George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
KG PC (London, 8 April 1724 – 13 October 1772), styled Viscount Bury until 1754, was a British general and nobleman. He is best known for his decisive victory over the Spanish during
capture of Havana in 1762, as part of the
Seven Years' War.
Early life
He came from a wealthy and powerful
Dutch family from
Guelders who had close connections to the
Princes of Orange that had moved to England in the seventeenth century, in the aftermath of the
Glorious Revolution. His father was
Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle. Through his mother,
Lady Anne Lennox, he was a great-grandson of King
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...
. He started his military career serving in the
Dutch Army
The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutch ...
fighting against the French, and in 1745, Keppel participated in the
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 ...
as an aide to
Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.
Military career
George Keppel had been previously in his military life commissioned an
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be differ ...
in the
Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
in 1738, becoming a captain-lieutenant of the
1st Regiment of Dragoons in 1741, aged 17, and a captain-lieutenant of the Coldstreams on 7 April 1743. Appointed
aide-de-camp to the
Duke of Cumberland
Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland.
History
The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedom ...
in February 1745, was promoted to captain and lieutenant-colonel on 27 May 1745. The next year, he was promoted
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 ...
and made aide-de-camp to the
King on 24 April 1746. He had fought at the
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince W ...
with his father and carried the dispatch of Cumberland's success to London.
Bury, later 3rd Earl of Albemarle, was returned as Member of Parliament for
Chichester
Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only c ...
in 1746. He was appointed a
Lord of the Bedchamber
Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...
to the Duke of Cumberland in 1748, a post he held until the Duke's death in 1765. On 1 November 1749, he was given the colonelcy of the
20th Regiment of Foot. He succeeded to the earldom on the death of his father in 1754; his younger brother
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
replaced him as MP for Chichester.
On 8 April 1755, he became colonel of the
3rd (The King's Own) Regiment of Dragoons. He was promoted
major-general on 1 February 1756 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 1 April 1759. He was appointed
Governor of Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the la ...
on 26 January 1761 and sworn a
Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
on 28 January.
The outbreak of the
Seven Years' War once again caused him to return to active duty, and in July 1762, he was chosen to lead an
assault on Havana. The siege was extraordinarily successful, inflicting 11,670 casualties on the Spanish in return for British casualties being under half of that number. In addition to the capture of the second capital of the
Spanish Empire, 10 ships of the line, 2 frigates, 2 sloops and 100 merchant ships were captured. The humiliating Spanish defeat helped end
the war in the favour of
the British.
Later life
Keppel was made a
Knight of the Garter in 1765 and was appointed Keeper of
Bagshot Park
Bagshot Park is a royal residence located near Bagshot, a village south of Windsor. It is on Bagshot Heath, a tract of formerly open land in Surrey and Berkshire. Bagshot Park occupies within the designated area of Windsor Great Park.
The ...
in 1766. On 20 April 1770 at Bagshot Park, he married Anne Miller (died 3 July 1824), daughter of Sir John Miller, 4th Baronet, by whom he had a son,
William Charles (1772–1849).
Politically, he was a prominent member of the
Rockingham Whigs in the House of Lords. He was made a
general on 26 May 1772, and died in October of that year.
Legacy
Albemarle Street in
Halifax, Nova Scotia is named after him.
See also
*
Great Britain in the Seven Years War
Great Britain was one of the major participants in the Seven Years' War, which in fact lasted nine years, between 1754 and 1763. British involvement in the conflict began in 1754 in what became known as the French and Indian War. However the w ...
References
*
External links
The Capture of Havana, 1762 Greenwich maritime museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albemarle, George Keppel, 3rd Earl of
1724 births
1772 deaths
1st The Royal Dragoons officers
3rd The King's Own Hussars officers
British Army generals
Bury, George Keppel, Viscount
Bury, George Keppel, Viscount
Coldstream Guards officers
Colonial heads of Cuba
George 3
Governors of Jersey
George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
Knights of the Garter
Lancashire Fusiliers officers
Bury, George Keppel, Viscount
Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain
British Army personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745
British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War
People from Quidenham
Military personnel from London