Field Marshal Sir Edward Blakeney (26 March 1778 – 2 August 1868) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer. After serving as a junior officer with the expedition to Dutch Guiana and being taken prisoner by

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s three times suffering great hardship, he took part in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in 1799. He also joined the expedition to

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led by Lord Cathcart in 1807. He went on to command the 2nd Battalion of the

7th Regiment of Foot 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

and then both battalions of that regiment at many of the battles of the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. After joining the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

as he marched into

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in 1815, Blakeney fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. He then commanded a brigade in the army sent on a mission to Portugal to support the constitutional government against the absolutist forces of Dom Miguel in 1826. His last major appointment was as

Commander-in-Chief, Ireland Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, was title of the commander of the British forces in Ireland before 1922. Until the Act of Union in 1800, the position involved command of the distinct Irish Army of the Kingdom of Ireland. History Marshal of Ireland ...

, a post he held for nearly twenty years.

Early life

Born the fourth son of Colonel William Blakeney and Sarah Blakeney (née Shields), Blakeney was commissioned as a cornet in the 8th Light Dragoons on 28 February 1794. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the 121st Regiment of Foot on 4 September 1794 and to captain in the 99th Regiment of Foot on 24 December 1794.Heathcote, p. 46 He took part in the expedition to Dutch Guiana in 1796 and was taken prisoner by

s three times suffering great hardship. He also took part in the evacuation of

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

in 1798.Dod, pp. 120–121 Blakeney transferred to the

17th Regiment of Foot 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

on 10 March 1798 and saw action at the Battle of Krabbendam and the Battle of Bergen both in September 1799 and the Battle of Alkmaar and the

Battle of Castricum The Battle of Castricum (October 6, 1799) saw a Franco-Dutch force defeat an Anglo-Russian force near Castricum, Netherlands. The battle was fought during the War of the Second Coalition against Revolutionary France between French and Dutch forc ...

both in October 1799 during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. Promoted to major on 17 September 1801, he transferred to the 47th Regiment of Foot on 11 July 1803. After transferring again, this time to the

on 7 April 1804, he joined the expedition to

led by Lord Cathcart, took part in the Battle of Copenhagen in August 1807 and, having been promoted to lieutenant colonel on 7 May 1808, also took part in the capture of

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

in February 1809. He undertook garrison duty in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

later that year.Heathcote, p. 47

Peninsular War

Blakeney joined

Sir Arthur Wellesley Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister o ...

in Spain in June 1810 and commanded the 2nd Battalion of his regiment during the

Battle of Bussaco The Battle of Buçaco () or Bussaco, fought on 27 September 1810 during the Peninsular War in the Portuguese mountain range of Serra do Buçaco, resulted in the defeat of French forces by Lord Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army. Having o ...

in September 1810 and the

Battle of Albuera The Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) was a battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi (Army of the South) at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about south ...

(where he was severely wounded in the thigh) in May 1811. He commanded both battalions of his regiment at the Combat of Aldea da Ponte in September 1811, at the

Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo Sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo are a series of sieges of the Spanish town Ciudad Rodrigo. Specific sieges are: * Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1370) * Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1707) * Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1810) * Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812) ...

in January 1812 and at the Siege of Badajoz (where he was severely wounded through the arm in the assault) in April 1812. He also commanded at the

Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813) a British, Portuguese and Spanish army under the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, eventually leadin ...

in June 1813, at the Combat of Pampelona in June 1813 and at the

Battle of the Pyrenees The Battle of the Pyrenees was a large-scale offensive (the author David Chandler recognises the 'battle' as an offensive) launched on 25 July 1813 by Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult from the Pyrénées region on Emperor Napoleon’s or ...

in July 1813 as well as the

Battle of Nivelle The Battle of Nivelle (10 November 1813) took place in front of the river Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War (1808–1814). After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops (20, ...

in November 1813. Promoted to

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 o ...

on 4 June 1814 and appointed a

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on 2 January 1815, he fought at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

in January 1815 during the

. Although he did not take part in the Hundred Days, he joined the

as he marched into

in 1815 and served with the Army of Occupation in France until 1819.

Later years

Promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

on 27 May 1825, Blakeney commanded a brigade in the army under General Henry Clinton sent on a mission to Portugal to support the constitutional government against the absolutist forces of Dom Miguel in 1826. Blakeney went on to become

in Spring 1836. He was appointed a

Lord Justice of Ireland The Lords Justices (more formally the Lords Justices General and General Governors of Ireland) were deputies who acted collectively in the absence of the chief governor of Ireland (latterly the Lord Lieutenant) as head of the executive branch o ...

on 7 May 1836 and promoted to the local rank of lieutenant-general on 26 August 1836 and to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general on 28 June 1838. He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Bath on 7 May 1849 and, having been promoted to full

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

on 20 June 1854, retired from active service in 1855. Blakeney also served as honorary colonel of the 7th Regiment of Foot, then as honorary colonel of the

1st Regiment of Foot First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and later as colonel-in-chief of the Rifle Brigade as well as honorary colonel of the St. George's Rifle Volunteer Corps. He became lieutenant-governor of the

Royal Hospital Chelsea The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse, the ancient sense of the word "hospital", it is a site located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. It is an ...

on 6 February 1855 and then succeeded as Governor of that establishment on 25 September 1856. In retirement Blakeney lived at

Richmond House Richmond House is a government building in Whitehall, City of Westminster, London. Its name comes from an historic townhouse of the Duke of Richmond that once stood on the site. History Stewart Dukes of Richmond Richmond House was first built ...

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

. Promoted to field marshal on 9 November 1862, he died at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on 2 August 1868 and was buried at Oak Lane Cemetery in Twickenham.

Family

In 1814 Blakeney married Maria Gardiner, a daughter of Colonel Gardiner of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

; they had no children. Bataille de la Nivelle

References

Sources

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Blakeney, Edward 1778 births 1868 deaths Burials in England People from County Galway 18th-century Irish people 19th-century Irish people 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars officers British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars British field marshals Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Military personnel from Newcastle upon Tyne Recipients of the Army Gold Cross