William Harcourt, 3rd Earl Harcourt
Encyclopedia
Field Marshal William Harcourt, 3rd Earl Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt
, Oxfordshire
, GCB
(20 March 1743 – 17 June 1830) was a British
nobleman and soldier. He was the younger son of Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt
.
in October 1759. The regiment had been raised at his father's expense and was known as Harcourt's Black Horse. In 1760 Harcourt was sent to Mecklenburg-Strelitz
to escort to England the consort-elect of George III and he was appointed to a post in the Royal Household.
He was aide-de-camp
to Lord Albemarle
at Havana
in 1762.
for Oxford
from 1768 to 1774. He commanded the 16th Light Dragoons in America, and captured General Charles Lee
in 1776.
He became a Major-General in 1782 and purchased the house at St Leonard's Hill, Clewer
, from the Duke of Gloucester
. He was appointed Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park
. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1793 and fought in the Flanders Campaign
with the Duke of York
, whom he succeeded as commander. He oversaw the British retreat, being unable to prevent the Batavian Revolution in Amsterdam in January 1795, and their final evacuation from Bremen
in Spring 1795.
In 1798 he was promoted to general
and in 1801 became Governor of the Royal Military College at Great Marlow
.
He succeeded his elder brother George Simon Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt to the earldom in 1809, and was made a field marshal
and GCB
at the coronation of George IV
in 1821, where he bore the Union standard.
He was Equerry to Queen Charlotte from 1761 to 1766 and Master of the Horse
from 1809 to 1818. For many years he served as a Groom of the Bedchamber and Deputy Lieutenant of Windsor Castle. He was on terms of close intimacy with the royal family and his Court duties during the King's first illness (i.e.: mental derangement - the reference is to George III) "were of a very close and confidential nature."
At Kensington
on 3 September 1778 he married Mary Danby (c. 1750 - St Leonard's Hill, Berkshire
, 14 January 1833), widow of Thomas Lockhart, of Craig House
, Scotland (his wife was sent to accompany Princess Caroline of Brunswick
on her wedding journey to England). There were no children, so when Harcourt died at St Leonard's Hill, Berkshire
, the title became extinct. The estates passed to a cousin, Edward Vernon, who was Archbishop of York
; on inheriting the estates he changed his name to Harcourt. A statue of Lord Harcourt was commissioned (from Robert William Sievier
) with the intention that it should be erected at Stanton Harcourt
in Oxfordshire, but at the insistence of the Royal Family, it was placed, instead, in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Stanton Harcourt
Stanton Harcourt is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southeast of Witney and west of Oxford.-Archaeology:Within the parish of Stanton Harcourt is a series of paleochannel deposits buried beneath the second gravel terrace of the river Thames...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, 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...
(20 March 1743 – 17 June 1830) was 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...
nobleman and soldier. He was the younger son of Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt
Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt
Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, PC, FRS, Viceroy of Ireland , known as 2nd Viscount Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, between 1727 and 1749, was a British diplomat and general....
.
Seven Years War
Harcourt was commissioned into the First Regiment of Foot GuardsGrenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
in October 1759. The regiment had been raised at his father's expense and was known as Harcourt's Black Horse. In 1760 Harcourt was sent to Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy and later grand duchy in northern Germany, consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district , and the western exclave of the former Bishopric of Ratzeburg in modern...
to escort to England the consort-elect of George III and he was appointed to a post in the Royal Household.
He was aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Lord Albemarle
George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
General George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle KG PC , styled Viscount Bury until 1754, was a British soldier nobleman best known for his capture of Havana in 1762 during the Seven Years' War.-Early life:...
at Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
in 1762.
Later career
He became Lieutenant Colonel of the 31st Regiment of Foot in 1764, of the 4th Light Dragoons in 1765 and of the 16th Light Dragoons in 1768. He served as Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
for Oxford
Oxford (UK Parliament constituency)
Oxford was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It comprised the city of Oxford in the county of Oxfordshire, and elected two Members of Parliament from its creation in 1295 until 1881...
from 1768 to 1774. He commanded the 16th Light Dragoons in America, and captured General Charles Lee
Charles Lee (general)
Charles Lee was a British soldier who later served as a General of the Continental Army during the American War of Independence. Lee served in the British army during the Seven Years War. After the war he sold his commission and served for a time in the Polish army of King Stanislaus II...
in 1776.
He became a Major-General in 1782 and purchased the house at St Leonard's Hill, Clewer
Clewer
Clewer is an ecclesiastical parish and region of Windsor making up three wards of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
, from the Duke of Gloucester
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.-Early life:...
. He was appointed Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1793 and fought in the Flanders Campaign
Flanders Campaign
This feature refers to the conflict that took place during the Wars of the French Revolution 1792–1801.For the Low Countries campaigns of the War of the Grand Alliance 1688–97 see Nine Years' War...
with the Duke of York
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
, whom he succeeded as commander. He oversaw the British retreat, being unable to prevent the Batavian Revolution in Amsterdam in January 1795, and their final evacuation from Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
in Spring 1795.
In 1798 he was promoted to general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and in 1801 became Governor of the Royal Military College at Great Marlow
Great Marlow
Great Marlow is a civil parish within Wycombe district in the English county of Buckinghamshire located north of the town of Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the hamlets of Bovingdon Green, Burroughs Grove, Chisbridge Cross and Marlow Common, and Danesfield Base, a housing...
.
He succeeded his elder brother George Simon Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt to the earldom in 1809, and was made a field marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
and 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...
at the coronation of George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
in 1821, where he bore the Union standard.
He was Equerry to Queen Charlotte from 1761 to 1766 and Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
from 1809 to 1818. For many years he served as a Groom of the Bedchamber and Deputy Lieutenant of Windsor Castle. He was on terms of close intimacy with the royal family and his Court duties during the King's first illness (i.e.: mental derangement - the reference is to George III) "were of a very close and confidential nature."
At Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
on 3 September 1778 he married Mary Danby (c. 1750 - St Leonard's Hill, 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...
, 14 January 1833), widow of Thomas Lockhart, of Craig House
Craig House, Edinburgh
Craig House is a historic house and estate located on Easter Craiglockhart Hill, between the Craiglockhart and Morningside areas of Edinburgh, Scotland. Old Craig House dates from the 16th century, and succeeded an earlier building...
, Scotland (his wife was sent to accompany Princess Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 until her death...
on her wedding journey to England). There were no children, so when Harcourt died at St Leonard's Hill, 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...
, the title became extinct. The estates passed to a cousin, Edward Vernon, who was Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
; on inheriting the estates he changed his name to Harcourt. A statue of Lord Harcourt was commissioned (from Robert William Sievier
Robert William Sievier
Robert William Sievier FRS was a notable English engraver, sculptor and later inventor of the 19th century.-Engraver and sculptor:...
) with the intention that it should be erected at Stanton Harcourt
Stanton Harcourt
Stanton Harcourt is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southeast of Witney and west of Oxford.-Archaeology:Within the parish of Stanton Harcourt is a series of paleochannel deposits buried beneath the second gravel terrace of the river Thames...
in Oxfordshire, but at the insistence of the Royal Family, it was placed, instead, in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.