General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Arthur Percy Upton (13 June 1777 – 22 January 1855) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

soldier, politician and amateur

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er.

Background

Upton was the third son of Clotworthy Upton, 1st Baron Templetown, by Elizabeth Boughton, daughter of Shuckburgh Boughton. John Upton, 1st Viscount Templetown, and the Honourable Fulke Howard were his brothers. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and attended the Royal Military Academy in Berlin.

Military career

He entered the British army in 1793 as an ensign in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

and thereafter rose through the ranks as a lieutenant and captain in 1795, aide-de-camp to

Sir Ralph Abercromby Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Trinidad in 1797. Rising to the rank of lieutenant general in the British ...

in 1799, major in the

13th Foot The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Some ...

in 1807, lieutenant-colonel in the 7th West Indian regiment and the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

in 1807, brevet colonel in 1814, major-general in 1821, lieutenant-general in 1837 and full general on 11 November 1851. He was awarded CB on 4 June 1815. He was Equerry to the Queen in 1810, aide-de-camp to the Duke of York in 1815 and equerry to the Duchess of Kent by 1835.

Cricket career

Upton was an early member of

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

(MCC) who played several matches for its team. He played for the Gentlemen in the inaugural and second

Gentlemen v Players Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of cricket matches that began in July 1806 and was abolished in January 1963. It was a match between a team consisting of amateurs (the Gentlemen) and a team consisting of professionals (the Players ...

matches in 1806. He took six catches in the first match, which the Gentlemen with given men won by an innings. Upton's career spanned the 1795 to 1808 seasons. He is known to have made 47 appearances in high-level matches. He was a useful batsman and a good fielder but seems to have bowled only rarely.

Political career

Upton was a Member of Parliament (MP) for

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

from 1818 to 1826. He died unmarried in 1855.

References

External links