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 ...

Sir Robert Nigel Fitzhardinge Kingscote (28 February 1830 – 22 September 1908) was a British soldier,

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician, courtier and agriculturalist. He was generally known as Sir Nigel Kingscote.

Biography

Kingscote was the son of Colonel Thomas Henry Kingscote, of

Kingscote Park Kingscote Park may refer to: * Kingscote Park, Blackpool, a park in Blackpool, Lancashire, England *Kingscote Park (Gloucestershire) Kingscote Park (formerly Kingscote Cottage) is a Grade II listed house and country estate in Kingscote, ne ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, by his first wife, Lady Isabella Anne Frances, daughter of

Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort Henry Charles Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort, KG (22 December 1766 – 23 November 1835), styled Marquess of Worcester until 1803, was a British politician. Background and education Somerset was the son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort ...

. His mother died when he was less than one year old, shortly after the birth of her second child, a daughter. His brother, Thomas Kingscote, also joined the Royal Household.

Military career

Kingscote was commissioned in to the

Scots Fusilier Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

in 1846. He was Aide-de-Camp to his great-uncle,

Lord Raglan Baron Raglan, of Raglan in the County of Monmouth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 October 1852 for the military commander Lord FitzRoy Somerset, chiefly remembered as commander of the British troops ...

, during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

, and later achieved the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the

Royal North Gloucestershire Militia The Royal North Gloucestershire Militia (RNGM), later the 4th (Militia) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment was a Militia regiment raised in the county of Gloucestershire in the West of England. From its formal creation in 1763 the regiment serve ...

(later 4th (Militia) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment) on 28 January 1862 and retained the position until the unit's disbandment in 1908.''Army List'', various dates.

Political career

Kingscote was

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 Gloucestershire West between 1852 and 1885. He was appointed Deputy

Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. Since 1694, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire. *Edmund Brydges, 2nd Baron Chandos 1559–? * Giles Brydges, 3rd Baron Chando ...

in 1856. The latter year he was appointed a Commissioner of Woods and Forests, a post he held until 1895. He was also a justice of the peace for Gloucestershire and

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 ...

and a Trustee of the manor of Horsley.

Court positions

Kingscote was a

Groom-in-Waiting The office of Groom in Waiting (sometimes hyphenated as Groom-in-Waiting) was a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, which in earlier times was usually held by more than one person at a time – in the late Middle Ages there might be d ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

between 1859 and 1866, when he resigned, and as an Extra Equerry to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

in 1867. He served as Superintendent of the

's stables until 1885, was appointed to the Council of the

in 1886, and as Receiver-General of the Duchy of Cornwall in 1888, Extra Equerry to

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

between 1901 and 1902 and Paymaster-General of the Royal Household between 1901 and 1908. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1855, and 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 on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in 1889. After the accession of King

, he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

GCVO) in the November

1902 Birthday Honours The 1902 Birthday Honours were announced on 10 November 1902, to celebrate the birthday of Edward VII the previous day. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and the British Empire. The list was publi ...

, and was invested with the insignia by the King at Buckingham Palace on 18 December 1902.

Agriculture

Kingscote was also involved in agricultural affairs and served as President of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1878.

Family

Kingscote was twice married. He married firstly the Hon. Caroline Sophia Wyndham, daughter of

George Wyndham, 1st Baron Leconfield George Wyndham, 1st Baron Leconfield (5 June 1787 – 18 March 1869), was a British soldier and peer. A direct descendant of Sir John Wyndham, he was the eldest natural son of George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont, and Elizabeth Ili ...

, in 1851. She died in childbirth on 19 March 1852 at Drove, Westhampnett in West Sussex: her newborn son died on the same day. Kingscote married secondly Lady Emily Marie Curzon, daughter of

Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe (11 December 1796 – 12 May 1870), was a British peer and courtier. Background He was the third but eldest surviving son of The Hon. Penn Assheton Curzon (the eldest son of Assheton Curzon, 1s ...

, in 1856. Lady Emily was a fellow courtier, serving as

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. They are ranked between the Mis ...

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 t ...

. They had two sons and two daughters. His eldest daughter, Harriet, married Arthur Wilson and was the mother of Field Marshal

Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, (5 September 1881 – 31 December 1964), also known as Jumbo Wilson, was a senior British Army officer of the 20th century. He saw active service in the Second Boer War and then during the ...

. His daughter Winifred married Lord Rocksavage, later

Marquess of Cholmondeley Marquess of Cholmondeley ( ) is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for George Cholmondeley, 4th Earl of Cholmondeley. History The Cholmondeley family descends from William le Belward (or de Belward), the fe ...

, on 16 July 1879. Kingscote died in September 1908, aged 78. Lady Kingscote survived him by two years and died in December 1910.

References

External links

Caricature of Sir Robert Kingscote
by

Leslie Ward Sir Leslie Matthew Ward (21 November 1851 – 15 May 1922) was a British portrait artist and caricaturist who over four decades painted 1,325 portraits which were regularly published by ''Vanity Fair (British magazine), Vanity Fair'', under th ...

at the National Portrait Gallery
Photograph of Lady Kingscote and two of her children at thepeerage.com

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingscote, Robert 1830 births 1908 deaths Scots Guards officers Gloucestershire Regiment officers Gloucestershire Militia officers English justices of the peace Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Equerries Members of the British Royal Household Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885