General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir George Anson, GCB (born Adams; 1769 – 4 November 1849), was a British officer and politician from the

Anson family ) , type = , country = * , estates = Shugborough HallBirch Hall , titles = * Earl of Lichfield * Viscount Anson * Baronet Anson , founded = , founder = George Anson , current head ...

. He commanded a British cavalry brigade under the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

and sat for many years as a Whig

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Early life

Anson was the second son of George Adams (who changed the family surname to Anson by royal license on 30 April 1773) and his wife The Hon. Mary Vernon, daughter of the first Lord Vernon.''The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History and Politics of the Year – 1849'', page 283, (Published 1850, J. G. & F. Rivington) He had an elder brother,

Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson (14 February 1767 – 31 July 1818) was a British politician and peer from the Anson family. Background and career Thomas Anson was born 14 February 1767, the first son of George Anson, of Shugborough and Mar ...

, and a younger brother,

Sir William Anson, 1st Baronet General Sir William Anson, 1st Baronet, (13 August 1772 – 13 January 1847) was a British officer from the Anson family. He became a general in the British Army and noted for his service in Peninsular War. Early life William Anson was born on ...

; another younger brother was Frederick Anson, who became

Dean of Chester The Dean of Chester is based at Chester Cathedral in the Diocese of Chester and is the head of the Chapter at the cathedral. List of deans Early modern *1541 Thomas Clerk (first Dean of Chester) *1541–1547 Henry Man (afterwards Bishop of S ...

Career

The Peninsular Wars and gaining of reputation

He entered the

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 ...

in 1786 and served under the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

and Sir

Ralph Abercromby Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British people, British soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was appointed Gov ...

in Holland. It was to be in the

where his reputation grew markedly. He served in all the campaigns between 1809 and 1813 and gained distinction in his command of the

16th Light Dragoons The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922. History Early war ...

at the

Second Battle of Porto The Second Battle of Porto, also known as the Battle of the Douro or the Crossing of the Douro, was a battle in which General Arthur Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese Army defeated Marshal Soult's French troops on 12 May 1809 and took back the ...

. His reputation was further enhanced by his command of a brigade of

light cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily rai ...

at the Battles of Talavera, Busaco,

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

and Vittoria.''The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History and Politics of the Year – 1849'', page 284, (Published 1850, J. G. & F. Rivington) He also fought in the

Battle of Venta del Pozo The Battle of Venta del Pozo, also known as the Battle of Villodrigo by the French and Spanish, was a rear-guard action fought as part of the Peninsular War on 23 October 1812 between an Anglo-German force led by Major-General Stapleton Cot ...

during the retreat from

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...

. For his services in the Battles of Talavera,

and Vittoria he received a medal and two clasps. So prominent was he during these campaigns that the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

thanked him in November 1816 for his services generally during the Peninsular Wars. In August 1814, he was appointed to the

colonelcy 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 ...

of the 23rd Regiment of (Light) Dragoons and in February 1827 to the colonelcy of the 4th Dragoon Guards. He was promoted to the rank of full general on 10 January 1837.

Outside conflict

Aside from his military career he also sat as Member of Parliament for

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west of B ...

from 1806 to 1841. He was also the Groom of the Bedchamber to Prince Albert from 1836 to September 1841. In 1846 he was appointed the lieutenant-governor of the

Royal Hospital, Chelsea The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse, the ancient sense of the word "hospital", it is a site located on Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea. It is an in ...

and became governor in May 1849.

Marriage and descendants

Anson married Frances, daughter of John William Hamilton, in 1800. She was also the sister of Sir Frederick Hamilton. They had six sons and five daughters. Their son

Talavera Vernon Anson Admiral Talavera Vernon Anson (26 November 1809 – 8 September 1895) was a Royal Navy officer who took part in the Greek War of Independence and the First Opium War. Early life Born in 1809, Anson was the second son of General Sir George Anso ...

became an Admiral in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. Another son, Thomas Anson, was a first-class cricketer. Their daughter Julia married Sir Arthur Brinsley Brooke and served as a lady in waiting to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. Lady Anson died in 1834. Anson survived her by fifteen years and died at the

, in November 1849. In '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', transmitted on the BBC on 18 October 2007, it was discovered that Sir Matthew Pinsent, the multiple gold medal Olympic rower, is a direct descendant of Sir George Anson.

References

*
www.thepeerage.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anson, George (1769-1849) British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Anson (1769-1849), George Anson (1769-1849), George British Army generals Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards officers 16th The Queen's Lancers officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath