William Howe DeLancey
Encyclopedia
Colonel Sir William Howe DeLancey (or De Lancey) KCB
(1778 to 26 June 1815) was an officer
in the British Army
during the Napoleonic Wars
. He died of wounds he received during the Battle of Waterloo
.
(1663–1741).
He married in Edinburgh, on 4 April 1815, Magdalene (1793–1822), one of the three daughters of Sir James Hall of Dunglass, fourth baronet (1761–1832), and his wife Lady Helen Douglas (1762–1837), daughter of Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk
. DeLancey and Magdalene had no issue.
DeLancey's father, Stephen, and many other members of the DeLancey family of New York were supporters of King George III during the American Revolution
. The United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris
officially ending the war in 1783, and as a result the DeLancey property was confiscated and the family was forced to flee to England.
A number of DeLanceys and their friends, including Stephen's family, moved to Beverley, Yorkshire, where William Howe went to Beverley Grammar School
. The family later resided in London. William attended Harrow School
from 12 December 1789 until December 1791. In 1798, his father, who was serving as Governor of Tobago, died at Portsmouth, N.H., en route to England to rejoin his family.
, was then colonel, but appears to have remained some time after in the East Indies.
In 1799 he was in command of a detached troop of the 17th Light Dragoons in Kent, and on 17 October in that year was appointed major in the 45th Regiment of Foot, the headquarters of which were then in the West Indies. He appears to have been detained on service in Europe until the return home of the regiment, soon after which, in 1802, he was transferred to the permanent staff of the quartermaster-general's department as deputy-assistant quartermaster-general. No departmental record of his services is extant.
.
whom Wellington disliked. He arrived in Brussels on 9 May. From the moment news reached Wellington that the French had crossed the boarder DeLancy was busy. He and his wife, who had arrived a day or two before, although invited were unable to go to the Duchess of Richmond's ball
. On the 17th when the allied army retreated from Quatre Bras
to Waterloo he allocated the positions that the troops were to occupy by ordering stakes placed in the in the ground were the regiments were to be positioned for the next days battle, which according to S. G. P. Ward writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography was "to the rear, apparently, of the ground originally chosen by the duke".
On 18 June 1815 during the Battle of Waterloo
, while he was talking to the Duke of Wellington, DeLancey was struck in the back by ricocheting cannonball leaving his skin unbroken but causing fatal internal injuries. Believing him dead Wellington wrote in his dispatch of the battle that his death was "a serious loss to His Majesty's service, and to me". The Duke of Wellington gave the following version of the occurrence to Samuel Rogers:
He was placed in a peasant's cottage in the village of Waterloo, where after a delay of 24 hours due to he being misinformed he was dead, he was tenderly nursed by his young wife. A week later on 26 June DeLancey died of his injuries (which included eight broken ribs). Magdalene de Lancey left a manuscript account of his last days, which was published in 1906 under the title of A Week at Waterloo in June 1815. DeLancey was buried in the St. Josse Ten Noode cemetery, on the Louvain road, a mile from Brussels, and when that cemetery was destroyed in 1889 his remains were reinterred in the cemetery of Evere, three miles north-east of Brussels.
, and was mother of Major-general Edward W. De Lancey Lowe.
in the 1970 epic film Waterloo.
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...
(1778 to 26 June 1815) was an officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
in 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...
during the Napoleonic Wars
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...
. He died of wounds he received during the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
.
Early life
Born in New York City. He was the only son of Stephen DeLancey (1748–1798), who was clerk of the city and county of Albany in 1785, lieutenant-colonel of the 1st New Jersey loyal volunteers in 1782, afterwards chief justice of the Bahamas, and in 1796 governor of Tobago; and who married Cornelia, daughter of the Rev. H. Barclay of Trinity Church, New York. He was the grandson of Major-General Oliver De Lancey, Sr. (1708–1785) and a great-grandson of Etienne DeLanceyEtienne DeLancey
Stephen Delancey was a major figure in the life of colonial New York. His children continued to wield great influence until the American Revolution.-Background:...
(1663–1741).
He married in Edinburgh, on 4 April 1815, Magdalene (1793–1822), one of the three daughters of Sir James Hall of Dunglass, fourth baronet (1761–1832), and his wife Lady Helen Douglas (1762–1837), daughter of Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk
Earl of Selkirk
Earl of Selkirk is a title in the Peerage of Scotland.It was created on 4 August 1646 for Lord William Douglas, third son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas, along with the title Lord Daer and Shortcleuch...
. DeLancey and Magdalene had no issue.
DeLancey's father, Stephen, and many other members of the DeLancey family of New York were supporters of King George III during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. The United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
officially ending the war in 1783, and as a result the DeLancey property was confiscated and the family was forced to flee to England.
A number of DeLanceys and their friends, including Stephen's family, moved to Beverley, Yorkshire, where William Howe went to Beverley Grammar School
Beverley Grammar School
Beverley Grammar School is a boys' secondary school in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. It was founded in about 700 AD/CE and is the oldest state school in England and the sixth oldest school overall in England. The school is a specialist Engineering College and shares a mixed Sixth form with...
. The family later resided in London. William attended Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
from 12 December 1789 until December 1791. In 1798, his father, who was serving as Governor of Tobago, died at Portsmouth, N.H., en route to England to rejoin his family.
Early military service
DeLancey obtained a cornetcy in the 16th Light Dragoons on 7 July 1792, and became lieutenant on 26 February 1793. His name appears in the returns for a short time as adjutant at Sheffield. He purchased an independent company on 25 March 1794, and was transferred to the newly raised 80th Regiment of Foot, which he accompanied to the East Indies in 1795. On 20 October 1796 he was transferred to a troop in the 17th Light Dragoons, of which his uncle, General Oliver DeLanceyOliver De Lancey Jr.
General Oliver De Lancey , also known as Oliver DeLancey and Oliver de Lancey, was a British Army officer of French Huguenot descent from a prominent family in colonial era New York State.-Biography:...
, was then colonel, but appears to have remained some time after in the East Indies.
In 1799 he was in command of a detached troop of the 17th Light Dragoons in Kent, and on 17 October in that year was appointed major in the 45th Regiment of Foot, the headquarters of which were then in the West Indies. He appears to have been detained on service in Europe until the return home of the regiment, soon after which, in 1802, he was transferred to the permanent staff of the quartermaster-general's department as deputy-assistant quartermaster-general. No departmental record of his services is extant.
Peninsular War
DeLancey was stationed for some time at York and in Ireland, and afterwards proceeded to Spain, and as assistant quartermaster-general, and later as deputy quartermaster-general, with various divisions of the Peninsular army, rendered valuable service throughout the campaigns from 1809 to 1814. He was mentioned in despatches for his conduct at the passage of the Douro and capture of Oporto in 1809; at the siege and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo in 1811; and at Vittoria in 1813, when he was deputy quartermaster-general with Sir Thomas Graham. After the peace he was created K.C.B. On 4 April 1815 he married Magdalene, second daughter of Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet of Dunglass, and sister of Captain Basil HallBasil Hall
Basil Hall, FRS was a British naval officer from Scotland, a traveller, and an author. He was the second son of Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, an eminent man of science.-Biography:...
.
Waterloo Campaign
On the return of Napoleon Bonaparte from Elba, DeLancey was appointed deputy quartermaster-general of the army in Belgium, replacing Sir Hudson LoweHudson Lowe
Sir Hudson Lowe KCB, GCMG was an Anglo-Irish soldier and colonial administrator who is best known for his time as Governor of St Helena where he was the "gaoler" of Napoleon Bonaparte.-Early life and career:...
whom Wellington disliked. He arrived in Brussels on 9 May. From the moment news reached Wellington that the French had crossed the boarder DeLancy was busy. He and his wife, who had arrived a day or two before, although invited were unable to go to the Duchess of Richmond's ball
Duchess of Richmond's ball
The Duchess of Richmond's ball was held in Brussels on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras. The Duchess's husband Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond was in command of a reserve force in Brussels, which was protecting that city in case Napoleon Bonaparte invaded.Elizabeth...
. On the 17th when the allied army retreated from Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
to Waterloo he allocated the positions that the troops were to occupy by ordering stakes placed in the in the ground were the regiments were to be positioned for the next days battle, which according to S. G. P. Ward writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography was "to the rear, apparently, of the ground originally chosen by the duke".
On 18 June 1815 during the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, while he was talking to the Duke of Wellington, DeLancey was struck in the back by ricocheting cannonball leaving his skin unbroken but causing fatal internal injuries. Believing him dead Wellington wrote in his dispatch of the battle that his death was "a serious loss to His Majesty's service, and to me". The Duke of Wellington gave the following version of the occurrence to Samuel Rogers:
He was placed in a peasant's cottage in the village of Waterloo, where after a delay of 24 hours due to he being misinformed he was dead, he was tenderly nursed by his young wife. A week later on 26 June DeLancey died of his injuries (which included eight broken ribs). Magdalene de Lancey left a manuscript account of his last days, which was published in 1906 under the title of A Week at Waterloo in June 1815. DeLancey was buried in the St. Josse Ten Noode cemetery, on the Louvain road, a mile from Brussels, and when that cemetery was destroyed in 1889 his remains were reinterred in the cemetery of Evere, three miles north-east of Brussels.
Family
Magdalene de Lancey married again in 1817 Captain Henry Harvey, Madras infantry, who retired in 1821. She died in 1822 giving birth to her third child. A sister of De Lancey, widow of Colonel Johnston, 28th Regiment of Foot, married on 16 December 1815 Lieutenant-general Sir Hudson LoweHudson Lowe
Sir Hudson Lowe KCB, GCMG was an Anglo-Irish soldier and colonial administrator who is best known for his time as Governor of St Helena where he was the "gaoler" of Napoleon Bonaparte.-Early life and career:...
, and was mother of Major-general Edward W. De Lancey Lowe.
Cultural references
William Howe DeLancey was played by Ian OgilvyIan Ogilvy
Ian Raymond Ogilvy is an English film and television actor.-Early life:He was born in Woking, Surrey, England, the son of advertising executive Francis Ogilvy and actress Aileen Raymond .He was educated at Sunningdale School, Eton College and at the Royal Academy of...
in the 1970 epic film Waterloo.