Thomas Sutcliffe (c. 1790 – 22 April 1849) was an English soldier of fortune. After periods in the Royal Navy and then as an army officer involved in the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

, he became an army officer in the service of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and then

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. In later years he was a writer.

Life

Thomas Sutcliffe was a son of John Sutcliffe of

Stansfield Stansfield is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located seven miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds, in 2011 its population was 221. The village has an Anglican church dedicated to All Saints. ...

, near Halifax, Yorkshire, and great-grandson of John Kay, the inventor of the flying shuttle. He entered the Royal Navy, and was on board in the blockade of Corfu in 1809; he was captured by the enemy, but managed to escape to

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. He afterwards held a commission in the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver Cr ...

, and was with his regiment at the

battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

, where he was severely wounded. In 1817 he formed one of a band of adventurous Englishmen who went out to

to aid those fighting for independence from Spain, and was appointed lieutenant-colonel of cavalry in the army of the republic. Here again he was made a prisoner of war, and was detained at

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. He returned to England in 1821. He set out again for South America in August of the following year, and offered his services to the republic of

; he received the appointment of captain of cavalry. For sixteen years Sutcliffe remained in the military service of the republic, and took part in the operations of the liberating army in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. In 1834 he was appointed political and military governor of the island of Juan Fernandez, then used as a convict station by Chile. He witnessed the destructive earthquake there in February 1835, when he lost most of his possessions. Shortly afterwards an insurrection took place on the island, and Sutcliffe was recalled. Eventually, through a change of administration, he was

cashiered Cashiering (or degradation ceremony), generally within military forces, is a ritual dismissal of an individual from some position of responsibility for a breach of discipline. Etymology From the Flemish (to dismiss from service; to discard ro ...

in March 1838, and he returned to England in January 1839. He had slender means, since heavy claims for arrears of pay remained unsettled. He tried to improve his circumstances by writing. After living in the neighbourhood of Manchester, Sutcliffe moved to London in about 1846, and died in poverty in lodgings on 22 April 1849, aged 59.

Publications

*
The Earthquake at Juan Fernandez, as it occurred in the year 1835
' (Manchester, 1839) *
Foreign Loans, or Information to all connected with the Republic of Chili, comprising the Epoch from 1822 to 1839
' (Manchester, 1840) *
Sixteen Years in Chile and Peru, from 1822 to 1839
' (London, 1841) *
Crusoniana; or Truth versus Fiction, elucidated in a History of the Islands of Juan Fernandez
' (Manchester, 1843) *
An Exposition of Facts relating to the Rise and Progress of the Woollen, Linen, and Cotton Manufactures of Great Britain
' (Manchester, 1843) *
A Testimonial in behalf of Merit neglected and Genius unrewarded, and Record of the Services of one of England's greatest Benefactors, by a desendant of John Kay of Bury
' (London, 1847) The last two works were published in order to obtain public support for the descendants of John Kay, for which he worked unsuccessfully for several years.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutcliffe, Thomas 1849 deaths Royal Horse Guards officers English mercenaries Writers on Latin America 19th-century English writers Year of birth uncertain