General John Mostyn (c.1709 – 16 February 1779) was a

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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

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. 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 ...

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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, 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. 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.

References

Sources

* John Brooke, MOSTYN, John (1709–79). in ''

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: 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

See also

References

Sources