Peregrine Maitland
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Sir Peregrine Maitland, KCB, GCB (July 6, 1777 – May 30, 1854) was a British soldier and colonial administrator.
Born at Long Parish House, Hurstbourne, Hampshire, the eldest of five sons of Thomas Maitland of Lyndhurst, Hampshire, (d. 1798) by his spouse Jane, daughter of Edward Mathew, General of the Coldstream Guards by his wife Lady Jane (1757 - 1830), daughter of Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven. Thomas Maitland possessed plantations in the parish of St. Thomas Middle Island on the island of St. Christopher.
He joined the Grenadier Guards at the age of 15. He served with distinction at the Battle of Waterloo and was dubbed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, June 22, 1815. He was appointed lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada in 1818 and supported the Family Compact that dominated the province. He attempted to suppress and reform pro-American tendencies in the colony and resisted demands of radicals in the government. His tenure in Upper Canada ended in 1828 when he was appointed lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia serving there from 1828 until 1834.
Maitland went to India and became commander in chief of the Madras army in 1836 serving for two years. In 1844 he became governor of the Cape of Good Hope, but was removed during the Xhosa War. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on April 6, 1852.
He married twice: (1) in 1803, Louisa (d. 1805), daughter of Sir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet, and (2) at the Duke of Wellington's HQ during the occupation of Paris, October 9, 1815, Lady Sarah (1792 - 1873), daughter of the 4th Duke of Richmond. By his second wife he had an eldest daughter:
- Sarah (1817 - 1900), who married Thomas Bowes Forster (1802 - 1870), Lieutenant-Colonel in the Madras Army.
In his novel Les Misérables Victor Hugo credits Maitland (or Colville) with asking for the surrender of the Imperial Guard and receiving General Cambronne's reply of "Merde". (Chapter XIV. The Last Square)
[edit] References
- Sherwood, George, editor, The Pedigree Register, London, September, 1908, pps:154-5.
- Bannerman, W. Bruce, FSA, editor, Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica, 4th series, London, 1908, vol.2, p.317.
[edit] External links
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Samuel Smith |
Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada 1818–1828 |
Succeeded by Sir John Colborne |
| Preceded by Thomas N. Jeffrey |
Governor of Nova Scotia 1828–1834 |
Succeeded by Sir Colin Campbell |
| Preceded by Sir George Thomas Napier |
Governor of the Cape Colony 1844–1847 |
Succeeded by Sir Henry Eldred Curwen Pottinger |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by New Position |
Chancellor of King's College 1827–1828 |
Succeeded by Sir John Colborne |
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