SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

THE SIXTEENTH,

THE BEDFORDSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

Archibald Douglas,

Appointed 9th October, 1688.

Archibald Douglas was many years an officer in the First, or the Royal regiment of foot, with which corps he served in France and Germany, when that veteran Scots regiment was in the service of Louis XIV.; but it was withdrawn from the army of the French monarch in 1678, from which period it has been on the British establishment. He was captain of one of the companies of the Royal regiment sent to the relief of Tangier, in Africa, when that fortress was besieged by the Moors in 1680, and he was wounded in the general engagement on the 27th of September, 1680, when the Moorish army was overthrown. He was subsequently promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of his regiment; and he commanded the companies of his corps at the battle of Sedgemoor, on the 6th of July, 1685, where he distinguished himself. King James II. placed great confidence in the loyalty of Colonel Douglas, and when His Majesty's power was menaced by the armament under the Prince of Orange, the King nominated this distinguished Scots officer to raise a regiment, now the Sixteenth foot, of which he was appointed colonel. At the Revolution in 1688, he withdrew from the service, and was not afterwards employed under the British crown. In consequence of a mark on his countenance, he was sometimes called Spot.

Robert Hodges,

Appointed 31st December, 1688.

This Officer served with the army of Louis XIV. in Germany, as ensign and lieutenant in the Royal regiment of foot, and in 1678, when a grenadier company was added to the regiment, it was placed under his orders, and he was promoted to the rank of captain. The Scots grenadiers under his orders were selected to proceed to the relief of Tangier, and in an account of an action on the 20th of September, 1680, with the Moorish lancers, it is recorded—"The grenadiers, under Captain Hodges, behaved themselves very bravely." He also distinguished himself in a skirmish on the 22nd of September; and in the general attack on the Moorish lines, on the 27th of that month, he led the assault at the head of his grenadiers, and evinced great gallantry. He was subsequently promoted to the majority of the Royal regiment, and in December, 1688, the Prince of Orange conferred on him the colonelcy of the corps which is now the SIXTEENTH regiment. He served the campaign of 1689, in the Netherlands, under Prince Waldeck, and evinced great courage and ability in command of a detachment of infantry placed in front of the confederate army at Walcourt, when attacked by the French, under Marshal d'Humières, on the 25th of August. He served the campaigns of 1691 and 1692, under King William III., and was killed by a cannon-ball at the battle of Steenkirk, on the 3rd of August, 1692.

The Honorable James Stanley,

Appointed 1st August, 1692.

The Honorable James Stanley, third son of Charles eighth Earl of Derby, was an adherent of the principles of the Revolution of 1688, and a member of the Convention of Parliament which conferred the crown on the Prince and Princess of Orange. He procured a commission in the first foot guards, in which corps he obtained the rank of captain and lieut.-colonel; he served several campaigns in Flanders under King William III., and on 1st August, 1692, His Majesty, in his camp at Lambeque, promoted him, from lieutenant-colonel of the foot guards, to the command of the SIXTEENTH regiment of foot, in succession to Colonel Hodges, who was killed at the battle of Steenkirk. He was also one of the grooms of the bed-chamber to King William III. On the decease of his brother, in 1702, he succeeded to the dignity of Earl of Derby. On the 10th June, 1702, he was constituted Lord-Lieutenant of North Wales and of the County of Lancaster; and in the following year he had a patent to be Vice-Admiral of the said County during Queen Anne's reign. The Earl of Derby resigned his military appointments in 1705, and on 10th June, 1706, was sworn at Windsor, by her Majesty's command, one of the Privy Council, and at the same time Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. At her Majesty's coronation, on 23rd April, 1702, he carried one of the Three Swords of State, as he did also at the coronation of King George I., on the 20th October, 1714. At the change of the administration in 1710, he was removed from his posts, and from that of Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Lancaster, but was again constituted Lord-Lieutenant of that County on the 5th August, 1714. On 23rd September, 1715, he was appointed Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard. He died at Knowsley, on Sunday, 1st February, 1736.

Francis Godfrey,

Appointed 25th May, 1705.

This officer was nephew to the great Duke of Marlborough;[9] he held a commission in the foot guards, in the time of King William III., and was promoted to captain and lieut.-colonel, and he served several campaigns in the Netherlands under his uncle. In 1705 he was promoted to the colonelcy of the SIXTEENTH regiment, and in 1710 he was advanced to the rank of brigadier-general; in 1711 he disposed of the colonelcy of the regiment. He died on the 6th of October, 1712.

Henry Durell,

Appointed 17th February, 1711.

This officer held a commission in the foot guards, in which corps he rose to the rank of captain and lieut.-colonel. He served at several battles and sieges in the Netherlands and in Germany, under the great Duke of Marlborough, and was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in 1710: in 1711 he obtained the colonelcy of the SIXTEENTH regiment. He commanded a brigade in Flanders, in 1712, and was appointed Deputy Governor of Dunkirk, when that fortress was delivered up to the British troops. He died on the 1st of December, 1712.

Hans Hamilton,

Appointed 23rd June, 1713.

Hans Hamilton was many years an officer of the SIXTEENTH regiment, of which corps he was appointed lieut.-colonel, and he served three campaigns under the great Duke of Marlborough. His meritorious conduct on all occasions was rewarded, in 1705, with the colonelcy of the Thirty-fourth regiment, which corps he accompanied to Spain, and served as quartermaster-general under the Earl of Peterborough at the capture of Barcelona, &c. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in 1710, and commanded a brigade in Flanders at the forcing of the French lines at Arleux, and at the siege of Bouchain in 1711. In 1713 he was removed to the SIXTEENTH regiment, but he withdrew from the service in 1715, selling his commission. He died in 1721.

Richard Viscount Irwin,

Appointed 11th July, 1715.

Richard Ingram, Baron Ingram, and Viscount Irwin, commenced his military service in the life guards, in which corps he rose to the rank of lieutenant and lieut.-colonel, and was afterwards lieut.-colonel of the SIXTEENTH regiment, of which corps he was appointed colonel in 1715; at the same time he was nominated Governor of Hull. In 1717 he was removed to the second horse, now first dragoon guards, and three years afterwards he was nominated Governor of Barbadoes; but previous to his embarkation he was taken ill of the small-pox, of which he died on the 10th of April, 1721.

James Cholmeley,

Appointed 13th December, 1717.

James Cholmeley was many years an officer of reputation in the SIXTEENTH regiment, to the lieut.-colonelcy of which corps he was promoted by King George I., in consideration of his service in Flanders under the Duke of Marlborough, and his excellent conduct on all occasions. In 1717 he was promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment. He died in 1724.

Henry, Earl of Deloraine, K.B.,

Appointed 7th April, 1724.

Lord Henry Scott, third son of James Duke of Monmouth and Anne Duchess of Buccleuch, obtained a commission in the army in the reign of William III.; he served with reputation in the reign of Queen Anne, obtained the command of one of the newly-raised regiments of foot in 1704; and on the 29th of March, 1706, he was created Baron Scott of Goldielands, Viscount Hermitage, and Earl of Deloraine. He supported the treaty of union between England and Scotland and other measures of the court; in 1715 he was chosen one of the sixteen representatives of the Scottish peerage; and was re-chosen in 1722, and again in 1727. His regiment having been disbanded at the peace of Utrecht, he was appointed, on the 1st of June, 1715, colonel of the second, or Scots troop of horse grenadier guards, which he held two years. In 1724 he obtained the colonelcy of the SIXTEENTH foot; he was invested with the order of the Bath on its revival in 1725; and promoted to the rank of major-general in 1726. He was removed to the seventh horse, now sixth dragoon guards, or carabineers, in July, 1730. He died on the 25th of December following.

Roger Handasyd,

Appointed 9th July, 1730.

This Officer obtained a commission in a regiment of foot in 1694, and served two campaigns under King William III. He also served with reputation in the wars of Queen Anne, and succeeded his father in the colonelcy of the Twenty-second regiment in 1712; in 1730 he was removed to the SIXTEENTH regiment. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1739, and to that of lieut.-general in 1743. He died in 1763.

The Honorable Robert Brudenell,

Appointed 14th June, 1763.

The Honorable Robert Brudenell, third son of George Earl of Cardigan, was many years a member of Parliament for Marlborough, also groom of the bed-chamber to His Royal Highness the Duke of York, whose train he bore at the coronation of King George III. He was appointed captain and lieut.-colonel in the third foot guards, in 1758; promoted to the colonelcy of the SIXTEENTH in 1763, and removed to the fourth, or King's Own regiment, in 1765. He died at Windsor, in October, 1768.

Sir William Draper, K.B.,

Appointed 25th June, 1765.

William Draper was educated at Eton, and at King's College, Cambridge, for the Church: but preferring the profession of arms, he went to the East Indies, and was employed in the service of the Honorable the East India Company. He subsequently obtained a commission from the King, and on the 2nd of November, 1757, he was promoted to lieut.-colonel commandant of the seventy-ninth regiment, then raised, with which corps he served in India, and acquired the reputation of a brave and meritorious officer. He returned to England in 1760, and in 1761 he commanded a brigade at the capture of Belleisle. He again proceeded to India, and commanded the land forces of the expedition which captured Manilla in 1763. His regiment was disbanded soon afterwards; and in 1765 King George III. conferred upon him the colonelcy of the SIXTEENTH regiment, from which he exchanged, in 1766, to the late 121st regiment. In 1769 he appeared in a literary character, and answered some of Junius's letters; and in the autumn of the same year he proceeded to South Carolina. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1772; to that of lieut.-general in 1777; he was honoured with the dignity of a Knight of the Bath, and nominated Governor of Yarmouth. He died in 1787.

James Gisborne,

Appointed 4th March, 1766.

After a progressive service in the subordinate commissions, this officer was appointed lieut.-colonel of the tenth regiment in 1755, and he was afterwards employed many years on the staff of Ireland, as quartermaster-general in that country. In 1762 he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 121st regiment; and in 1766 he was removed to the SIXTEENTH regiment. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1770, and to that of lieut.-general in 1777. He died in 1778.

James Robertson,

Appointed 14th May, 1778.

This Officer entered the army in the reign of King George II.; he served in America during the seven years' war, and held the appointment of deputy-Quartermaster-general, with the rank of lieut.-colonel, under Lieut.-General Sir Jeffrey (afterwards Lord) Amherst, who completed the conquest of Canada in 1760. In the same year Lieut.-Colonel Robertson was appointed to the fifteenth regiment, and in 1768 he was removed to the SIXTEENTH, which corps he commanded in Florida several years. On the breaking out of the American war, he was again called into active service in that country, and in January, 1776, he was appointed colonel commandant of the second battalion of the sixtieth regiment, and promoted to the local rank of major-general in America: in 1777 he obtained the rank of major-general, and in 1778 the colonelcy of the SIXTEENTH regiment. His services in the American war were rewarded with the appointment of Governor of New York; and in 1782 he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died on the 4th of March, 1788.

The Honorable Thomas Bruce,

Appointed 6th March, 1788.

The Honorable Thomas Bruce, son of William Earl of Kincardine, choosing the profession of arms, rose to the commission of major in the sixtieth regiment in 1768, and in 1770 he was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of the sixty-fifth regiment, which corps he commanded in North America during the early part of the American war. In 1781 he was appointed lieut.-colonel commandant of the 100th regiment, with which corps he served in the East Indies, and obtained the local rank of major-general in that country in March, 1782: in November following he was promoted to the rank of major-general. After the termination of the war with Tippoo Saib, the ruler of the Mysore, the 100th regiment was disbanded, and in 1788 Major-General the Honorable Thomas Bruce was appointed colonel of the SIXTEENTH regiment: in 1796 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general. He died in 1797.

Henry Bowyer,

Appointed 15th December, 1797.

This officer entered the army in 1771, and after serving five years in the sixty-eighth regiment, he was promoted captain in the nineteenth, and in 1778 he was removed to the sixty-sixth: his distinguished services during the American war were rewarded with the rank of lieut.-colonel in November 1782. In 1787 he was appointed major, and in 1787 lieut.-colonel of the sixty-sixth regiment. He served in the West Indies, was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1795, and to that of lieut.-general, 1802. In March, 1797, he was appointed colonel of the eighty-ninth regiment, and was removed, in December following, to the SIXTEENTH. He held the appointment of commander of the forces in the Windward and Leeward Islands. His decease occurred in 1808.

Sir Charles Green, Bart.,

Appointed 29th August, 1808.

Charles Green entered the army as gentleman cadet in the Royal Artillery in 1760; in 1765 he was appointed ensign in the thirty-first regiment, which corps he joined at Pensacola in 1766. In 1768 he was employed on a particular service at New Orleans and on the Mississippi river; and in 1771 he served as engineer at the Bahama Islands. He joined his regiment at St. Vincent in 1772, and served against the Caribs; but returned to England in 1773, and was promoted to a lieutenancy; and in 1774 to captain in the thirty-first regiment. Proceeding to America in 1776, he was nominated aide-de-camp to Major-General Phillips, and served the campaign of 1777 in that capacity. He was wounded at Freeman's Farm in September of that year, and returning to England in 1778, he was appointed aide-de-camp to Lieut.-General Sir Adolphus Oughton, commander-in-chief in North Britain. Having joined the thirty-first in Canada, in May, 1780, he was soon afterwards nominated major of brigade to the Montreal district. In 1783 he obtained the rank of major in the army, and the majority of his regiment in 1788. On the breaking out of the war in 1793, he was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of a battalion formed of independent companies, and in 1794 he exchanged to the thirtieth regiment. After serving two years at Corsica, he was nominated civil governor of Grenada, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1797. His eye-sight having been injured by the climate of Grenada, he returned to England in 1801: in 1803 he was appointed brigadier-general on the Staff of Ireland, and was afterwards removed to England; he was knighted in May of this year, and promoted to the rank of major-general in September. In 1804 he was nominated colonel of the York Light Infantry Volunteers; and afterwards proceeding to the West Indies, he assembled an armament and captured the Dutch Settlements of Surinam in South America. He remained at Surinam a year, and returned to England in 1805: in 1807 he was advanced to the dignity of a BARONET, and in 1808 appointed colonel of the SIXTEENTH regiment. He commanded the garrison of Malta some time; was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general in 1809; removed to the thirty-seventh regiment in 1814; and advanced to the rank of general in 1819. He died in 1831.

Sir George Prevost, Bart.,

Appointed 17th February, 1814.

George Prevost was appointed ensign in the sixtieth regiment in 1779, lieutenant in the forty-seventh in 1782, and captain in the sixtieth in 1783; in 1784 he was removed to the twenty-fifth regiment, with which corps he served at Gibraltar, and in 1790 he was promoted to a majority in the sixtieth. Early in 1794 he took command of the third battalion of the sixtieth at Antigua; he was promoted to a lieut.-colonelcy in his regiment in March, and in 1795 he was employed at St. Vincent's in suppressing the insurrection of the Caribs, and in resisting the French invasion: he commanded a column at the reduction of La Vigie. In October he was directed to assume the command of the troops at Dominica; but he returned to the third battalion of the sixtieth at St. Vincent's, in January, 1796, and was twice severely wounded in opposing the progress of the enemy towards the capital. Returning to England in consequence of his wounds, he was employed a short time as an inspecting field-officer; having been promoted to the rank of colonel on the 1st of January, 1796. He was subsequently nominated brigadier-general in the West Indies; he commanded the troops at Barbadoes, afterwards at St. Lucia, where he was appointed lieut.-governor; but returned to England after the peace of Amiens in 1802. Four months afterwards he was nominated Governor of Dominica; and in 1803 he served as second in command at the reduction of St. Lucia and Tobago: for a short time he commanded the troops in the Windward and Leeward Islands. In 1804 he successfully defended Dominica against a French armament; and was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1805, when he returned to England and was appointed lieut.-governor of Portsmouth. He proceeded to Nova Scotia in 1808, with the local rank of lieut.-general; and in 1809 he distinguished himself as second in command at the reduction of Martinique. Returning afterwards to Nova Scotia, he obtained the appointment of commander in-chief in Canada. He was advanced to the dignity of a BARONET for his distinguished services in the West Indies. In 1811 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general; and he was nominated captain-general and governor-in-chief in North America. War having commenced with the United States, he defended the Canadas successfully nearly three years, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty. In February, 1814, he was appointed colonel of the SIXTEENTH regiment. After an unsuccessful attack on the American post at Plattsburg, he was recalled to England; where he died in January, 1816.

Hugh Mackay Gordon,

Appointed 8th January, 1816.

Hugh Mackay Gordon entered the army during the American war, and was many years an officer of the SIXTEENTH regiment, with which corps he served in Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia, also in Nova Scotia and the West Indies. He was promoted captain in the SIXTEENTH in 1788, major in the army in 1796; lieut.-colonel in the army in 1798; and obtained a majority in his regiment in 1799; at the peace of Amiens he was placed on half-pay. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1811, and was nominated colonel of the York Chasseurs in 1814; in 1816 he was removed to the SIXTEENTH, with which regiment he had previously performed much service. In 1821 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general. He died in 1823.

William Carr, Viscount Beresford, G.C.B., G.C.H.,

Appointed 15th March, 1823.

London:—Printed by W. Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street,
For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.