George Brydges Harley Dennett Rodney, 7th Baron Rodney (28 February 1857 - 29 December 1909) was a British Army officer notable for his service in the Egyptian and Nile campaigns of the 1880s. He succeeded his father to the Rodney Barony in 1864 and was succeeded by his son George Bridges Harley Guest Rodney (1891-1973).

Life

He was a captain in the

1st Life Guards The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated ...

from 1886 to 1888, serving with them in the Egyptian and Nile campaigns before moving to the Reserve of Officers at the same rank in 1889. He exhausted his considerable inherited fortune on bloodstock and gambling. In 1887, his first season as a racehorse owner, he won the

St Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...

with Kilwarlin and the

Cesarewitch Handicap The Cesarewitch Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs (3,621 metres ...

with Humewood. He attended the Devonshire House Ball of 1897 as King Arthur. He also held the rank of captain in the Shropshire Imperial Yeomanry from 1890 to 1897 before becoming lieutenant colonel of the 16th Middlesex (London Irish) Rifle Volunteers in 1898. He was the last of his family to live at Berrington Hall, selling it and its estate to Frederick Cawley, MP in 1901. He became lieutenant colonel of 24th (County of London) Battalion (The Queen's) soon after the formation of the London Regiment and took an active interest in cadet corps in south London, dying in Camberwell and being buried at Camberwell Old Cemetery."Death of Lord Rodney", ''Bridgnorth Journal and South Shropshire Advertiser'', 1 January 1910, page 5

Marriage and issue

On 24 January 1891 at

St James's Church, Piccadilly St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, United Kingdom. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. Th ...

he married Corisande Evelyn Vere Guest (4 July 1870 – 1 September 1943), second daughter of Lady Cornelia Henrietta Maria Spencer-Churchill and her husband Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne. Corisande's mother Cornelia Henrietta was a daughter of

John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (2 June 18224 July 1883), styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British Conservative cabinet minister, politician, peer, and noblem ...

and thus a great-aunt of Winston Churchill. George and Corisande had issue: #George Bridges Harley Guest Rodney, later 8th Baron Rodney #James Henry Bertie Rodney (1893-1933) #Charles Christian Simon Rodney (1895-?) #William Francis Rodney (1896-1915) Almost immediately after the marriage he began physically abusing his wife and after he struck her in the eye on 21 April 1899 she ceased living with him. He moved in with Corisande's former lady's maid Annie Turner and his wife filed an initial petition of divorce on grounds of cruelty and adultery, though this was abandoned at his request in favour of a deed of separation. He continued to live with Turner and a second petition was presented on the same grounds - George did not contest it and a

decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the condi ...

and custody of their children were granted to Corisande in 1902."Lord Rodney Divorced - Peer and Lady's Maid", ''Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper'', 23 March 1902, page 6 On 28 January 1903 George married Charlotte Eugenia Probyn, daughter of Charlotte Seymour Jones and her husband Edmund Probyn. She survived him, though this second marriage had no issue.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodney, George Brydges Harley Dennett Rodney, 7th Baron 1857 births 1909 deaths George Brydges Harley Dennett British Life Guards officers Imperial Yeomanry officers London Regiment officers London Irish Rifles officers