Philip Goldsworthy (~1737 – 1801), 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. He was a

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 Wilton and chief equerry to

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. Goldsworthy was a

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 ...

and Colonel of The Royals.

Personal life and family

Goldsworthy was the second son of Burrington Goldsworthy, British consul at Leghorn and later Cadiz, and his wife Philippia Vanbrugh niece of

Sir John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...

. He was baptised at Leghorn on the 18 October 1737.

Military career

Goldsworthy was commissioned as a cornet in the 1st Dragoons in 1756. He was promoted to

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 1760, to captain in 1768 and to major in 1776. He went on to be promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1779 and to

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 ...

in 1784 and was appointed chief equerry (to the King) and clerk martial on 9 March 1788. He was then promoted to

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 ...

in 1793 and 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 ...

in 1799. He served as colonel of

1st (Royal) Regiment of Dragoons The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) was a heavy cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1661 as the Tangier Horse. It served for three centuries and was in action during the First and the Second World Wars. It was amalgam ...

from 23 January 1794 until his death.

Parliament

He represented the parliamentary borough of Wilton in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

during two terms in the Parliament of Great Britain and shortly in the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

. He served from 2 February 1785 to January 1788, and 15 February 1794 to 4 January 1801.

Posterity

He died unmarried at his seat Wilton Wiltshire 4 January 1801.

References

General: * Namier, Sir Lewis and Brooke, John. ''The House of Commons 1754-1790'' (1964), * Beck, Edward Josselyn. ''Memorials to Serve for a History of the Parish of St. Mary, Rotherhithe'' (1907) In-text: {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsworthy, Philip 1737 births 1801 deaths 1st The Royal Dragoons officers British Army lieutenant generals British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Equerries People educated at Westminster School, London Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies People from Wilton, Wiltshire UK MPs 1801–1802