Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir Edward Hopton (7 February 1837 – 19 January 1912) 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 who became

Lieutenant Governor of Jersey The Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (, Jèrriais: ''Gouvèrneux d'Jèrri'') is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The Lieutenant Governor has his own flag in Jersey, ...

Early life

Hopton was born in 1837 in

Bishops Frome Bishop's Frome (or Bishops Frome) is a village and civil parish in eastern Herefordshire, England. The village is north-east of the city and county town of Hereford, west of Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern and south of Bromyard. The civil p ...

, Herefordshire, the eldest son of the Reverend W.P. Hopton and his wife, Diana. He was educated 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 ...

and joined the Army in 1854.

Military career

Hopton was commissioned into the 79th Foot. He fought at the Siege of Sevastapol during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

and at the

Siege of Lucknow The siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the British Residency within the city of Lucknow from rebel sepoys (Indian soldiers in the British East India Company's Army) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After two successive relief att ...

during the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

and then served with the

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Foot (which ...

during the 9th Xhosa War of 1877 to 1878. He was promoted

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 colonel. ...

on 18 December 1880,

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 ...

on 11 November 1882,

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 a ...

on 1 April 1892, and

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 19 December 1898. After the death of the previous holder, he was on 15 January 1900 appointed regimental colonel of the Connaught Rangers. Hopton was appointed

in 1895, and thus also in command of the troops on the island.''The County Families of the United Kingdom'' by Edward Walford
/ref> During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

he had some difficulty maintaining order on Jersey in the face of Pro-

Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...

attitudes of some of the French Islanders.Trouble at St Helier's: British Resent Pro-Boer Attitude of the French Islanders
New York Times, 1900 In retirement, he became Deputy Lieutenant of

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

Family

In 1874, he married Clare Ellen Trafford; they had two sons and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopton, Edward 1837 births 1912 deaths British Army lieutenant generals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Deputy Lieutenants of Herefordshire English justices of the peace Connaught Rangers officers Governors of Jersey British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) officers