General Sir William Payne-Gallwey, 1st Baronet (1759 – 16 April 1831) was a British soldier and Governor of the Leeward Islands. He was the youngest son of Ralph Payne by his second spouse Margaret née Gallwey, of St. Kitts,

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. He served as 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 ...

in India, and was at one point second-in-command of the

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 ...

in Spain. Thereafter he was appointed Governor of the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

. General Payne was the half-brother of

Ralph Payne, 1st Baron Lavington Ralph Payne, 1st Baron Lavington KB PC (19 March 1739 – 3 August 1807) was a British politician and Governor of the Leeward Islands. Early life and education Payne was born in St George, Basseterre on the island of St Kitts in 1739 to Ral ...

(d. 1807), who had also served as Governor of the Leeward Islands.

Early life

William Payne was born in

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

in 1759, the youngest son of the sugar plantation owner Ralph Payne and his wife Margaret (née Gallwey).Heathcote, ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals'', p. 99. The families of both his parents were established leaders of society on the island.Heathcote, ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals'', pp. 99-100.

Career

Payne used the wealth his family had accumulated from their plantations to join the

as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

in the

1st 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 amalgama ...

on 25 January 1776.Heathcote, ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals'', p. 100. Becoming a

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 sub ...

on 14 July 1777, he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 15 April 1782. Payne's regiment did not travel to America to fight in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

but instead was kept in garrison in Britain, where it helped suppress civil unrest such as a riot by

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

workmen in 1791. Payne was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in February 1794 and then again to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 1 March; he then transferred to the

3rd Dragoon Guards The 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1751 and the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) ...

, where he became a

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 of ...

on 1 January 1798. Thereafter, he spent three years on the army staff in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

before exchanging to the 10th Light Dragoons as a

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 ...

. In 1807 he was appointed colonel of the 23rd Light Dragoons and fought in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

(18071814), receiving the

Army Gold Medal The Army Gold Medal (1808–1814), also known as the Peninsular Gold Medal, with an accompanying Gold Cross, was a British campaign medal awarded in recognition of field officer, field and general officers' successful commands in campaigns, predom ...

for his service at the

Battle of Talavera The Battle of Talavera (27–28 July 1809) was fought just outside the town of Talavera de la Reina, Spain some southwest of Madrid, during the Peninsular War. At Talavera, a British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley combined with a Spanish a ...

(1809). Promoted 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 1811, he became colonel of the 19th Light Dragoons in 1814 followed by periods in the

12th Royal Lancers The 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war ...

and

3rd The King's Own Hussars The 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and the Second World Wars, before being amalgamated with the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, to ...

. In 1825, he became a full

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

. Payne was created a baronet in the

Baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) James I of E ...

on 8 December 1812. On 7 March 1814 he assumed by

Royal Sign Manual The royal sign-manual is the signature of the sovereign, by the affixing of which the monarch expresses his or her pleasure either by order, commission, or warrant. A sign-manual warrant may be either an executive act (for example, an appointmen ...

the additional surname of Gallwey, in compliance with the will of his maternal uncle Tobias Wall Gallwey of St. Christopher Island.

Family

On 19 November 1804, William Payne married Lady Harriet Quinn (d. 13 December 1845), only daughter of

Valentine Quin, 1st Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl Valentine Richard Quin, 1st Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, 1st Baronet (30 July 1752 – 24 August 1824) was an Irish Peer and MP. He was the son of Windham Quin and Frances Dawson. The Quins were an old Irish family who had long been associat ...

. They had two sons and a daughter, Caroline. Their second son, Philip, had seven sons, two daughters, and many descendants. Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son and heir,

Sir William Payne-Gallwey, 2nd Baronet Sir William Payne-Gallwey, 2nd Baronet (1807 – 19 December 1881) was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1851 to 1880. Payne-Gallwey was the son of Sir William Payne-Gallwey, 1st Baronet and his wife H ...

Citations

References

* Heathcote, T.A. (2010). ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals & Their Battles: A Biographical and Historical Dictionary.'' Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword. * Townend, Peter, editor, ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage'', 105th edition, London, 1970, p. 1071. {{DEFAULTSORT:Payne-Gallwey, William, 1st Baronet 1759 births 1831 deaths 12th Royal Lancers officers 3rd Dragoon Guards officers Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army generals 19th Light Dragoons officers Recipients of the Army Gold Medal British Army personnel of the Peninsular War People from Saint Kitts 1st The Royal Dragoons officers