Thomas Myddelton Biddulph

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Sir Thomas Myddelton Biddulph (29 July 1809 – 28 September 1878) was an officer in the British Army and courtier.

He was the second son of Robert Myddelton Biddulph of Ledbury[1] and younger brother of Robert Myddelton Biddulph of Chirk Castle.[2] Educated at Eton College,[1] Biddulph entered the Army with the purchase of a commission as cornet and sub-lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards on 7 October 1826.[3] He purchased further promotion to lieutenant on 23 February 1829[4] and captain on 16 May 1834.[5] In 1837 and 1841 his brother Robert unsuccessfully tried to have him elected as Member of Parliament for the Denbigh Boroughs.[2] Biddulph was granted brevet rank as a major on 9 November 1846.[6]

On 16 July 1851 Biddulph was appointed Master of the Household to Queen Victoria,[7] an office for which he had been selected by Baron Stockmar.[1] On 31 October that year he purchased the substantive rank of major in the 7th Light Dragoons, and then the rank of lieutenant-colonel on the unattached list the same day.[8] He was made an Extra Equerry to the Queen on 16 July 1854[9] and promoted to brevet colonel on 29 January 1857,[10] with seniority later antedated to 28 November 1854.[11] On 16 February 1857 Biddulph married Mary Frederica Seymour (1824–1902), one of the Queen's maids of honour; she was the only daughter of Frederick Charles William Seymour (son of Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour) by his first wife Lady Mary Gordon (daughter of George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly)[12] and later served as an honorary Woman of the Bedchamber to the Queen.[1] They had one son and one daughter.[12]

On 10 March 1863 it was announced that Biddulph would be made a Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Order of the Bath;[13] he received the knighthood on 27 March.[1] He was promoted to major-general on 31 May 1865.[14] On 3 March 1866 he resigned as Master of the Household and was appointed joint Keeper of the Privy Purse with Lieutenant-General Charles Grey.[15] He was also appointed Receiver-General of the Duchy of Cornwall on 31 March that year.[16] After Grey's appointment as Private Secretary to the Sovereign on 30 April 1867, Biddulph became sole Keeper of the Privy Purse.[17] He was further appointed Receiver-General of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1873, and would hold all three offices to his death.[1] He was promoted to lieutenant-general on 29 December 1873 and full general on 1 October 1877,[18] and on 22 December 1877 was sworn of the Privy Council.[19]

General Sir Thomas Myddelton Biddulph died at the Mains of Abergeldie, near Balmoral, after a short illness during which Queen Victoria visited him daily. He was buried at Clewer.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6  Arthur H. Grant (1886). "Biddulph, Thomas Myddleton". In Stephen, Leslie. Dictionary of National Biography 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Margaret Escott, MYDDELTON BIDDULPH, Robert (1805-1872), of Chirk Castle, Denb. and 35 Grosvenor Place, Mdx. in History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1820-1832, Volume 4, Cambridge 2009
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 18301. p. 2570. 31 October 1826.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 18560. p. 525. 20 March 1829.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 19155. p. 897. 16 May 1834.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 20660. p. 3991. 10 November 1846.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 21228. p. 1857. 18 July 1851.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 21258. pp. 2833–2834. 31 October 1851.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 21637. p. 3955. 5 December 1854.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 21965. p. 425. 6 February 1857.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 22194. p. 4579. 26 October 1858.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 K. D. Reynolds, Biddulph, Sir Thomas Myddleton (1809–1878), courtier and army officer in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford 2004
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 22721. p. 1750. 27 March 1863.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 22982. p. 3094. 20 June 1865.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 23080. p. 1646. 6 March 1866.
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 23097. p. 2253. 6 April 1866.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 23246. p. 2525. 30 April 1867.
  18. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 24508. p. 5457. 2 October 1877.
  19. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 24535. p. 7405. 25 December 1877.
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