General Matthew Sharpe was a Scottish

Scottish people

The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

 politician and 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...

 officer.

He was the eldest son of Charles Sharpe of Hoddam Castle, Cummertrees

Cummertrees

Cummertrees is a coastal village and parish of Annandale in Dumfries and Galloway. It lies about a mile inland, on the Pow Water, twelve miles from Dumfries, and three from Annan.-History:...

, Dumfriesshire

Dumfriesshire

Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...

 and Eleanor née Renton of Lamberton.

Military career

Sharpe received his first commission as a cornet in the 16th Light Dragoons in February 1791. He rose to the rank of lieutenant two years later. In 1795 he was promoted to captain in the 28th (Duke of York's Own) Light Dragoons. He rose to be a major in 1796 and lieutenant colonel in 1799. Having served in campaigns in Flanders and Holland, the 28th Light Dragoons were disbanded in 1802, and Sharpe was placed on half pay. He returned to active service in December 1803 when he was appointed to the general staff as an inspector of yeomanry and volunteer corps. In 1809 he was promoted to the rank of major general and in 1825 to lieutenant general. Following his retirement, he was awarded the brevet rank

Brevet (military)

In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...

 of general in 1841.

Parliamentary career

Following the passing of the Great Reform Act, Sharpe was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) for Dumfries Burghs

Dumfries Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Dumfries Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1918...

 at the 1832 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1832

-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....

. He was described as "a Whig of extremely liberal politics". He was re-elected in 1835

United Kingdom general election, 1835

The 1835 United Kingdom general election was called when Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. Polling took place between 6 January and 6 February 1835, and the results saw Robert Peel's Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large...

 and 1837

United Kingdom general election, 1837

The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....

.

Death

Sharpe died at his residence in Leamington Spa

Leamington Spa

Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...

, Warwickshire

Warwickshire

Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...

 on 2 July 1845. He was buried in the graveyard of Hoddom Parish Church.

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