Richard Taylor (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Richard Chambré Hayes Taylor GCB
(19 March 1819 – 6 December 1904) was a British Army
officer who served in the Second Anglo-Burmese War
, the Crimean War
and the Indian Mutiny. Joining the General Staff
in 1860, he was the British Army
's Inspector General of Recruiting, then Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces
, briefly Adjutant-General, and finally for three years Governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was also Colonel of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
and the East Surrey Regiment
.
Some members of the family preferred the spelling Taylour.
Richard St Leger, second son of St Leger, 1st Viscount Doneraile
(died 1787). Taylor's father was the fifth son of Thomas Taylor, 1st Earl of Bective
, and was a younger brother of the first Marquess of Headfort
, and he also had two other brothers, General Robert Taylour (born 1760) and Clotworthy Rowley, 1st Baron Langford
(1763–1825), and a sister, Henrietta.
Taylor was himself one of three sons and four daughters. His older brother, Thomas Edward
, born in 1811, joined the 6th Dragoon Guards, while his younger brother, Hercules Langford Barry, born in 1824, died in 1833. Their sisters were Marianne Jane (born 1809), Elizabeth Augusta Anne (1812), Louisa Catherine (1815) and Henrietta Frances (1817). Taylor was educated at Hazelwood School and the Royal Military College Sandhurst.
into the British Army
's 79th Foot
on 11 December 1835. On 29 March 1839 he was promoted Lieutenant and on 23 August 1844 Captain. During his early career he served both at home and overseas. In 1852 and 1853 he fought with the 18th Royal Irish in the Second Anglo-Burmese War
. During the Crimean War
he was part of the force on active service in the Crimea, from 1854 to 1855. On 12 December 1854 he was promoted Lieutenant Colonel
, confirmed on 9 March 1855, and commanded the 79th Cameron Highlanders
as part of the Highland Brigade
. He fought with his regiment at the Battles of Alma
and Balaclava
and at the Siege of Sebastopol, at which he was mentioned in despatches. At Sebastopol, he commanded the Royal Artillery of the Highland Division. From 1856 to 1857, Taylor was in command of the Fort George Depot Battalion near Inverness
. He next served with the 79th in India, from 1857 to 1859, and was there during the Mutiny. In command of the 79th, he took part in the Capture of Lucknow in March 1858. He commanded a Brigade in Oude from November 1858 to January 1859. In 1860 he joined the General Staff
in England, then held a variety of posts, in the course of which he was promoted Major General
on 6 March 1868, Lieutenant General
on 23 August 1877, and finally General
on 30 January 1880.
In 1862, Taylor was Assistant Adjutant General for the British Army Division at Shorncliffe
and Dover
. In 1873, he was appointed as the Army's Inspector General of Recruiting. He remained in this post until 1876, when he was appointed as Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces
. In 1882, Taylor took over the role of Adjutant-General while Sir Garnet Wolseley
was overseas in command of British forces during the Second Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882.
His last posting, as Governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
, was effective from 1 January 1883 and lasted until 1886, when he retired the service.
In 1876, Taylor was chairman of the Royal United Services Institute
. From 1879 until his death, he was Colonel of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
, in which role he was succeeded by General Sir Ian Hamilton
. He was also Colonel of the 2nd Battalion the East Surrey Regiment
.
Taylor's elder brother, Thomas Edward Taylor
, of Ardgillan Castle, Dublin
, became member of parliament for County Dublin
, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
, and Commandant of the Royal Meath Militia. Taylor's father died in 1852 and his mother on 22 March 1859. The Rev. James Aberigh Mackay met Taylor in India in 1859 and later wrote of him in From London to Lucknow (1860): "Colonel Taylor of the 79th, one of the most agreeable men in the army..."
On 10 June 1863, Taylor married Lady Jane Hay, a daughter of Field Marshal the Marquess of Tweeddale
. They had one son and four daughters. In 1872, they were living at number 16, Eaton Place, Westminster
. Taylor also owned some 1,300 acres of land in County Meath
, Ireland. Lady Jane Taylor survived her husband until 1920.
Taylor's brothers-in-law included Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale
, Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Hay, and the Liberal
member of parliament George Hay, Earl of Gifford
, while his sisters-in-law were married to James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie
, a Governor-General of India
, Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington
, Sir Robert Peel, 3rd Baronet
, and Simon Watson Taylor
, of Erlestoke
, Wiltshire. Taylor's five children were Constance Mary Jane (married Ronald William Murray, died 1950), Millicent Lilla Harriet (died 1948), Evelyn Beatrice Charlotte (died 1944 unmarried), Florence Virginia Mathilde (died 1952 unmarried) and Richard Edward Montagu Taylor (1872–1953). His son Richard joined the East Surrey Regiment
and fought in the Second Boer War
and the First World War.
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir Richard Chambré Hayes Taylor GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(19 March 1819 – 6 December 1904) was a 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 who served in the Second Anglo-Burmese War
Second Anglo-Burmese War
The Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....
, the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and the Indian Mutiny. Joining the General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
in 1860, he was the 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...
's Inspector General of Recruiting, then Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces
Adjutant-General to the Forces
The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General , is one of the most senior officers in the British Army. He is in charge of administration, personnel and organisational matters. The Adjutant-General usually holds the rank of General or Lieutenant-General...
, briefly Adjutant-General, and finally for three years Governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was also Colonel of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
and the East Surrey Regiment
East Surrey Regiment
The East Surrey Regiment was a regiment in the British Army formed in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 31st Regiment of Foot and the 70th Regiment of Foot...
.
Some members of the family preferred the spelling Taylour.
Early life
Born in Dublin in 1819, Taylor was a younger son of the Hon. and Rev. Henry Edward Taylor (1768–1852) by his marriage in 1807 to Marianne, a daughter of ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Richard St Leger, second son of St Leger, 1st Viscount Doneraile
Viscount Doneraile
Viscount Doneraile is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, both times for members of the St Leger family. It was first created in 1703 for Arthur St Leger, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Kilmayden, also in the Peerage of Ireland. This creation became extinct in...
(died 1787). Taylor's father was the fifth son of Thomas Taylor, 1st Earl of Bective
Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective
Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective KP, PC was an Irish peer and politician.-Background:He was the oldest son of Sir Thomas Taylor, 2nd Baronet and his wife Sarah Graham, daughter of John Graham. In 1757, Bective succeeded his father as baronet...
, and was a younger brother of the first Marquess of Headfort
Thomas Taylour, 1st Marquess of Headfort
Thomas Taylour, 1st Marquess of Headfort KP , styled Viscount Headford from 1766 to 1795, and known as Thomas Taylour, 2nd Earl of Bective from 1795 to 1800, was an Irish peer and politician....
, and he also had two other brothers, General Robert Taylour (born 1760) and Clotworthy Rowley, 1st Baron Langford
Clotworthy Rowley, 1st Baron Langford
Clotworthy Rowley, 1st Baron Langford , known as Hon. Clotworthy Taylor until 1796 and as Hon...
(1763–1825), and a sister, Henrietta.
Taylor was himself one of three sons and four daughters. His older brother, Thomas Edward
Thomas Edward Taylor
Thomas Edward Taylor PC , was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1868 and between 1874 and 1880 under Benjamin Disraeli.-Background and education:...
, born in 1811, joined the 6th Dragoon Guards, while his younger brother, Hercules Langford Barry, born in 1824, died in 1833. Their sisters were Marianne Jane (born 1809), Elizabeth Augusta Anne (1812), Louisa Catherine (1815) and Henrietta Frances (1817). Taylor was educated at Hazelwood School and the Royal Military College Sandhurst.
Military career
Taylor was commissioned as an EnsignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
into the 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...
's 79th Foot
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
on 11 December 1835. On 29 March 1839 he was promoted Lieutenant and on 23 August 1844 Captain. During his early career he served both at home and overseas. In 1852 and 1853 he fought with the 18th Royal Irish in the Second Anglo-Burmese War
Second Anglo-Burmese War
The Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....
. During the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
he was part of the force on active service in the Crimea, from 1854 to 1855. On 12 December 1854 he was promoted Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
, confirmed on 9 March 1855, and commanded the 79th Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
as part of the Highland Brigade
Highland Brigade (Scottish)
The Highland Brigade is a historical unit of the British Army, which has been formed a number of times. It recruited men from the Highlands of Scotland.-Crimean War:...
. He fought with his regiment at the Battles of Alma
Battle of Alma
The Battle of the Alma , which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place just south of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St...
and 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...
and at the Siege of Sebastopol, at which he was mentioned in despatches. At Sebastopol, he commanded the Royal Artillery of the Highland Division. From 1856 to 1857, Taylor was in command of the Fort George Depot Battalion near Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
. He next served with the 79th in India, from 1857 to 1859, and was there during the Mutiny. In command of the 79th, he took part in the Capture of Lucknow in March 1858. He commanded a Brigade in Oude from November 1858 to January 1859. In 1860 he joined the General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
in England, then held a variety of posts, in the course of which he was promoted Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
on 6 March 1868, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
on 23 August 1877, and finally General
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
on 30 January 1880.
In 1862, Taylor was Assistant Adjutant General for the British Army Division at Shorncliffe
Cheriton, Kent
Cheriton is a northern suburb of Folkestone in Kent that is the location of the English terminal of the Channel Tunnel. It is the location of the major army barracks of Shorncliffe Camp.- History :...
and Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. In 1873, he was appointed as the Army's Inspector General of Recruiting. He remained in this post until 1876, when he was appointed as Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces
Adjutant-General to the Forces
The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General , is one of the most senior officers in the British Army. He is in charge of administration, personnel and organisational matters. The Adjutant-General usually holds the rank of General or Lieutenant-General...
. In 1882, Taylor took over the role of Adjutant-General while Sir Garnet Wolseley
Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, KP, GCB, OM, GCMG, VD, PC was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He served in Burma, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, China, Canada, and widely throughout Africa—including his Ashanti campaign and the Nile Expedition...
was overseas in command of British forces during the Second Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882.
His last posting, as Governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Sandhurst
Sandhurst is a small town and civil parish in England of 7,966 homes and 20,803 inhabitants , primarily domiciliary in nature with a few light industries...
, was effective from 1 January 1883 and lasted until 1886, when he retired the service.
In 1876, Taylor was chairman of the Royal United Services Institute
Royal United Services Institute
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies , officially still known by its old name, the Royal United Services Institution, is a British defence and security think tank. It was founded in 1831 by The Duke of Wellington.RUSI describes itself asIt won Prospect Magazine's...
. From 1879 until his death, he was Colonel of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1793. In 1961 it was merged with the Seaforth Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders...
, in which role he was succeeded by General Sir Ian Hamilton
Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton
General Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton GCB GCMG DSO TD was a general in the British Army and is most notably for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli....
. He was also Colonel of the 2nd Battalion the East Surrey Regiment
East Surrey Regiment
The East Surrey Regiment was a regiment in the British Army formed in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 31st Regiment of Foot and the 70th Regiment of Foot...
.
Private life
Thomas Edward Taylor
Thomas Edward Taylor PC , was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1868 and between 1874 and 1880 under Benjamin Disraeli.-Background and education:...
, of Ardgillan Castle, Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, became member of parliament for County Dublin
Dublin County (UK Parliament constituency)
Dublin County was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
, and Commandant of the Royal Meath Militia. Taylor's father died in 1852 and his mother on 22 March 1859. The Rev. James Aberigh Mackay met Taylor in India in 1859 and later wrote of him in From London to Lucknow (1860): "Colonel Taylor of the 79th, one of the most agreeable men in the army..."
On 10 June 1863, Taylor married Lady Jane Hay, a daughter of Field Marshal the Marquess of Tweeddale
George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale
Field Marshal George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale, KT, GCB was a Scottish soldier and administrator.-Military career:...
. They had one son and four daughters. In 1872, they were living at number 16, Eaton Place, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. Taylor also owned some 1,300 acres of land in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland. Lady Jane Taylor survived her husband until 1920.
Taylor's brothers-in-law included Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale
Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale
Colonel Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale , known before 1862 as Lord Arthur Hay and between 1862 and 1876 as Viscount Walden, was a Scottish soldier and ornithologist. He was born at Yester, Gifford, East Lothian. He served as a soldier in India and the Crimea. He succeeded his father to the...
, Admiral of the Fleet Lord John Hay, and the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
member of parliament George Hay, Earl of Gifford
George Hay, Earl of Gifford
George Hay, Earl of Gifford was a British Liberal Party politician.Lord Gifford was born at Yester House, the eldest son of the 8th Marquess of Tweeddale and was educated at Trinity College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge...
, while his sisters-in-law were married to James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie
James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie
James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie KT, PC was a Scottish statesman, and a colonial administrator in British India....
, a Governor-General of India
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
, Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington
Lieutenant-General Arthur Richard Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington KG, PC , styled Lord Douro between 1812 and 1814 and Marquess of Douro between 1814 and 1852, was a British soldier and politician...
, Sir Robert Peel, 3rd Baronet
Sir Robert Peel, 3rd Baronet
Sir Robert Peel, 3rd Baronet GCB, PC was a British Peelite and later Liberal politician. The eldest son of the prime minister Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, he was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford and entered the Diplomatic Service in 1844...
, and Simon Watson Taylor
Simon Watson Taylor (politician)
Simon Watson Taylor was a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for Devizes in Wiltshire from 1857 to 1859.- References:*-External links:...
, of Erlestoke
Erlestoke
Erlestoke is a village and civil parish about southwest of the market town of Devizes in Wiltshire.-History:The current form of the village of Erlestoke is largely due to Joshua Smith, a Member of Parliament for Devizes...
, Wiltshire. Taylor's five children were Constance Mary Jane (married Ronald William Murray, died 1950), Millicent Lilla Harriet (died 1948), Evelyn Beatrice Charlotte (died 1944 unmarried), Florence Virginia Mathilde (died 1952 unmarried) and Richard Edward Montagu Taylor (1872–1953). His son Richard joined the East Surrey Regiment
East Surrey Regiment
The East Surrey Regiment was a regiment in the British Army formed in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 31st Regiment of Foot and the 70th Regiment of Foot...
and fought in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and the First World War.
External links
- BC 1120 LT. GENERAL SIR RICHARD TAYLOR LETTERS at University of Cape Town Libraries Manuscripts & Archives