General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Frederick St John (20 December 1765 — 19 November 1844) was an officer 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 ...

and a politician.''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820'', ed. R. Thorne, 1986 He rose to the rank of

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

during his career and saw service during the French Revolutionary and

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, and the

Second Anglo-Maratha War } The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Background The British had supported the "fugitive" Peshwa Raghunathrao in the First Anglo-Maratha War ...

. He also sat briefly for the constituency of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Family and early life

Frederick St John was born the second son of

Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke Frederick St John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke, 3rd Viscount St John (21 December 1732 – 5 May 1787), was a British Viscount and landowner. His father was John St John, 2nd Viscount St John, half-brother of Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke ...

and

Lady Diana Beauclerk Lady Diana Beauclerk (''née'' Lady Diana Spencer; other married name Diana St John, Viscountess Bolingbroke; 24 March 1734 – 1 August 1808) was an English noblewoman and artist. Early life Beauclerk was born into the Spencer family as the da ...

. St John enlisted in the Army as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the 85th Regiment of Foot in 1779, at the age of 14. He served in the

Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

and the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

until 1783. He was promoted to

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 ...

in 1780, and then became a captain in the 95th Regiment of Foot in 1781. This was followed by a promotion to be major in the 104th Regiment of Foot in 1783. In parallel to his military career, he socialised in exclusive gentlemen's clubs: he joined

Brooks's Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world. History In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...

on 17 May 1783, and the Whig Club on 6 March 1787. He continued to rise through the ranks, becoming a

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 colo ...

in the 2nd Regiment of Foot in 1791, 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 o ...

in 1795, and being promoted to

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 1798.

French Revolutionary Wars

St John served in Ireland in 1798 as the lieutenant of General

Gerard Lake Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake (27 July 1744 – 20 February 1808) was a British general. He commanded British forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and later served as Commander-in-Chief of the military in British India. Background He was ...

, and followed him to India when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in the colony. In 1800, St John took passage with his wife, Arabella Craven, on the ''Queen'', which caught fire and was destroyed while in harbour in Salvador.''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (from the French ''magazine' ...

'', 8 October 1800; quoted in Laughton, p.438-439 St John and his wife then joined the East Indiaman ''Kent'' to complete the journey. On 7 October, ''Kent'' was captured by the French privateer ''Confiance'', under

Robert Surcouf Robert Surcouf (12 December 1773 – 8 July 1827) was a French privateer and slave trader who operated in the Indian Ocean between 1789 and 1801, and again from 1807 to 1808, capturing over 40 prizes. He later amassed a large fortune as a ...

. St John was taken prisoner and exchanged. St John went on to take part in the Battle of Delhi in 1803, and in the siege of Agra. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1805, and

in 1814.

Political career

St John was elected to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

in 1818 as member for

and represented the constituency until his defeat at the 1820 general election two years later.

Family and issue

St John married three times. His first wife was Lady Mary Kerr, the daughter of William Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian, whom he married on 8 December 1788.> They had one son: *Robert William St John (5 February 1791 – 19 November 1844), consul-general at Algiers, married Eliza Maria Barker Lady Mary died the day after her son's birth. On 6 April 1793, St John married Arabella Craven (died 9 June 1819), daughter of William Craven, 6th Baron Craven and Elizabeth Craven. They had five sons and four daughters: *Rev. George William St John (4 May 1796 – ?), rector of Stanton Lacy, married Henrietta Frances Magrath in 1830 *Maj. George Frederick Berkeley St John (2 October 1797 – ?), married Henrietta Louisa Jephson on 18 January 1836 *Henry John St John (1798 – 7 August 1821) *Maria Arabella St John (25 July 1807 – ?), married Rev. Charles Goring, son of

Sir Charles Foster Goring, 7th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

on 2 October 1832 *Catherine Frederica Mary St John (October 1808 – 5 May 1809) * Charles William George St John (1809–1856) *Louisa Diana St John (24 December 1810 – ?), married Richard Vincent on 22 January 1846 *Keppel St John (26 February 1812 – 7 June 1813) *Elizabeth St John (11 July 1814 – 27 October 1846), married Rev. George Carter on 9 March 1841 On 14 November 1821, he married Caroline Parsons. They had two sons together: *Henry Edward St John (22 November 1823 – ?) *Welbore William Oliver St John (12 April 1825 – ?) St John died on 19 November 1844 at the age of 78. He was by then the second most senior general in the British Army.''Good Gentlewoman''

References

Bibliography

External links

The Three Wives of General Frederick St John
''Good Gentlewoman''
ST. JOHN, Hon. Frederick (1765-1844), of Chailey, Sussex.
''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820'', ed. R. Thorne, 1986 {{DEFAULTSORT:St John, Frederick 1765 births 1844 deaths Younger sons of viscounts Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1818–1820 British Army generals Queen's Royal Regiment officers British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Maratha War