Lieutenant Colonel William Tomkinson (18January 1790 – 1872) 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 who served during 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 ...

and the

Waterloo Campaign The Waterloo campaign (15 June – 8 July 1815) was fought between the French Army of the North and two Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied army and a Prussian army. Initially the French army was commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte, but he l ...

Life

The fourth son of Henry Tomkinson of Dorfold, Cheshire, his mother was Anne, daughter of John Darlington of Aston, Chester. Tomkinson was gazetted to the 16th Light Dragoons as a cornet in December 1807, joining his regiment the following April. During the Peninsular War (1809-1813) he was seriously wounded at the crossing of the Douro on 11May 1809 but recovered to see action at the battles of Busaco (1810), Redhina (1811), Fuentes de Oñoro (1811), El Bodón (1811),

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...

(1812) and Vittoria (1813). William Tomkinson-Waterloo-16th-Queens-Regiment-Light-Dragoons-Officers-Sabre

He was subsequently at Waterloo and remained in France with the Army of Occupation until December 1815.

Retirement

Tomkinson retired on

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the En ...

in 1821 and bought the land for

Willington Hall Willington Hall is a former country house in the parish of Willington, Cheshire, England. It was extended in 1878, but reduced in size in the 1950s, and has since been in use as a hotel. History The house was built in 1829 by Major William ...

, Cheshire, on the former estate of Lord Alvanley in 1827. In retirement he became a magistrate and huntsman.

Family

In 1836 he married Susan, daughter of Thomas Tarleton of

Bolesworth Castle Bolesworth Castle is a country house south of the village of Tattenhall, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. History Bolesworth Castle was built for George ...

, Cheshire. The couple had four sons and two daughters including

James Tomkinson James Tomkinson (1840 – 10 April 1910) was an English landowner and Liberal politician. Life Born in 1840, Tomkinson lived at Willington Hall, Chester. He was the son of Waterloo veteran Lieutenant-Colonel William Tomkinson and Susan, da ...

who became an M.P. and Henry, who joined the army and went on to command the 1st Royal Dragoons.

References

;Bibliography * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomkinson, William 1790 births 1872 deaths 19th-century British Army personnel 16th The Queen's Lancers officers British Army personnel of the Peninsular War British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars