| William Harcourt | |
|---|---|
The Earl Harcourt |
|
| Born | 20 March 1743 |
| Died | 17 June 1830 (aged 87) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Battles/wars | Seven Years War French Revolutionary Wars |
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.
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Harcourt was commissioned into the First Regiment of Foot Guards in October 1759.[1] The regiment had been raised at his father's expense and was known as Harcourt's Black Horse.[1] 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.[1]
He was aide-de-camp to Lord Albemarle at Havana in 1762.[1]
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.[1] He served as Member of Parliament for Oxford from 1768 to 1774.[1] He commanded the 16th Light Dragoons in America, and captured General Charles Lee in 1776.[1]
He became a Major-General in 1782[1] and purchased the house at St Leonard's Hill, Clewer, from the Duke of Gloucester.[1] He was appointed Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park.[1] He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1793[1] and fought in the Flanders Campaign[1] with the Duke of York, whom he succeeded as commander.[1] 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.[1]
In 1798 he was promoted to general[1] and in 1801 became Governor of the Royal Military College at Great Marlow.[2]
He succeeded his elder brother George Simon Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt to the earldom in 1809,[1] and was made a field marshal and GCB at the coronation of George IV in 1821, where he bore the Union standard.[1]
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,[1] 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.[1]
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Lee Sir Thomas Stapleton, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Oxford with George Nares 1768–1771 Lord Robert Spencer 1771–1774 1768–1774 |
Succeeded by Lord Robert Spencer Peregrine Bertie |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Lt-Gen John Burgoyne |
Colonel of the 16th Regiment of Light Dragoons 1779–1830 |
Succeeded by Sir John Vandeleur |
| Preceded by The Marquess Townshend |
Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull 1795–1801 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Clanricarde |
| New office | Governor of the Royal Military College 1801–1811 |
Succeeded by Sir Alexander Hope |
| Preceded by Hon. Henry Fox |
Governor of Portsmouth 1811–1826 |
Succeeded by Sir William Keppel |
| Preceded by The Duke of Wellington |
Governor of Plymouth 1827–1830 |
Succeeded by The Lord Hill |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by The Lord Selsy |
Master of the Robes 1808–1809 |
Succeeded by Hon. Henry Sedley |
| Preceded by The Earl Harcourt |
Master of the Horse to Queen Charlotte 1809–1818 |
Succeeded by None (death of Queen Charlotte) |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by George Harcourt |
Earl Harcourt 1809–1830 |
Succeeded by Title extinct |