Historical Record of the Fifth Regiment of Foot, or Northumberland Fusiliers / Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1674, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1837

by Richard Cannon

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

FIFTH REGIMENT OF FOOT,

OR

NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS.

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DANIEL VISCOUNT OF CLARE,

Appointed in 1674.

Daniel O'Brien was one of the distinguished loyalists who attended King Charles II. during the period His Majesty was in exile on the continent, and he obtained at the Restoration the title of Viscount of Clare for his grandfather, who had frequently given proofs of his loyalty and attachment to his King, in the reign of Charles I. Daniel, the third Viscount of Clare, succeeded to the title in 1670, and having proceeded to Holland, after the treaty of London, in 1674, he obtained the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot, then newly raised; but, being afterwards charged with holding a treasonable correspondence with the French, he relinquished his commission and returned to Ireland.

After the Revolution in 1688, the Viscount of Clare displayed great zeal in the cause of King James,—having raised two Irish regiments of foot and one of dragoons for the service of that unhappy monarch; he was also a member of the Privy Council in Ireland, and Lord-Lieutenant of the county of Clare. He served under King James at the battle of the Boyne, in 1690: and died in the same year.

JOHN FENWICK,

Appointed 2nd August, 1675.

John Fenwick was many years an officer of the Queen's troop (now Second Regiment) of Life Guards, in the reign of Charles II., and he served under the Duke of Monmouth in the campaigns of 1672 and 1673. In the succeeding year he obtained permission to proceed to Holland, and in 1675 he was appointed to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot, retaining, at the same time, his commission of Guidon and Major in the Life Guards.[46] After his recovery of a wound received during the siege of Maestricht, some angry expressions occurred between him and the Prince of Orange, when he quitted the Dutch service, returned to England, and resumed his duties in the Life Guards; and shortly afterwards he succeeded to the dignity of a Baronet.

In 1678 Sir John Fenwick was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and appointed Colonel of a newly-raised regiment of foot, which was disbanded after the peace of Nimeguen. He was subsequently governor of Holy Island, one of the Inspecting-Generals of cavalry, and a member of Parliament for the county of Northumberland: and in 1687 he was promoted from the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Queen's troop of Life Guards, to the Colonelcy of the Fourth regiment of Horse, now Third Dragoon Guards, from which he was removed by the Prince of Orange at the Revolution in 1688. In 1695 he engaged in a conspiracy to raise an insurrection in behalf of King James, for which he was apprehended and brought to trial before the Parliament. No direct proof of his guilt could be produced, yet a bill of attainder for high treason was passed against him; and he was beheaded on Tower Hill on the 28th of January, 1697.

HENRY WISELY,

Appointed 11th September, 1676.

Henry Wisely was an Officer of repute in the Dutch service, and his meritorious conduct was rewarded with the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Fifth. After the resignation of Colonel (afterwards Sir John) Fenwick, he was promoted, at the recommendation of the Prince of Orange, to the Colonelcy of the regiment, by commission from the States-General of Holland dated the 11th of September, 1676. He served with his regiment against the French until the peace of Nimeguen, acquiring, by his zealous exertions on all occasions, the character of a good officer. He was drowned on his passage to England in the winter of 1680.

THOMAS MONK,

Appointed 10th December, 1680.

This Officer also served with distinction under the Prince of Orange, and was advanced to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of Sir Henry Bellasis' regiment (now Sixth Foot), from which he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the Fifth in December, 1680; but his death appears to have occurred before he acquired any higher rank.

THOMAS TOLLEMACHE,

Appointed 9th October, 1688.

Thomas Tollemache (or Talmash), son of Lionel third Earl of Dysart, was an officer in the English army in the reign of King Charles II., and in January, 1678, he obtained the rank of Captain in the Second Foot Guards. In March of the same year he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of Lord Arlington's newly-raised regiment, which was disbanded after the peace of Nimeguen. He was afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel of the First Foot Guards; but subsequently entering the Dutch service, he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the Fifth in October, 1688; from which he was removed to the Colonelcy of the Second Foot Guards in May following. He was advanced to the rank of Major-General in December, 1690; and to that of Lieutenant-General in January, 1692. He commanded an expedition to the coast of France in the summer of 1694, was wounded at Cameret Bay on the 8th of June, and died on the 12th at Plymouth.

EDWARD LLOYD,

Appointed 1st May, 1689.

Edward Lloyd became proficient in the duties of his profession in active service under the Prince of Orange, who promoted him to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot in May, 1689. While serving with his regiment in Ireland, and in the Netherlands, he acquired the confidence and esteem of his superior officers, and he had every prospect of rising to high military rank; but his mortal career was terminated by death on the 26th of August, 1694.

THOMAS FAIRFAX,

Appointed 6th November, 1694.

This Officer, after a progressive service in the subordinate ranks, obtained, on the 8th of March, 1689, the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of Lord Castleton's regiment, from which he was promoted by King William III., in November, 1694, to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot. He served with his regiment in Flanders, was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General in 1696, and commanded a brigade of infantry during the campaign of the following year. He was removed from the Fifth in 1703, was afterwards promoted to the rank of Major-General; and died on the 6th of January, 1710.

THOMAS PEARCE,

Appointed 5th February, 1704.

Thomas Pearce obtained the commission of Ensign in a regiment of Foot on the 28th of February, 1689; and in October, 1694, he was appointed Captain of the Grenadier Company in the Second Foot Guards. He served at the siege of Namur in 1695, and, being engaged in storming the covered-way on the night of the 8th of July, he advanced, in the heat of the conflict, too far in front of his men, and was wounded and taken prisoner.

In 1702 he served under the Duke of Ormond in the expedition to Cadiz; and, commanding a brigade of Grenadiers at the storming of the forts of Vigo, he was wounded in the thigh by a cannon-ball. His gallantry was rewarded on the 10th of April in the following year with the Colonelcy of a newly-raised Irish regiment of Foot;[47] from which he was removed to the Fifth, on the 5th of February, 1704. He was promoted on the 1st of January, 1707, to the rank of Brigadier-General, and, proceeding with his regiment to Portugal, he highly distinguished himself at the head of a brigade of infantry at the battle of Caya in 1709, and was taken prisoner. He was shortly afterwards exchanged for a French Brigadier-General, and on his return to England he was promoted to the rank of Major-General. He was further promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General on the 5th of March, 1727; and in 1732 he was removed to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Horse, now Fourth Dragoon Guards. He was several years a member of Parliament for Melcomb Regis, and died in 1739.

JOHN COPE,

Appointed 15th December, 1732.

This Officer entered the army in the reign of Queen Anne, and was several years Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. He obtained the rank of Colonel in the army on the 15th of November, 1711; and was promoted to the Colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth Foot on the 10th of November, 1730, from which he was removed to the Fifth Foot on the 15th of December, 1732. In 1735 he obtained the rank of Brigadier-General; in 1737 he was removed to the Ninth Dragoons; and on the 2nd of July, 1739, he was advanced to the rank of Major-General. He was several years on the staff of Ireland, and, after having been removed to the Colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons in 1741, he proceeded in the summer of 1742 to Flanders with the army commanded by Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair. In the beginning of the following year he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General; and, having signalized himself at the battle of Dettingen under the eye of his sovereign, he was constituted a Knight of the Bath.

In 1745 Sir John Cope was Commander-in-Chief in Scotland, and a small body of troops under his immediate command were defeated by the Highlanders under the Young Pretender at Preston Pans; which unfortunate circumstance enabled the rebels to penetrate into England and advance as far as Derby. He retained the Colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons until his decease in 1760.

ALEXANDER IRWIN,

Appointed 27th June, 1737.

Alexander Irwin commenced his military career as Ensign on the 1st of October, 1689, and, after serving the crown nearly forty-eight years in various parts of Europe, he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot, by commission dated 27th of June, 1737. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General on the 24th of February, 1744; he was subsequently on the Staff of Ireland, and also held the appointment of Lieutenant-Governor of Kinsale. He was further advanced to the rank of Lieutenant-General in 1748, and died four years afterwards.

CHARLES WHITEFORD,

Appointed 25th November, 1752.

Charles Whiteford entered the army as Cornet on the 3rd of May, 1720; and on the 27th of April, 1741, he was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Fifth regiment of Marines, with which corps he served several years on the continent of America and in the West India islands. In 1752 King George II. conferred the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot on Colonel Whiteford, who did not long enjoy the promotion; his decease having occurred in the summer of 1754.

LORD GEORGE BENTINCK,

Appointed 20th of August, 1754.

Lord George Bentinck, second son of Henry first Duke of Portland, received the appointment of Ensign on the 3rd of November, 1735; and having been promoted on the 12th of April, 1743, to the command of a company in the First Foot Guards with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, he served at the battle of Dettingen in June of the same year. He obtained the appointment of Aide-de-camp to the King on the 17th of March, 1752; and the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot, in August, 1754. He was afterwards promoted to the rank of Major-General; and died at Bath on the 2nd of March, 1759.

STUDHOLME HODGSON,

Appointed 24th of October, 1759.

Studholme Hodgson, after serving several years in the army, was appointed, in 1745, Aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland, whom he attended at the battles of Fontenoy and Culloden. He obtained the command of a company, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, in the First Foot Guards, on the 22nd of February, 1747; and on the 30th of May, 1756, he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the Fiftieth Foot. He obtained the rank of Major-General on the 25th of June, 1759; and was removed to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot in October of the same year. In 1761 he was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant-General, and he commanded the land forces of a successful expedition against Belle-Isle in the same year, for which he obtained the approbation of the King, and was appointed, in 1765, Governor of Forts George and Augustus. In 1768 he was removed to the Fourth Foot; in 1778 he was promoted to the rank of General; and in 1782 he was removed to the Colonelcy of the Fourth Irish Horse, now Seventh Dragoon Guards. He was again removed, in 1789, to the Eleventh Light Dragoons, and on the 30th of July, 1796, he was promoted to the rank of Field-Marshal. He enjoyed this elevated rank two years, and died in the autumn of 1798, at the advanced age of ninety years.

HUGH EARL PERCY,

Appointed 7th November, 1768.

Earl Percy entered the army at an early age, and was first engaged in actual warfare under the Duke of Brunswick during the seven years' war in Germany. He obtained the rank of Captain and Lieutenant-Colonel in the First Foot Guards, on the 17th of April, 1762; and was promoted on the 7th of November, 1768, to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot, the command of which corps he retained nearly sixteen years, displaying, during that period, such distinguished military virtues, with a kind liberality, and a constancy of attention to, and interest in, the welfare and credit of the regiment, as endeared his name in the grateful remembrance of the officers and men. His Lordship commanded a brigade in America, and distinguished himself in the retreat from Lexington to Boston, and in the storming of Fort Washington near New York. In 1784 he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the Second troop of Horse Grenadier Guards; and succeeded, in 1786, to the dignity of Duke of Northumberland. In 1788 the Second troop of Horse Grenadier Guards was incorporated in the Second Regiment of Life Guards; and in 1806 his Grace was appointed to the Colonelcy of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, which he resigned in 1812. The decease of this respected nobleman occurred in 1817.

THE HONOURABLE EDWARD STOPFORD,

Appointed 1st November, 1784.

This Officer entered the army as Ensign in the Twenty-ninth regiment on the 16th of December, 1750, and, having attained the rank of Captain, he was promoted on the 17th of January, 1760, to the Majority of the Seventy-sixth regiment. On the 3rd of October, 1766, he obtained the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Sixty-sixth regiment, with which corps he served several years in Jamaica, and was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1782. In 1784 King George III. conferred the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot on Major-General Stopford, who retained this appointment until his decease in 1794.

SIR ALURED CLARKE, G.C.B.,

Appointed 25th October, 1794.

Alured Clarke entered the army on the 20th of March, 1755, as Ensign in the Fiftieth regiment of Foot; he obtained the rank of Lieutenant in 1760; and his regiment proceeding to Germany in the same year, he served during the remainder of the seven years' war with the army commanded by Ferdinand Duke of Brunswick. On the 7th of January, 1767, he obtained the command of a company in the Fifth Foot. He was promoted to the Majority of the Fifty-fourth regiment in 1771; and to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Seventh Fusiliers on the 10th of March, 1777. He served with his regiment in America, during the war with the United States; and was promoted to the rank of Colonel on the 16th of May, 1781. He was further advanced to the rank of Major-General on the 28th of April, 1790; and obtained the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot in 1794. During the war of the French Revolution, when Holland had become subject to France, the British Government resolved to take the Dutch settlement at the Cape of Good Hope; and this place was captured, in the autumn of 1795, by a body of troops under Major-General Sir Alured Clarke, and a naval force commanded by Vice-Admiral Sir George Keith Elphinstone. The services of Major-General Clarke were afterwards transferred to the East Indies, in which country he held the local rank of Lieutenant-General from the 3rd of May, 1796; and he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General in the army on the 26th of January, 1797. In 1801 he was removed to the Colonelcy of the Seventh Fusiliers; and in the following year promoted to the rank of General. He was subsequently advanced to the rank of Field-Marshal; and died on the 16th of September, 1832.

RICHARD ENGLAND,

Appointed 21st August, 1801.

Richard England entered the service in 1766, as an Ensign in the Forty-seventh Foot, in which regiment he attained the rank of Major on the 3rd of August, 1781, and was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Twenty-fourth Foot on the 20th of February, 1783. In 1796 he was advanced to the rank of Major-General; in April, 1800, he was appointed Colonel-Commandant of the second battalion of the Fifth Foot, and in the following year he succeeded Sir Alured Clarke in the Colonelcy of the regiment. In August, 1803, he was appointed Governor of Plymouth; he obtained the rank of Lieutenant-General in September of the same year, and died on the 7th of November, 1812.

WILLIAM WYNYARD,

Appointed 27th November, 1812.

William Wynyard was appointed to a Lieutenancy in the Sixty-fourth Foot on the 12th of June, 1777: he was afterwards Captain in the Forty-first regiment; and in April, 1795, he was appointed Captain and Lieutenant-Colonel in the Second Foot Guards. In 1802 he attained the rank of Colonel in the army, and was appointed Colonel of the Royal West India Rangers on the 25th of October, 1806. His commissions of General Officer were dated—Major-General, 25th October, 1809, and Lieutenant-General, 4th of June, 1814. He was appointed Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces, on the 9th of January, 1799, which situation he held (much respected by his official brethren at the Horse-Guards) until June, 1814, when, having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General, he was appointed to the command of the Yorkshire District. He retained the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot, to which he was appointed in 1812, until his decease, on the 10th of July, 1819.

SIR HENRY JOHNSON, BART., G.C.B.,

Appointed 12th July, 1819.

After serving in the subordinate commissions, this officer was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Seventeenth Foot on the 4th of October, 1778, and, serving with his regiment in America and the West Indies, he obtained the rank of Colonel in the army on the 25th of December, 1782. In 1793 he was promoted to the rank of Major-General; and he obtained the Colonelcy of the Eighty-first Foot on the 18th of June, 1798. He commanded a body of troops in Ireland during the rebellion of 1798, and obtained great credit for his conduct in an action at New Ross. In the succeeding year he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General; and to that of General on the 25th of April, 1808. After the decease of Lieutenant-General Wynyard, the Colonelcy of the Fifth Foot was conferred on General Sir Henry Johnson: he was many years Governor of Ross Castle; and died in 1835.

THE HONOURABLE SIR CHARLES COLVILLE, G.C.B. and G.C.H.

Appointed 25th March, 1835.

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