William Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst
Encyclopedia
General
William Rose Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst, GCB
, GCSI
, DCL
(21 June 1819 - 23 June 1876), was a British military commander who served as Commander-in-Chief
of India
from 1865 to 1870.
, and his wife, daughter of General Samuel Smith
of Baltimore
in the United States
. His grandfather was the prominent lawyer Sir James Mansfield
, Solicitor General
from 1780 to 1782 and in 1783 and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
from 1804 to 1814.
Mansfield was educated at Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned into the 53rd Foot in 1835. He was mostly active in India
and served in the Sutlej
campaign of 1845 to 1846, commanded the 53rd Regiment in the Punjab
from 1848 to 1849 and was employed in the Peshawar
operations in 1851 and 1852.
In 1855, during the Crimean War
, Mansfield was appointed military adviser to the Ambassador at Constantinople Lord Stratford de Redcliff
, and accompanied him to the Crimea. He then returned to India
and served as Chief-of-Staff during the Indian Mutiny campaign
from 1857 to 1859 and as Commander-in-Chief, India
from 1865 to 1870. Mansfield was then Commander-in-Chief, Ireland
from 1870 to 1875.
In 1871 he was admitted to the Irish Privy Council
and raised to the peerage as Baron Sandhurst, of Sandhurst in the County of Berkshire. Lord Sandhurst died in June 1876, aged 57. He was succeeded in the Barony by his eldest son William
, who was created Viscount Sandhurst in 1917. However, this title became extinct on his death while he was succeeded in the Barony by his younger brother.
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....
William Rose Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst, 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...
, GCSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, DCL
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
(21 June 1819 - 23 June 1876), was a British military commander who served as Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief, India
During the period of the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India was the supreme commander of the Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at General Headquarters, India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India...
of 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...
from 1865 to 1870.
Military career
Mansfield was the fifth of the seven sons of John Mansfield of Diggeswell House in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, and his wife, daughter of General Samuel Smith
Samuel Smith (Maryland)
Samuel Smith was a United States Senator and Representative from Maryland, a mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, and a general in the Maryland militia. He was the brother of cabinet secretary Robert Smith.-Biography:...
of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His grandfather was the prominent lawyer Sir James Mansfield
James Mansfield
Sir James Mansfield , SL, KC was a British lawyer, judge and politician. He was twice Solicitor General and served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1799 to 1814.-Early life and career:...
, Solicitor General
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
from 1780 to 1782 and in 1783 and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
The Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, was the second highest common law court in the English legal system until 1880, when it was dissolved. As such, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was one of the highest judicial officials in England, behind only the Lord...
from 1804 to 1814.
Mansfield was educated at Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned into the 53rd Foot in 1835. He was mostly active 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...
and served in the Sutlej
Sutlej
The Sutlej River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Sulaiman Range in Pakistan.The Sutlej...
campaign of 1845 to 1846, commanded the 53rd Regiment in the Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
from 1848 to 1849 and was employed in the Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
operations in 1851 and 1852.
In 1855, 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...
, Mansfield was appointed military adviser to the Ambassador at Constantinople Lord Stratford de Redcliff
Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe
Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe KG GCB PC , was a British diplomat and politician, best known as the longtime British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire...
, and accompanied him to the Crimea. He then returned to 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...
and served as Chief-of-Staff during the Indian Mutiny campaign
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
from 1857 to 1859 and as Commander-in-Chief, India
Commander-in-Chief, India
During the period of the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India was the supreme commander of the Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at General Headquarters, India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India...
from 1865 to 1870. Mansfield was then Commander-in-Chief, Ireland
Commander-in-Chief, Ireland
Commander-in-Chief, Ireland was title of the commander of British forces in Ireland before 1922.The role nominally is held by the President of Ireland today as the supreme commander of the Defence Forces.-Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland, 1700-1922:...
from 1870 to 1875.
In 1871 he was admitted to the Irish Privy Council
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
and raised to the peerage as Baron Sandhurst, of Sandhurst in the County of Berkshire. Lord Sandhurst died in June 1876, aged 57. He was succeeded in the Barony by his eldest son William
William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst
William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, PC was a British Liberal politician and colonial governor...
, who was created Viscount Sandhurst in 1917. However, this title became extinct on his death while he was succeeded in the Barony by his younger brother.