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 ...

Sir Francis Walter de Winton (21 June 1835 – 16 December 1901) 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 Gurkha ...

officer, colonial administrator and

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...

in the Household of the Duke of York.

Early life

De Winton was born at

Pitsford Pitsford is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom. According to 2001 census, the parish's population was 636 people, increasing to 671 at the 2011 census. The village's name means 'Peoht's ford'. Pitsfor ...

, Northamptonshire in 1835, the second son of Walter de Winton of Maesllwch Castle and Julia Cecilia, second daughter of Richard John Collinson. His father had changed his surname from Wilkins to De Winton by royal licence in 1839.

Career

De Winton was educated at the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of S ...

and commissioned into the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

on 11 April 1854. He first saw active service in 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 ...

and was present at the Siege of Sevastopol. For his service he received the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(5th class). He was promoted to captain in 1861 and served in

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestow ...

and

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...

, before working as military attache in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

from 1877 to 1878. From 1878 to 1883 he was secretary to the

Marquess of Lorne A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

, who was

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm ...

. De Winton was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1880 and became brevet-colonel in 1884. He was made a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

in 1882 and was made a knight in the same order in February 1884. He subsequently held administrative appointments in several African colonies, most notably working as Administrator-general of the

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leop ...

. As a result, he was made a Commander of the Order of Leopold by the Belgian government. In 1887 he commanded the

Yoni Expedition The Yoni Expedition was British campaign launched in 1887 against the Yoni Chiefdom of the Temne people of Sierra Leone. Composition of expedition The expedition was led by Francis de Winton and consisted of: * 1st West India Regiment: 298 troops ...

against the Yoni people of West Africa. He was made 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 caregiv ...

upon the successful repression of the rebellion and was made Assistant Quartermaster-General at Army Headquarters. In 1889 De Winton was sent by the British government as a commissioner to

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its n ...

. In May 1890 de Winton, who had retired from the army on 21 June of that year with the honorary rank of major-general, was appointed governor of the

Imperial British East Africa Company The Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC) was a commercial association founded to develop African trade in the areas controlled by the British Empire. The company was incorporated in London on 18 April 1888 and granted a royal charter by Q ...

's possessions, but he resigned in June 1891. In January 1892 de Winton became Controller and Treasurer in the household of

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the ...

. Following the duke's premature death, de Winton served in the household of the Duke and Duchess of York. He was invested as a Knight Grand Cross in 1893.

Personal life

Whilst in Canada, he was Master of the Hounds of the

Montreal Hunt Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

. De Winton was honorary secretary of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

between 1888 and 1889 and was made an honorary

Legum Doctor Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the ear ...

by the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He married in 1864 Evelyn, daughter of Christopher Rawson of Lennoxville, Canada, and had issue two sons and two daughters. One son predeceased him in 1892. De Winton died at Llanstephan,

Llyswen Llyswen is a small village in Powys, Wales on the west bank of the River Wye. It was formerly within the county of Brecknockshire and now forms part of the Community of Bronllys. The nearest town is Brecon approximately to the south-west. His ...

in 1901 and was buried at

Glasbury Glasbury ( cy, Y Clas-ar-Wy), also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village and community in Powys, Wales. The village lies at an important crossing point on the River Wye, connecting the historic counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire, and is ...

. He is the namesake of

De Winton, Alberta De Winton is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within the Foothills County. It is located just south of the City of Calgary and west of Highway 2A (MacLeod Trail). De Winton is located within Census Division No. 6. A variant name is Dewi ...

, in Canada.

References

Sources

*
Archive Francis de Winton
Royal museum of central Africa {{DEFAULTSORT:De Winton, Francis Walter 1835 births 1901 deaths British Army major generals British Army personnel of the Crimean War British colonial governors and administrators in Africa Companions of the Order of the Bath Court of Queen Victoria Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Governors-General of the Congo Free State Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Royal Artillery officers Congo Free State officials International Association of the Congo