The Honorable George Lane Parker,
Appointed 18th March, 1782.
The Honorable Lane Parker, second son of George, second Earl of Macclesfield, served many years in the first foot guards, in which corps he attained the rank of lieutenant and captain in 1749; captain and lieut.-colonel in 1755; he was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1762, and to that of major-general in 1770; in which year he was appointed second major of the regiment. In 1773 King George III. gave him the colonelcy of the twentieth regiment, and promoted him to the rank of lieut.-general in 1777. In 1782 he was removed to the colonelcy of the Twelfth Light Dragoons, and he retained this appointment until his decease in 1791.
Sir James Steuart, Baronet,
Appointed 9th November, 1791.
James Steuart received a military education in Germany, and at sixteen years of age King George III. presented him with a cornetcy in the royal dragoons, his commission bearing the date the 17th of March, 1761. He served the campaign of that and the following year with the regiment in Germany; was at the battles of Kirch, Denkern and Groebenstein, and took part in several skirmishes. In 1763 he purchased a company in the Queen's royal highlanders, and that corps being disbanded soon afterwards, he improved his knowledge of the military profession by travelling in France and Germany. In 1766 he purchased a troop in the second Irish horse, now fifth dragoon guards; in 1769 he was appointed aide-de-camp to the lord-lieutenant of Ireland (Lord Townshend): and in 1772 he obtained the majority of the thirteenth dragoons, from which he was removed, in 1775, to the first Irish horse, now fourth dragoon guards. In 1776, he was nominated to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the thirteenth dragoons, and having brought that regiment into an excellent state of discipline and efficiency, he was rewarded with the rank of colonel in 1782; in 1783 his regiment was constituted a corps of light cavalry. In 1788 detachments from the cavalry regiments in Ireland were assembled at Dublin, and placed under his command, for the purpose of forming an improved system of interior economy, discipline, and field movements for the cavalry; his labours were honored with the approbation of his sovereign, and his systems, particularly his field movements, having been more completely defined and arranged by Sir David Dundas, were adopted for the cavalry. His services were rewarded in 1791 with the colonelcy of the Twelfth Light Dragoons; and having been promoted to the rank of major-general in 1793, he was placed on the staff of Scotland, and appointed to superintend the formation and discipline of the fencible cavalry in that country, which was encamped under his orders in the summers of 1795, 1796, and 1797. In the autumn of 1797 he was promoted to the local rank of lieut.-general in Ireland, and appointed to the command of the southern district of that kingdom, which district was, by his excellent arrangements, preserved during the rebellion of 1798, in a state of tranquillity not known in any other part of Ireland. He was rewarded with the rank of lieut.-general, in June, 1798; and after the suppression of the rebellion, he resigned his appointment on the Irish staff. In 1803 he was promoted to the rank of general; and in 1815 he obtained the colonelcy of the Scots greys; he was also honored with the dignity of knight grand cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order. His rank and age prevented him from participating in the active measures which led to the wonderful military successes from the recommencement of the war in 1803 to its termination in 1815. He represented in parliament his native county (Lanark) for many years; his mansion at Coltness was proverbial as the seat of kindness and hospitality; and his time, his talents, and his property, were dedicated to the improvement of the district around him. For several years he bore the sirname of Denham; but afterwards discontinued it. He lived to be the eldest general and the oldest soldier in the British army; and died at Cheltenham, on the 5th of August, 1839, at the advanced age of ninety-five.
Sir William Payne, Baronet,
Appointed 12th January, 1815.
Sir William Payne first entered the army, as cornet in the royal dragoons, on the 25th of January, 1776; and having served in the subordinate commissions, was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the regiment in 1794. He served in the Netherlands under his Royal Highness the Duke of York, and was present at the principal actions during the campaign of 1794. In 1796 he was removed from the lieutenant-colonelcy of the royal dragoons to the third dragoon guards; in 1798 he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army; and in 1805 he was removed to the tenth light dragoons. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in the same year, and served four years on the staff in Ireland. In November, 1807, he obtained the colonelcy of the twenty-third light dragoons; and in 1809, he proceeded to Portugal with the local rank of lieutenant-general, and served the campaign of that year under Sir Arthur Wellesley. He took an active part in the operations by which the French were driven from Oporto; and commanded the British cavalry at the memorable battle of Talavera, fought on the 27th and 28th of July, 1809, for which he received a medal. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general on the 4th of June, 1811; was removed from the twenty-third to the nineteenth light dragoons in July, 1814, and to the Twelfth Light Dragoons in January, 1815. He was further advanced to the rank of general on the 27th of May, 1825, and, in the following month, he obtained the colonelcy of the third dragoon guards. He died in April, 1831.
Sir Colquhoun Grant, K.C.B., K.C.H.,