Richard Ford William Lambart, 7th Earl of Cavan (10 September 1763 – 21 November 1837), styled Viscount Kilcoursie from 1772 to 1778, was a British military commander throughout the

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislative ...

and beyond. He became head of the British Army in Egypt. He suggested to the British government the removal of the obelisk known as

Cleopatra's Needle Cleopatra's Needles are a separated pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks now in London and New York City. The obelisks were originally made in Heliopolis (modern Cairo) during the New Kingdom period, inscribed by the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose I ...

, for long centuries embedded in the sand near Alexandria, Egypt. The undertaking was considered too costly and not taken up until 1877, and the obelisk now stands on the London Embankment to commemorate the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars.

Biography

He was born into an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

aristocratic family, the only son of The 6th Earl of Cavan, whom he succeeded in 1778, and his second wife Elizabeth Davies, daughter of William Davies. He was commissioned as an ensign 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 ...

in 1779. In 1798 he was promoted to Major-General, and in 1800 he commanded a Division in Egypt under Abercromby. In command of a Brigade of Guards under General

Eyre Coote Eyre Coote may refer to: *Eyre Coote (East India Company officer) (1726–1783), Irish soldier and Commander-in-chief of India *Eyre Coote (British Army officer) (1762–1823), Irish-born general in the British Army * Eyre Coote (MP) (1806–1834), ...

, he took part in the Siege of Alexandria in 1801. He appears as one of a number of Heroes of the Egypt Campaign in a commemorative engraving of 1802. He was Colonel of the 2nd Battalion, 68th Foot between 1801 and 1802. In 1805 he was promoted to Lieutenant-General. He was Colonel of the 2nd West Indian Regiment between 1805 and 1808. He was Colonel of the

77th Foot The 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line regiment of the British Army, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cam ...

between 1808 and 1811. Promoted to full general in 1814, he was Colonel of the

58th Regiment of Foot The 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881. His ...

between 1811 and 1823. He was a General Officer and Colonel of the

45th Regiment of Foot The 45th (Nottinghamshire) (Sherwood Foresters) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1741. The regiment saw action during Father Le Loutre's War, the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War as w ...

between 1823 and 1837. Between 1813 and 1837, he held the office of Governor of Calshot Castle, a

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval chu ...

abolished after his death.

Family

Lambart married first Honora Margaretta, the daughter of Sir Henry Gould the younger (1710–1794). He then married Lydia, daughter of William Arnold. She was sister of

Thomas Arnold Thomas Arnold (13 June 1795 – 12 June 1842) was an English educator and historian. He was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement. As headmaster of Rugby School from 1828 to 1841, he introduced several reforms that were wide ...

, headmaster of

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

, and died aged 78 of

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

in 1862 at

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

, Kent. The children of Lambart and his first wife, Honora, include: * Richard Henry Robert Gilbert Lambart, Viscount Kilcoursie (1783–1785) * Honora Elizabeth Esther Lambart (b. 29 April 1784) * Alicia Margaretta Hockmore Lambart (b. 1 August 1785)''The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786''. 21 August 1785. * Richard Henry Lambart, Viscount Kilcoursie (1788–1788) * George Frederick Augustus Lambart, Viscount Kilcoursie (1789–1828)

References

Profile at ThePeerage.com
* ''Frederick John William, 8th Earl of Cavan. A Life Sketch'', privately printed at Weston-super-Mare; no date; no ISBN

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cavan, Richard Lambart, 7th Earl 1763 births 1837 deaths 58th Regiment of Foot officers 77th Regiment of Foot officers British Army generals British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Sherwood Foresters officers West India Regiment officers Earls of Cavan Coldstream Guards officers