both the Civil War and the great generals of ancient and European history....
in The American Historical Review, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Oct., 1903), pp. 175-177 doi:10.2307/1834245. - Dictionary of Welsh Biography: Anthony Bacon. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- Robert Willson' "Still Waters remember Ianthe" MARGIN: Life & Letters in Early Australia, July-August, 2003. Retrieved 24 February 2008.