General Lord Robert Manners (c. 1721 – 31 May 1782) was an English soldier and nobleman. He was a son of

John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland KG (18 September 1676 – 22 February 1721), styled Lord Roos from 1679 to 1703 and Marquess of Granby from 1703 to 1711, was a British Whig politician sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1 ...

and his second wife, Lucy Sherard.

Life

He purchased an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

cy in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

on 26 July 1735, and was promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in May 1740. On 22 April 1742, he was promoted captain and lieutenant-colonel in the 1st Foot Guards, and in December 1747,

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and aide-de-camp to King George II. Manners was returned as

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 o ...

for

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...

in 1747, and kept the seat for the remainder of his life. In September 1748, he was appointed colonel of the 15th Light Dragoons, which were shortly thereafter disbanded. On 13 March 1751 he was made colonel of the

36th Regiment of Foot The 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1701. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Worcestershire Regiment in 1881. Its ...

, and was promoted

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 7 February 1757, and lieutenant-general on 7 April 1759. He was transferred to the colonelcy of the 3rd (The Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards on 6 September 1765. He was promoted

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

on 25 May 1772 and died on 31 May 1782. Lady Robert Manners00

On 1 January 1756 he married Mary Digges (c. 1727–1829), by whom he had several children: *Mary Manners (1756–1834), married on 31 January 1777

William Hamilton Nisbet William Hamilton Nisbet (1747 – 17 July 1822) was a British politician. He was the eldest son of William Nisbet of Archerfield House, Dirleton and his wife Mary, the daughter and heiress of Alexander Hamilton of Pencaitland, Haddington a ...

(1747–1822) *General Robert Manners (1758–1823), had five children by his mistress, Mary Ann Goodchild (1780–1854) *John James Manners (1762–1763) *George Manners (1763–1828), of Bloxholm and

Ufford Hall Ufford Hall may refer to the following buildings in England: * Ufford Hall, Cambridgeshire * Ufford Hall, Suffolk {{dab ...

, unmarried *Lucy Manners (1764–1835), unmarried General Robert Manners left Bloxholm to his brother George,

High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilit ...

in 1826, whose death occurred in 1828. Both brothers having died unmarried, George left the estate to their dearest cousin, Mrs Jenney. She was the daughter of John, second Duke of Rutland, and sister of Lord Robert Manners, the father of Robert and George, making her their first cousin, once removed. However, Lady Mary Bruce (her husband being

Robert Nisbet-Hamilton Robert Adam Nisbet-Hamilton PC, FRS, JP (1804 – 9 June 1877), known as Robert Dundas until 1835 and as Robert Christopher between 1835 and 1855, was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lanca ...

who changed his surname from Christopher) who was the brothers’ great niece, and eldest daughter of the 7th Earl of Elgin, contested the will, saying George had changed his will in her favour, and took the matter to court. A relative of the brothers wrote to the Editor of the ''Stamford Mercury'' on 26 March 1841 making it very clear that the family knew George wanted Bloxholm to go to Mrs Jenney, writing: ''for it is the opinion of all who are acquainted with the circumstances, that the testator would never have made an alteration had he been in the full possession of his faculties''. The matter was settled in favour of Lady Mary Bruce.Clarke, B. (1852) The British Gazetteer, Political, Commercial, Ecclesiastical, and Historical. Vol I (A-C) pp.99-100
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References

General Lord Robert Manners
* * John Brooke
MANNERS, Lord Robert (?1717-82), of Bloxholm, Lincs.
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) * Romney Sedgwick
MANNERS, Lord Robert (c.1717-82), of Bloxholm, Lincs.
in ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754'' (1970) {{DEFAULTSORT:Manners, Robert, Lord 1720s births 1782 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British Army generals Younger sons of dukes 36th Regiment of Foot officers R Sherard family Coldstream Guards officers Grenadier Guards officers 3rd Dragoon Guards officers 18th-century English people 18th-century British Army personnel