Commissary-General Havilland Le Mesurier (1758–1806) was a British merchant and commissary officer who also published on military matters.W. R. Meyer, ‘Le Mesurier, Havilland (1758–1806)’,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004; online edn, Jan 200
accessed 3 April 2016
/ref> He was born on 8 May 1758 in

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

. His parents were John Le Mesurier (1717–1793), hereditary Governor of

Alderney Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making it the third-largest ...

, and his wife Martha (d. 1764). His brother was Paul Le Mesurier, an MP and

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

. He attended

Winchester School Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of t ...

from 1770 to 1771, before joining the business of his father and eldest brother. They ran a merchant house that profited from privateering in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. In 1782 he married Elizabeth Dobrée of Guernsey (died 1804). After war broke out with France in 1793, and with his business suffering as a result, Le Mesurier took a commission in the army sent to assist the Dutch. He was promoted swiftly to deputy commissary-general, winning praise for his hard work during the winter of 1794–5. After he returned from the continent, he set up anew as a merchant with another brother. In 1797, he was appointed commissary-general of southern England, in response to the threat of invasion. He resigned in 1800, when the post of commissary-general of all England went to

Brook Watson Sir Brook Watson, 1st Baronet (7 February 1735 – 2 October 1807) was a British merchant, soldier, and later Lord Mayor of London. He is perhaps best known as the subject of John Singleton Copley's painting '' Watson and the Shark, ''which depi ...

, with whom he had worked during the Dutch campaign but whom he did not respect. In 1801, with a new government in place, Le Mesurier was appointed as commissary-general to the army preparing to return from Egypt, and also saw service in Naples and Malta. He died on 5 March 1806, leaving a widow and five children. His eldest son was also a military officer, Colonel Havilland Le Mesurier.Brock Tupper, F. ''Family Records'' (1835)
/ref>

Works

* ''A System for the British Commissariat on Foreign Service'' (1796) * ''The British Commissary'' (1798) * ''Thoughts on a French Invasion'' (1798) * ''Two Letters to the Commissioners of Army Accounts'' (1806)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Mesurier, Havilland British Army Commissariat officers Guernsey people 1758 births 1806 deaths