Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Hugh Richard Dawnay, 8th Viscount Downe, (20 July 1844 – 21 January 1924) was a

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 ...

general and President of the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

Early life

Dawnay was the second son of

William Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe William Henry Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe (15 May 1812 – 26 January 1857) was a British politician. Background Downe was the son of the Reverend William Henry Dawnay, 6th Viscount Downe, Rector of Sessay and Thormanby in North Yorkshire. Politi ...

and his wife Mary Isabel Bagot, daughter of Richard Bagot,

Bishop of Bath and Wells The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of Do ...

. One younger brother,

Lewis Payn Dawnay Lewis Payn Dawnay (1 April 1846 – 30 July 1910) was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1892. Dawnay was the second son of William Dawnay, 7th Viscount Downe and his wife Mary Isabel Bagot, d ...

, was MP for

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological fin ...

and another, Guy Cuthbert Dawnay, traveller and soldier, was MP for the North Riding of Yorkshire, 1882-85. In 1857, Dawnay succeeded his father, who died in his forties. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and attended

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

Career

Lord Downe was an officer in the

2nd Regiment of Life Guards The 2nd 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 2nd Troop of Horse Guards and 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated ...

, where he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 25 June 1873. He fought in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupl ...

in 1879, for which he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He was Lieutenant-Colonel of the 10th Hussars between 1887 and 1892. From 1899 to March 1900 he served as a staff officer in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

in South Africa, where he was deputed to accompany the military attachés representing foreign powers. He was mentioned in despatches twice, in a despatch dated 31 March 1900 the Commander-in-Chief Lord Roberts stated that he "discharged his duties with tact and discretion". He was then appointed in command of a brigade of

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

. After his return to the United Kingdom, Lord Downe was in March 1901 asked by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

to take part in a special diplomatic mission to announce the King's accession to the governments of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...

, and

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In July 1901 he was promoted to the temporary rank of

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on the Staff to command the Cavalry Brigade at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

, where training for fighting in South Africa took place. In December 1901 her received the local rank of

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

whilst so employed. He retired from the army on 30 July 1902, and was granted the honorary rank of major-general. Lord Downe was the author of a 1902 report to inquire into the working of the

Remount Remount referred to the provision of fresh horses, particularly for military purposes. The word encompasses both the animals themselves and the means by which they were provided. In many cases, remounts were horses provided to replace those killed ...

Department in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The report, which was especially critical of the supply of horses during the recent war in South Africa, was published in a government blue-book with other such reports (Cd.995).

Honours

Downe was created Baron Dawnay, of Danby in the North Riding of the County of York, in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

, on 24 July 1897 and subsequently sat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

(his inherited viscountcy was Irish and did not give him this right). He was invested as a Companion of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(CIE) in 1886, and Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB) in 1900 for services in South Africa. He was appointed a Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(CVO) in the November 1902 Birthday Honours list, and promoted to a Knight Commander of the same order (KCVO) by King

on 18 December 1902.

Cricket

A cricketer he played for

I Zingari I Zingari (from dialectalized Italian , meaning "the Gypsies"; corresponding to standard Italian ') are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs, founded in 1845 and 1888 respectively. It is the oldest and perhaps the most famous of the 'wa ...

and the MCC, playing in the Aborigines v MCC test at Lord's in 1868 in the first tour of England by an Australian team. He became President of the MCC in 1872

Personal life

On 12 July 1869, Lord Downe was married to Lady Cecilia Maria Charlotte Molyneux (1838–1910), the only daughter of

Charles Molyneux, 3rd Earl of Sefton Charles William Molyneux, 3rd Earl of Sefton (10 July 1796 – 2 August 1855), styled Lord Molyneux (or Viscount Molyneux until 1838), was a British Whig politician. Background Sefton was the eldest son of William Molyneux, 2nd Earl of S ...

and the former Mary Augusta Gregge-Hopwood (only daughter of Robert Gregge-Hopwood of

Hopwood Hall Hopwood Hall is a Grade II* historic house in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England, which was the ancestral country home of the landed gentry family of Hopwood who held it from the 12th century, passing to the Gregge (later Gregge-Hopwood, ...

). They had five children: * John Dawnay, 9th Viscount Downe (1872–1931), who married Dorothy ffolkes, daughter of

Sir William ffolkes, 3rd Baronet Sir William Hovell Browne ffolkes, 3rd Baronet (21 November 1847 – 9 May 1912) was an English Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885. ffolkes was the son of Martin William Browne ffolkes and his wife Henrietta ...

. * Hon. Beryl Dawnay (1873–1950), who married Sir Archibald Henry Campbell, son of George Campbell. * Hon. Norah Dawnay (1874–1947), who died unmarried. * Major Hon. Hugh Dawnay (1875–1914), who was killed in action in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

near

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

in November 1914. He was married to Lady Susan de la Poer Beresford, daughter of politician

John Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford John Henry de la Poer Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford (21 May 184423 October 1895), styled Earl of Tyrone from 1859 to 1866, was an Irish peer and Conservative politician. He served as Master of the Buckhounds under Lord Salisbury from 1885 ...

. They had four sons who were all career military officers, including Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and

general Maj-Gen Sir David Dawnay. * Hon. Faith Dawnay (1877–1952), who died unmarried. After Lady Downe's death, he remarried on 27 July 1911 to Florence Faith Dening, a daughter of Rev. Thomas Henry Dening, the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Kilburn. Lord Downe died on 21 January 1924. After his death, his widow remarried to Rev. Arthur Maxwell Bury, Vicar of

Loose Loose may refer to: Places *Loose, Germany *Loose, Kent, a parish and village in southeast England People * Loose (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Loose'' (B'z album), a 1995 album by B'z * ''Loose'' (Crazy Horse album), ...

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

, on 15 April 1931.

References

External links

*
King's College archives
*

Dawnay family of North Riding of Yorkshire
–

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downe, Hugh Dawnay, 8th Viscount British Army major generals 10th Royal Hussars officers British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland 1844 births 1924 deaths British Life Guards officers English cricketers of 1864 to 1889 People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club

Hugh Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

Peers of the United Kingdom created by Queen Victoria