General John Michel (10 February 1765 – 5 April 1844) 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.

Biography

He was born the son of David Robert Michel, MP of

Kingston Russell Kingston Russell is a settlement and civil parish west of Dorchester, in the Dorset district, in the county of Dorset, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 35. The parish touches Compton Valence, Littlebredy, Long Bredy and Winterbou ...

House, Dorset, a colonel in the Dorset Militia and inherited the Mountain River estate in St John, Jamaica, from his father-in-law, John Ayscough, receiving the compensation when the slaves were freed. On 1 February 1781 he was appointed ensign in the 51st Regiment of Foot. He served at the siege of Fort St Philip, Minorca, and was taken prisoner on its surrender. In June 1785 he succeeded to a lieutenancy in the 51st, and in July 1790 was appointed captain in the

4th Dragoon Guards The 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Arran's Regiment of Cuirassiers. It was renamed as the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards in 1788 and service for two centuries, incl ...

. Captain Michel served two years on the staff as aide-de-camp to the

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the Kingdo ...

, and in October 1793 succeeded to a majority, then in August 1796 to a lieutenant-colonelcy in the 4th Dragoon Guards. In 1801 he exchanged into the

14th Light Dragoons The 14th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 20th Hussars to form the 14th/20th King's Hussars in 192 ...

; on 29 April 1802 he received the brevet of colonel, and in October 1804 was appointed brigadier-general on the staff in Ireland, where he continued until June 1805. In February 1807 he was re-appointed to the Irish staff; on 25 October 1809 he was promoted to major-general, and to lieutenant general on 4 June 1814.

John Philippart John Philippart (1784?–1874) was a British military writer. Born in London about 1784, Philippart was educated at a military academy, and was subsequently placed in the office of a Scottish solicitor. His inclinations, however, tended more to mi ...

, ''The Royal Military Calendar'' (1820), volume 2
p. 357
He was promoted full general on 8 June 1837. He served as the

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 ...

for

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

from 1812 to 1818. He died in 1844 and was buried at Dewlish. He had married firstly Elizabeth, the daughter of Pierce Crosbie of Ballyheigue Castle, Co. Kerry and secondly Anne, the daughter of Hon. Henry Fane, with whom he had three sons and two daughters. His son became Field Marshal

John Michel Field Marshal Sir John Michel (1 September 1804 – 23 May 1886) was a British Army officer. He commanded the 6th Regiment of Foot during the Eighth Xhosa War in 1851 and served as Chief of Staff of the British Army's Turkish contingent during ...

References

External links

* 1765 births 1844 deaths Military personnel from Dorset British Army generals Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Belfast constituencies (1801–1922) Burials in Dorset UK MPs 1812–1818 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards officers 14th King's Hussars officers King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry officers {{Ireland-UK-MP-stub