Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Sir Alfred Mordaunt Egerton, (30 March 1843 – 26 May 1908) was an English soldier and courtier.

Early life and family

Alfred Mordaunt Egerton was born on 30 March 1843, the youngest son of the Rev. Thomas Egerton and his wife, Charlotte, daughter of Sir William Milner, Baronet. In 1878, he married the Honourable Mary Georgina Ormsby-Gore, DStJ, the daughter of

William Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech William Richard Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech (3 March 1819 – 26 June 1904), was an Anglo-Irish peer and Member of Parliament. Biography Lord Harlech was the younger son of William Ormsby-Gore and Mary Jane Ormsby. He was educated at Eton ...

; she was a

Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to the

Duchess of Connaught Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (Louise Margaret Alexandra Victoria Agnes; 25 July 1860 – 14 March 1917), later Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, VA Order of the Crown of India, CI Royal Red Cross, RRC ...

."Egerton, Col Sir Alfred Mordaunt"
''Who Was Who'' (online edition), Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2017. They had four sons:M. H. Massue, ''The Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal'', Clarence Volume, vol. 1, p. 135. *

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Arthur George Edward Egerton (1879–1915), who was killed in action in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

; *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Louis Edwin William Egerton (1880–1917), an alumnus of

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, and an officer in the

Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars The Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry is an Operational Hygiene Squadron of the Royal Logistic Corps, originally formed as cavalry in 1794, and has also served in artillery and signals roles. The lineage is continued by 710 (Royal Buckinghamshire Hu ...

also killed in action during the First World War; *

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Josslyn Seymour Egerton (1883–1946), sometime

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The onl ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, and an officer in the British Army;A. C. Fox-Davies
''Armorial Families''
(7th ed., 1929), p. 607. *Sir

Alfred Charles Glyn Egerton Sir Alfred Charles Glyn Egerton, FRS (11 October 1886 – 7 September 1959) was a British chemist. After enlisting in the Coldstream Guards, he was seconded to the Department of Explosives Supply and did research into munitions. After the war he ...

(1886–1959), the chemist.

Military and court career

Egerton was schooled at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

between 1856 and 1859. In 1861, he purchased a commission as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

. He served with the 2nd Battalion in India from 1863 to 1866, purchasing a promotion to lieutenant in 1865. Egerton was subsequently with the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade in Canada (1866–68) and then moved over to the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver Cr ...

in 1869. By then a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, in 1878 the

Duke of Connaught Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. At the same time, he was also ...

appointed Egerton his equerry in the room of Lieutenant Colonel

Arthur Frederick Pickard Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Frederick Pickard (12 April 1844 – 1 March 1880) was a British Army officer and courtier. For his actions in New Zealand in 1863, he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the e ...

. In 1881, he was promoted to major and in 1888 retired with the honorary rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. He served as

Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

and Treasurer to the Duke of Connaught from 1890. A keen shooter, rower, cricketer and cyclist, for his royal service Egerton was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in 1896, and a Commander (1901) and then Knight Commander (1905) of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

. He died on 26 May 1908. In 2011, Bonhams auctioned his set of medals and orders for £62,400, including the Commander 1st Class's badge of the Order of Philip of Hesse, the 2nd class badge of the Russian Order of St Anne, the Commander's badges of the Greek

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...

and the Swedish

Order of the North Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the ...

."For Valour: Lot 55: the K.C.V.O. and C.B. group of ten to Colonel Sir Alfred Mordaunt Egerton, Royal Horse Guards, and Comptroller of the Household to H.R.H. Duke of Connaught"
''Bonhams''. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2017.

Likenesses

* Photograph by Orlando Norie (c. 1887) in the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

; albumen print with watercolour border, ref. number RCIN 2502635.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Egerton, Alfred Mordaunt 1843 births 1908 deaths Rifle Brigade officers Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Eton College Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Royal Horse Guards officers