Lieutenant General George Preston (b. 1707- 31 January 1785, Weston, Bath) was in the British Army for 61 years and led the

Royal Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard ...

.Monumental Inscriptions at All Saints Church, Weston
/ref>

Family

He was the son of William Preston and Mary Ramsey of

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hi ...

. Preston married Lucy, oldest daughter of

James Johnston (Secretary of State) James Johnston (1655 – 3 May 1737, in Bath), of Orleans House, Twickenham, Middlesex, was a Scottish diplomat who was envoy extraordinary to Prussia from 1690 to 1692 and an office holder who was Secretary of State, Scotland from 1692 to 1696 ...

. His son Sir Robert Preston, grandson Sir Robert Preston and other grandson Sir Henry Preston were

Preston baronets There have been four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Preston, two in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, one in the Baronetage of England and another in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. The Preston Baronetcy, of Airdrie in the ...

Career

In 1739, Preston became a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

. In a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

on 30 November 1743 at

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, Lieut. Preston killed

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

Alexander Hepburn (brother of Robert Hepburn). During the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

, Preston fought in the

Battle of Dettingen The Battle of Dettingen (german: Schlacht bei Dettingen) took place on 27 June 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession at Dettingen in the Electorate of Mainz, Holy Roman Empire (now Karlstein am Main in Bavaria). It was fought between a ...

(1743),

Battle of Fontenoy The Battle of Fontenoy was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought on 11 May 1745 near Tournai in modern Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of roughly the same size, led by th ...

(1745),

Battle of Roucoux The Battle of Rocoux took place on 11 October 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession, at Rocourt (or Rocoux), near Liège in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, now modern Belgium. It was fought between a French army under Marshal Saxe an ...

(1746), and the

Battle of Val The Battle of Lauffeld, variously known as Lafelt, Laffeld, Lawfeld, Lawfeldt, Maastricht, or Val, took place on 2 July 1747, between Tongeren in modern Belgium, and the Dutch city of Maastricht. Part of the War of the Austrian Succession, a Fr ...

(1747), where he was wounded. p.77 Richard Cannon. ''Historical Record of the Seventeenth Regiment of Light Dragoons-- Lancers ...'', J W Parker, London 1841
/ref> During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, Preston also fought in the

Battle of Minden The Battle of Minden was a major engagement during the Seven Years' War, fought on 1 August 1759. An Anglo-German army under the overall command of Prussian Field Marshal Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of F ...

(1759),

Battle of Warburg The Battle of Warburg was a battle fought on 31 July 1760 during the Seven Years' War. The battle was a victory for the Hanoverians and the British against a slightly larger French army. The victory meant the Anglo-German allies had successful ...

(1760) (where his horse was killed and he was wounded), Battle of Kirch Denkern (1771),

Battle of Wilhelmsthal The Battle of Wilhelmsthal (sometimes written as the Battle of Wilhelmstadt) was fought on 24 June 1762 during the Seven Years' War between the allied forces of Britain, Prussia, Hanover, Brunswick and Hesse under the command of the Duke of Bru ...

(1762). He was wounded in the British victory at the gates of Zierenberg (1760). He obtained the Lieut. Colonelcy of the regiment on 25 February 1757.p.127 Richard Cannon. ''Historical Record of the Seventeenth Regiment of Light Dragoons-- Lancers ...'', J W Parker, London 1841
/ref> He took over from John Hale and obtained colonelcy of the 17th Light Dragoons on 2 November 1770. He became major general in 1772, and Lieut. General in 1777. He fought in the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

. He became Col of the Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons) between 18 Apr 1782 - 3 Feb 1785. (He was followed by his brother-in-law General James Johnston.) He died in Bath and his tomb is at All Saints' Church, Weston, Bath.Historic England
accessed 29 May 2019

References

{{S-end 18th-century Scottish people 17th Lancers officers Royal Scots Greys officers 1707 births 1785 deaths