George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield

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1787 portrait of Lord Heathfield by Sir Joshua Reynolds

Portrait of George Augustus Eliott by one of the circle of Sir Joshua Reynolds

Arms of Lord Heathfield.

George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, KB (December 25, 1717-July 6, 1790) was born at Wells House, near Stobs Castle, Roxburghshire, the 7th son of Sir Gilbert Eliott, 3rd Baronet of Stobs, by his distant cousin Eleanor, daughter of William Elliot of Wells, also in Roxburghshire. His aunt (Charlotte Elliot) had been married to Roger Elliott, another Governor of Gibraltar.

Eliott was educated at University of Leiden and studied artillery and other military subjects at the école militaire of La Fère in France. He served with the Prussian Army 1735-1736, and, in 1741, joined the 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards, of which his mother's brother, William Elliot of Wells, was then Lieutenant-Colonel, and of which Eliott was afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel. He served throughout the War of Austrian Succession 1742-1748, being wounded at the Battle of Dettingen and present at the Battle of Fontenoy. He became ADC from 1756-1759 to King George II. On 10 March 1759, he raised, and was appointed colonel of, the 1st Light Horse (later 15th Hussars or King's Own) Dragoons, and he distinguished himself in the German campaign, particularly the Battle of Minden. He was promoted to Major-General in 1759 and took part in the Expedition to Cuba in 1763, being 2nd-in-charge at the capture of Havana. He was promoted to Lieutenant-General in 1765, antedated to 1761.

On October 22, 1772, he was widowed. But from 1774 to 1775 he was C-in-C Ireland, Governor of Londonderry and Culmore. On March 6, 1775, he became a Privy Counsellor, and on May 25, 1777 he was appointed Governor of Gibraltar, succeeding Robert Boyd, the acting Governor. He was promoted to General in 1778.

In July 1779, Gibraltar was besieged by the French and Spanish. By August, it was very apparent that the Spanish intended to starve the garrison. This siege would eventually last from 1779 to 1783. A notable letter from George to the Misses Fuller survives, dated September 21, 1779 and delivered October 4, it said simply "Nothing new. G.A.E."

On September 13, 1782, the French and Spanish initiated a grand attack, involving 100,000 men, 48 ships and 450 cannon. Under great duresss, the Garrison withheld and, by 1783, the siege was finishing. On January 8, 1783, the British Parliament sent official thanks to George Eliott and he was awarded the Knight of the Bath. By February 6, 1783, the siege was over. George was invested with his honour at Gibraltar on April 23.

A portrait from 1784, "The Siege of Gibraltar" (1782) by George Carter survives in the National Portrait Gallery.

In 1787, George returned to England. On July 6, 1787, he was created Lord Heathfield, Baron Heathfield of Gibraltar. A Bronze Medal "George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield" by Jean-Pierre Droz and a Portrait "George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield" by John Singleton Copley survive from 1787 in the National Portrait Gallery.

In August and September 1787, George's portrait was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds and now resides in the National Gallery.

A will exists dated February 27, 1788. On 19 May 1788 George was formally installed as Knight of the Bath, and, in June 1788, a portrait "The Installation Supper" was painted by James Gillray and resides in the National Portrait Gallery.

About this time, George was making his way overland back to Gibraltar where he was still Governor. However, he became ill and stayed in the Aachen area for recuperation. During 1790, he stayed at: Grossen Hotel, Dubigk; Karlsbad (bei Herr Brammertz); Kaiserbad, Aachen (bei Herr Mohren). In June 1790 he rented the Schloss Kalkofen, Aachen (nowadays Talbotstrasse, Aachen, Germany) and moved in his furniture. However, on July 6, he died at the Schloss of palsy / stroke, allegedly brought on by drinking too much of the local mineral water, and was initially buried in the grounds of the Schloss. His personal estate was probated by July 27 and his furniture sold off by his heirs. In 1790, his body was disinterred and reburied at Heathfield, East Sussex. Later still, his body was again disinterred and reburied at St Andrew's Church, Buckland Monachorum, Devon in the church associated with his wife's Drake ancestry.

[edit] Family

On September 8, 1748, George married Anne Pollexfen Drake (1726-1772), a distant relative of Sir Francis Drake, at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London. They had two children: