Arthur Borton (British Army officer)

For the Victoria Cross recipient, see Arthur Borton.
Sir Arthur Borton

Sir Arthur Borton
Born 20 January 1814
Blofield, Norfolk, England
Died 7 September 1893
London, England
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1832 - 1884
Rank General
Commands held Mysore division
Battles/wars First Anglo-Sikh War
Crimean War
Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Other work Governor of Malta

General Sir Arthur Borton GCB GCMG (20 January 1814 – 7 September 1893) was a British Army officer who became Governor of Malta.

Early life

Victoria Gate in Valletta: the foundation stone was laid by Sir Arthur Borton

Borton was born on 20 January 1814 in Blofield, Norfolk where his father John Drew Borton was the rector.[1] His mother was Louisa Carthew one of the daughters of Rev Thomas Carthew of Woodbridge Abbey in Suffolk. He was educated at Eton College and the Military College, Sandhurst.[1]

Confederate soldier Collett Leventhorpe was his kinsman.[2]

Military career

Plaque mentioning Borton at San Anton Palace

Borton was commissioned into the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot in 1832.[3] He took part in the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1845 and then commanded his regiment at the siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War.[3] He became commander of an infantry brigade at the Curragh in Ireland in 1866 and General Officer Commanding the Mysore division of the Madras Army in 1870 and, having been promoted to full general in 1877,[4] he went on to be Governor of Malta in 1878 before retiring in 1884.[3]

He died, on 7 September 1893, at his residence, 105 Eaton Place, London, and was buried on 9 September at Hunton, near Maidstone, Kent.[5]

Family life

Borton married Caroline Mary Georgina Close in 1850, daughter of Rev John Forbes Close of Morne, County Down.[1] They had two sons: Arthur Close, lieutenant-colonel Somerset Light Infantry, father of Lieutenant colonel Arthur Drummond Borton and Air vice-marshal Amyas Eden Borton, and Charles Edward, major 9th Norfolk regiment, who served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Obituary." Times [London, England] 8 Sept. 1893: 10. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 23 June 2013.
  2. Collett Leventhorpe, the English Confederate: The Life of a Civil War General, 1815-1899, p. 26-7
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 R. H. Vetch, rev. James Lunt. "Borton, Sir Arthur (1814–1893)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2924. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. The British Almanac, p. 69
  5. 5.0 5.1  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Vetch, Robert Hamilton (1901). "Borton, Arthur". In Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Sir Charles van Straubenzee
Governor of Malta
1878–1884
Succeeded by
Sir John Simmons