General John Mostyn (c.1709 – 16 February 1779) was a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
soldier, MP and
colonial administrator
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
.
He was a younger son of
Sir Roger Mostyn, 3rd Baronet
Sir Roger Mostyn, 3rd Baronet (31 July 1673 – 5 May 1739), of Mostyn Hall, Holywell, Flintshire, was a Welsh Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons for 25 years from 1701 to 1735.
Early life
Mostyn was born on 3 ...
and educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
and
Christ Church, Oxford.
He joined the army as an Ensign in 1733. On 2 September 1743, he was promoted from captain in the
31st Regiment of Foot
The 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot to form the East Surrey Regiment in 1881.
History Origins
...
to
captain-lieutenant
Captain lieutenant or captain-lieutenant is a military rank, used in a number of navies worldwide and formerly in the British Army.
Northern Europe Denmark, Norway and Finland
The same rank is used in the navies of Denmark (), Norway () and Finl ...
in the
2nd Regiment of Foot Guards. On 2 April 1745, he was promoted to captain of a company, and was wounded the next month at the
Battle of Fontenoy. He served as
Groom of the Bedchamber to King George II from 1746 to his death. From 1751 to 1754 he held the colonelcy of the
7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fuzileers), from 1754 to 1758 that of the
13th Regiment of Dragoons, from 1758 to 1760 that of the
5th (or Royal Irish) Regiment of Dragoons
The 5th Royal Irish Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War. It amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to become the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922.
History Early wa ...
, from 1760 to 1763 that of the
7th (The Queens Own) Regiment of Dragoons and from 1763 to 1779 that of the
1st King's Dragoon Guards
The 1st King's Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment was raised by Sir John Lanier in 1685 as the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse, named in honour of Queen Mary, consort of King James II. It was renamed the 2nd Ki ...
. He was promoted to the rank of General in 1772.
Mostyn served as
Governor of Menorca
Below is a list of (known) governors of Menorca from the time of the British occupation in 1708 until the British relinquished control of the island for the last time in 1802.
Background
It was commonplace for governors to be absent from the isla ...
for a ten-year period between 1768 and 1778. It was a titular role and Mostyn was not in residence on the island, which meant that his deputy was in effective charge – from 1774 this was
James Murray, his eventual successor who was forced to
surrender the island in 1782 to a Spanish force.
He died unmarried.
See also
*
List of Governors of Menorca
Below is a list of (known) governors of Menorca from the time of the British occupation in 1708 until the British relinquished control of the island for the last time in 1802.
Background
It was commonplace for governors to be absent from the isl ...
References
Sources
* John Brooke, MOSTYN, John (1709–79). in ''
The History of Parliament
The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...
: the House of Commons 1754–1790'' (1964).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mostyn, John
History of Menorca
1710 births
1779 deaths
People educated at Westminster School, London
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
1st King's Dragoon Guards officers
7th Queen's Own Hussars officers
13th Hussars officers
British Army generals
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1741–1747
British MPs 1747–1754
British MPs 1754–1761
British MPs 1761–1768
Royal Fusiliers officers
Younger sons of baronets
Coldstream Guards officers