James Gisborne (died 1778) 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 ...

officer and Member of the Irish Parliament.

Biography

He was the son of James Gisborne, rector of

Staveley, Derbyshire Staveley is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Located along the banks of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother. It is (5 miles) northeast of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, (5 miles) w ...

;

Thomas Gisborne Thomas Gisborne (31 October 1758 – 24 March 1846) was an English Anglican priest and poet. He was a member of the Clapham Sect, who fought for the Abolitionism in the United Kingdom, abolition of the slave trade in England. Life Gisborne wa ...

was his younger brother. He went to Ireland as page to

the Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...

, and had a successful career in the viceregal household. On 1 June 1739 he joined the Army with a commission as second lieutenant in Bissett's Regiment of Foot, and after a progressive service in the subordinate commissions, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 10th Regiment in 1755, and was afterwards employed many years on the staff of Ireland, as quartermaster-general in that country. Richard Cannon, ''Historical Record of the Sixteenth, or the Bedfordshire Regiment of Foot'' (1848
p. 41
In 1762 Gisborne was promoted to the rank of colonel of Foot, with command of the 121st Regiment, and on 4 March 1766 he was removed to the 16th Regiment. In 1770 Gisborne was persuaded by

Lord Townshend Marquess Townshend is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the Townshend family of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The title was created in 1787 for George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend. Histor ...

to resign his post as quartermaster-general in favour of Simon Fraser, and was compensated with the sinecure of

Governor of Kinsale The governor of Kinsale was a military officer who commanded the garrison at Kinsale and Charles Fort in County Cork. The office became a sinecure and in 1833 was to be abolished from the next vacancy. List of governors of Kinsale and Charles Fo ...

. However, the government of Kinsale was then required for the outgoing adjutant-general, Robert Cuninghame, and Gisborne was granted a pension of £500 per annum until another government of greater value should become vacant; he was later appointed

Governor of Charlemont Charlemont Fort was a garrison situated in Charlemont, County Armagh. History The fort was built in 1602 by Charles Blount, 1st Earl of Devonshire, Lord Mountjoy. The name ''Charlemont'' came from Charles Blount's Christian name. It was situat ...

. Gisborne was promoted to major-general in 1770, and to lieutenant-general in 1777. Besides his military career, Gisborne was Gentleman Usher of the

Black Rod Black Rod (officially known as the Lady Usher of the Black Rod or, if male, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod) is an official in the parliaments of several Commonwealth countries. The position originates in the House of Lords of the Parliam ...

from September 1757, and sat in the Irish House of Commons for

Tallow Tallow is a rendering (industrial), rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain techn ...

from 1763 to 1768, and for Lismore from 1768 until his death on 20 February 1778.E. M. Johnston-Liik, ''History of the Irish Parliament'' (2002) vol. IV, pp. 266–267.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gisborne, James 1720s births 1778 deaths Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 Irish MPs 1776–1783 British Army lieutenant generals Royal Lincolnshire Regiment officers Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers 30th Regiment of Foot officers Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Waterford constituencies Politicians from County Waterford