Francis Forde (army officer)
Encyclopedia
Francis Forde was born in Seaforde
in Ireland in about 1718. He was the seventh son of Mathew Forde MP of Seaforde
, Co. Down. He entered Trinity College Dublin in 1734 and left with a B.A. in 1738. Adopting a military career, he joined Colonel Aldercron's 39th Regiment as a British
army officer who served in India
with Robert Clive during the eighteenth century.
. By 1746 he was a Captain in the 39th Regiment of Foot. In 1755 at the request of Clive he resigned his commission in the regular British Army
to take up a post in the British East India Company
's forces. He was soon the British second in command in Bengal following the Battle of Calcutta. He served with Clive in the subsequent Battle of Plassey
. On the first anniversary he threw a major party in honour of the victory.
and overrun their camp, before laying siege to Masulipatem itself. His forces then stormed the town on 25 January 1759 losing a third of their number. He was widely commended for his leadership during the campaign.
removing the Dutch threat to British power in Bengal.
In 1769 he was sent out as part of a three man committee to investigate the East India Company
's practices and he set sail in the frigate Aurora in September 1769. The vessel left the Cape of Good Hope on 27th December 1769 but the ship disappeared en route to India and he was believed drowned with the rest of the crew and passengers.
Colonel Forde married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Bowerbank. His son, Robert Forde succeeded to the property at Johnstown in Co. Meath and later became MP for the county.
Seaforde
Seaforde is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Naghan, one mile north of Clough on the main Ballynahinch to Newcastle road. It is part of the Down District Council area....
in Ireland in about 1718. He was the seventh son of Mathew Forde MP of Seaforde
Seaforde
Seaforde is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Naghan, one mile north of Clough on the main Ballynahinch to Newcastle road. It is part of the Down District Council area....
, Co. Down. He entered Trinity College Dublin in 1734 and left with a B.A. in 1738. Adopting a military career, he joined Colonel Aldercron's 39th Regiment as a British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
army officer who served in 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...
with Robert Clive during the eighteenth century.
Early Indian Service
He first arrived in India in the mid 1740s during the War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
. By 1746 he was a Captain in the 39th Regiment of Foot. In 1755 at the request of Clive he resigned his commission in the regular 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...
to take up a post in the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's forces. He was soon the British second in command in Bengal following the Battle of Calcutta. He served with Clive in the subsequent Battle of Plassey
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years...
. On the first anniversary he threw a major party in honour of the victory.
Masulipatam
Forde was then given a detachment of troops and ordered to drive the French from Masulipatam. He was badly supported by a local ally Anandraz but still managed to rout the French force at the Battle of CondoreBattle of Condore
The Battle of Condore took place near Masulipatam on 9 December 1758 during the Third Carnatic War, part of the Seven Years War. An Anglo-Indian force under the command of Colonel Francis Forde attacked and defeated a similarly sized French force under the command of Conflans, capturing all their...
and overrun their camp, before laying siege to Masulipatem itself. His forces then stormed the town on 25 January 1759 losing a third of their number. He was widely commended for his leadership during the campaign.
Chinsurah
Later that year he returned to Bengal and won the Battle of ChinsurahBattle of Chinsurah
The Battle of Chinsurah took place near Chinsurah, India on 25 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War between a force of British troops mainly of the British East India Company and a force of the Dutch East India Company which had been invited by the Nawab of Bengal Mir Jafar to help him eject...
removing the Dutch threat to British power in Bengal.
Later life
Despite these twin victories, Forde's brevet promotion to Leuitenant Colonel was not initially ratified by the East India Company. It was only with the personal intervention of Clive that he was eventually given a formal promotion. He then returned to Ireland for several years, where he lived in Johnstown in County Meath.In 1769 he was sent out as part of a three man committee to investigate the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's practices and he set sail in the frigate Aurora in September 1769. The vessel left the Cape of Good Hope on 27th December 1769 but the ship disappeared en route to India and he was believed drowned with the rest of the crew and passengers.
Colonel Forde married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Bowerbank. His son, Robert Forde succeeded to the property at Johnstown in Co. Meath and later became MP for the county.