Colonel Sir John Rowland Smyth (1803 — 14 May 1873) was an Anglo-Irish officer in the

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 ...

who saw service in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

Early life and education

Smyth was born at Ballynatray House, Templemichael,

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...

, the fifth and youngest son of Grice Smyth and his wife, Mary Brodrick Mitchell. He was educated at

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. He had three sisters, including Gertrude, who married

William Hughes, 1st Baron Dinorben William Lewis Hughes, 1st Baron Dinorben (10 November 1767 – 10 February 1852), was a Welsh copper mine owner, philanthropist and Whig politician. Hughes was the son of Reverend Edward Hughes, of Kinmel Hall, Denbighshire, and Mary, daughter o ...

, and Penelope, who eloped with HRH

Charles Ferdinand, Prince of Capua Prince Charles of the Two Sicilies, Prince of Capua (Full Italian name: ''Carlo Ferdinando, Principe di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, Principe di Capua'') (10 November 1811 – 22 April 1862 in Turin, Kingdom of Italy) was the second son of Franc ...

Career

Smyth was commissioned as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

into the on 5 July 1821 and, promoted to Lieutenant on 26 May 1825, he fought at the Capture of Bharatpur later that year. He was made a Captain on 22 April 1826, and transferred to the

32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot The 32nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1881. History ...

. After 10 years with the 32nd he moved to the

6th Dragoon Guards The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1685 as the Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740, the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabi ...

, before being given a year-long leave of absence in 1830 to serve a prison sentence. Smyth had fought one of the last duels in the United Kingdom, and both he and his second, Capt. Frederick Markham, were imprisoned for manslaughter in the death of Standish Stanley O'Grady on 18 March 1830 in Ireland. Promoted to Major on 17 August 1841, he returned to the

16th Lancers The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922. History Early war ...

on 6 May 1842 and served with it during the Gwalior Campaign and

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of ...

. At the Battle of Aliwal, Smyth led the 16th Lancers to rout the Sikh cavalry and break a square of infantry; he was

mentioned in dispatches 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 ...

and made a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

Lieutenant-Colonel. After a series of promotions and successes he was made a

Knight Commander 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 ...

on 13 March 1867, promoted to

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 1 April 1870, and became Colonel of the 6th Dragoon Guards on 21 January 1868. He was married to Hon. Catherine Alice Abbott, daughter of

Lord Tenterden Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (7 October 1762 – 4 November 1832), was a British barrister and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench between 1818 and 1832. Born in obscure circumstances to a barber and his wife ...

, who survived him following his death on 14 May 1873. They had a daughter, Penelope Mary Gertrude, who in 1859 married her cousin Charles Abbott, 3rd Baron Tenterden.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, John Rowland 1803 births 1873 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) officers Irish duellists British people convicted of manslaughter British military personnel of the Gwalior Campaign British military personnel of the First Anglo-Sikh War 32nd Regiment of Foot officers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath 16th The Queen's Lancers officers British Army generals