Sir Edward Brackenbury (10 March 17851 June 1864) was a British Army officer. Brackenbury was born on 10 March 1785 at

Raithby by Spilsby Raithby by Spilsby or Raithby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated about north-west from the town of Spilsby. Raithby has associations with founder of Methodism, John Wesley, and ...

, Lincolnshire, the second son of Richard Brackenbury of

Aswardby Aswardby (pronounced "as-ard-bee") is a village situated north-west from Spilsby, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies north of the A158 road, A158 and west of the A16 road (England), A16 roads. It is in the civil par ...

, by his wife, Janetta, daughter of George Gunn of Edinburgh. He was a direct descendant from Sir Robert Brackenbury, lieutenant of the Tower of London in the time of

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

. Having entered the army as an ensign in the

61st Foot The 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gloucestershire Regiment ...

in 1803, and become a lieutenant on 8 December in the same year. He served in Sicily, in

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, at Scylla Castle and at

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, 1807–1808, and in the Peninsula from 1809 to the end of the war in 1814. At the battle of Salamanca he took a piece of artillery from the enemy, guarded by four soldiers, close to their retiring column, without any near or immediate support, and in many other important engagements conducted himself with distinguished valour. As a reward for his numerous services he received the war medal with nine clasps. On 22 July 1812, he was promoted to a

Captaincy A captaincy ( es, capitanía , pt, capitania , hr, kapetanija) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule ...

, and after the conclusion of the war was attached to the Portuguese and Spanish army from 25 October 1814 to 25 December 1816, when he was placed on half-pay. He was promoted

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 ...

in the Army in 1817 and purchased a majority in the

28th Foot The 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gloucestershire Regi ...

on 1 November 1827. On 31 January 1828 he was again placed on half-pay. His foreign services were further recognised by his being made a knight of the Portuguese order of the Tower and Sword in 1824, a knight of the Spanish order of St. Ferdinand, and a commander of the Portuguese order of St. Bento d'Avis. Brackenbury, who was knighted by the king at Windsor Castle on 26 August 1836, was a magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for Lincolnshire. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel in the Army on 10 January 1837 while serving in the

33rd Foot The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...

, and purchased a Majority in the 69th Foot in 1846. The following year he sold his commission. He was twice married: first, on 9 June 1827, to Maria, daughter of the Rev. Edward Bromhead of Reepham near Lincoln, and, secondly, in March 1847, to Eleanor, daughter of Addison Fenwick of Bishopwearmouth then in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, and widow of W. Brown Clark of

Belford Hall Belford Hall is a Grade I listed building, an 18th-century mansion house situated at Belford, Northumberland. The Manor of Belford was acquired by the Dixon family in 1726, and in 1752 Abraham Dixon built a mansion house in a Palladian style to ...

in Northumberland. She died on 13May 1862 in London. Brackenbury died on 1June 1864 at Skendleby Hall,

Skendleby Skendleby is a small village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated near to the A158 and lies east from the county town Lincoln, and about north-east from the town of Spilsby. The village stand ...

, Lincolnshire.

References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brackenbury, Edward 1785 births 1864 deaths 33rd Regiment of Foot officers 69th Regiment of Foot officers Knights Bachelor British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars 61st Regiment of Foot officers 28th Regiment of Foot officers