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 ...

George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, (25 December 1717 – 6 July 1790) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer who served as the governor of Gibraltar from 1779 to 1790. Eliott rose to distinction during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

when he fought in Germany and participated in the capture of Belle Île and siege of Havana. He is most notable for his command of the

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

garrison during the Great Siege of Gibraltar, which lasted from 1779 to 1783, during the American War of Independence. He was celebrated for his successful defence of the fortress and decisive defeat of Spanish and French attackers.

Life

Early life

Eliott was born at Wells House, near Stobs Castle, Roxburghshire, the 10th (and 8th surviving) son of Sir Gilbert Eliott, 3rd Baronet, of Stobs, by his distant cousin Eleanor Elliot of Brugh and Wells in Roxburghshire. Eleanor's brother was the soldier and courtier William Elliot of Wells. One of his Eleanor's sisters, Charlotte, had married Roger Elliott, another Governor of Gibraltar.

Education and early command

Eliott was educated at the

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...

in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

and studied artillery and other military subjects at the ''école militaire'' of La Fère in France. He served with the Prussian Army between 1735 and 1736. In 1741 he transferred to the Engineers and joined the 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards, of which his maternal uncle, William Elliot of Wells, was then lieutenant-colonel, and of which Eliott was afterwards lieutenant-colonel. He served throughout the War of Austrian Succession between 1742 and 1748, fighting at the Battle of Dettingen, where he was wounded, and again at the Battle of Fontenoy. He became an ''Engineer Extraordinary'' in 1744 and ''Engineer Ordinary'' in 1747 when he was stationed at Sheerness. Eliott resigned from the Engineers in 1757.

Seven Years' War

Eliott served as ADC to King George II between 1756 and 1759 during which time he was raised to colonel. Appointed Brigadier for the 1758 expedition to France, where he was placed in command of the Brigade of Light Cavalry, he was tasked to raise, and was appointed colonel of, the 1st Light Horse (later 15th Light Dragoons, then 15th Hussars). Eliott distinguished himself in the German campaign, particularly during the Battle of Minden in 1759 when he was promoted to major-general and the 1760 Battle of Emsdorf. He took part in the Capture of Belle Île in 1761. He was 2nd-in-charge at the capture of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.British expedition against Cuba for which he received a significant amount of

prize money Prize money refers in particular to naval prize money, usually arising in naval warfare, but also in other circumstances. It was a monetary reward paid in accordance with the prize law of a belligerent state to the crew of a ship belonging to ...

, nearly £25,000. Eliot was able to buy Bayley Park in East Sussex which he altered and enlarged over the decade. He was promoted lieutenant-general in 1765. On 6 March 1775 he was made a Privy Counsellor and temporarily appointed commander of forces in Ireland.

Gibraltar and the Great Siege

On 25 May 1777 Eliott was appointed Governor of Gibraltar, taking over from the acting governor, Robert Boyd. Eliott was promoted to general in 1778. In July 1779, Gibraltar was besieged by the French and Spanish. Eliott using his engineering skills to good effect in improving the fortifications. By August, it was very apparent that the Spanish intended to starve the garrison. The Great Siege of Gibraltar would eventually last from 1779 to 1783. A notable letter from Eliott to the Misses Fuller survives, dated 21 September 1779 and delivered on 4 October, it said simply ''"Nothing new. G.A.E."'' Eliott was an abstemious man, his diet comprising vegetables, biscuit and water. He also rarely slept for more than four hours at a time. On 13 September 1782, the French and Spanish initiated a grand attack, involving 100,000 men, 48 ships and 450 cannon. Under great duress, the garrison held its position and, by 1783, the siege was finishing. On 8 January 1783, the British Parliament sent their official thanks to Eliott and he was nominated a

Knight of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

. By 6 February 1783, the siege was over. Eliott was invested with his honour at Gibraltar on 23 April. A portrait from 1784, "The Siege of Gibraltar" (1782) by George Carter survives in the National Portrait Gallery.

Later career

Eliott returned to England in 1787. He was created Lord Heathfield, Baron Heathfield of Gibraltar on 6 July 1787 and in addition many statues, portraits and coins were produced in his honour. A will exists dated 27 February 1788. On 19 May 1788 Eliott was formally installed as

, and, in June 1788, a portrait "The Installation Supper" was painted by

James Gillray James Gillray (13 August 1756Gillray, James and Draper Hill (1966). ''Fashionable contrasts''. Phaidon. p. 8.Baptism register for Fetter Lane (Moravian) confirms birth as 13 August 1756, baptism 17 August 1756 1June 1815) was a British list of c ...

and resides in the National Portrait Gallery. About this time, Eliott was making his way overland back to Gibraltar, where he was still governor. However, he became ill and stayed in the

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

area to recuperate. During 1790, he stayed at Grossen Hotel, Dubigk; Karlsbad (bei Herr Brammertz); Kaiserbad,

(bei Herr Mohren). In June 1790 he rented the Schloss Kalkofen, Aachen (nowadays Talbotstrasse, Aachen, Germany), and moved in his furniture but did not live long to enjoy the facilities.

Personal life, family and death

Eliott was a teetotaller and vegetarian.Dawson, Ian. (1998). ''Who's Who in British History: A-H''. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. p. 418. It was recorded that he "never touched strong liquor or meat, but lived chiefly on vegetables, simple puddings, and water".Hargreaves, Reginald. (1948). ''The Enemy at the Gate; a Book of Famous Sieges, Their Causes, Their Progress and Their Consequences''. Military Service Publishing Company. p. 100 He did not sleep for more than four hours at a time. On 8 September 1748 at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London, George Augustus Eliott married Anne Pollexfen Drake (1726–1772), the sister of Sir Francis Drake, 5th Baronet (1723–1794) of Nutwell House, Woodbury in Devon, a collateral descendant of Sir

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...

. They had two children: # Francis Augustus Eliott, 2nd Baron Heathfield (31 December 1750 – 26 January 1813), who never married, had no offspring and was therefore the last Baron Heathfield. He inherited Nutwell from his uncle Sir Francis Drake, 5th Baronet (1723–1794); # Anne Pollexfen Eliott (1754-24 February 1835), who married John Trayton Fuller on 21 May 1777 with numerous children. On 6 July 1790, Eliott died at the Schloss Kalkofen, Aachen, of palsy / stroke, allegedly brought on by drinking too much of the local mineral water, and was initially buried in the grounds of the Schloss. His personal estate was probated by 27 July and his furniture sold off by his heirs. Later in 1790, his body was disinterred and reburied at Heathfield, East Sussex. Later still, his body was again disinterred and reburied at St Andrew's Church, Buckland Monachorum, Devon in the church associated with his wife's Drake ancestry.

Legacy and monuments

General Eliott has been commemorated on a

Gibraltar pound The pound ( sign: £; ISO code: GIP) is the currency of Gibraltar. It is pegged to – and exchangeable with – British pound sterling at par value. Coins and banknotes of the Gibraltar pound are issued by the Government of Gibraltar. His ...

banknote; his portrait has appeared since 1995 on the £10 notes issued by the Government of Gibraltar. In August and September 1787, George's portrait was painted by Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

and now resides in the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

. A painting entitled '' The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782'' by John Singleton Copley survive from 1787 in the

Guildhall Art Gallery The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. The museum is located in the Moorgate area of the City of London. It is a stone building in a semi-Gothic style intended to be sympathetic to the historic Guil ...

, and another Copley painting this time a head portrait is (link ), currently in the National Portrait Gallery. Another American artist

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

created the well known portrait '' The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar'' which resides in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

. His portrait was also painted by

Mather Brown Mather Brown (baptized 11 October 1761 – 25 May 1831) was an American painter who was born in Boston, Massachusetts and was active in England. Early life and education Brown was the son of Gawen and Elizabeth (Byles) Brown, and descended from ...

in 1788. His marble monument and statue exist in the south transept of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, London. A bust of Elliot created in 1858 stands in the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens. A bronze medal "George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield" was created by Jean-Pierre Droz. There are various pubs throughout England that honour his name; including the General Eliott in Willoughby Waterleys, Leicestershire, on the Grand Union Canal at Uxbridge, and another in the village of South Hinksey, Oxfordshire. He is mentioned in

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

's cantata ''The Jolly Beggars'' as an inspiring figure. The old soldier singing the air "I Am a Son of Mars" says: "Yet let my country need me, with Elliot icto head me, / I'd clatter on my stumps at the sound of a drum." File:The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar (2).jpg, ''Defeat of the floating batteries'' by John Singleton Copley - climax of the Great Siege of Gibraltar in 1782. Eliot is on the white horse File:Memorial to Admiral Lord Heathfield in St Andrew's Church, Buckland Monachorum.jpg, Memorial by John Bacon, senior in St Andrew's Church, Buckland Monachorum File:Monument to G A Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield.jpg, Memorial to Elliot, by Charles Rossi in St. Paul's Cathedral, London File:Bust of George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, Gibraltar Botanic Gardens.JPG, Bust of Eliott in the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens

Bibliography

* McGuffie, T.H. ''The Siege of Gibraltar 1779–1783''. B.T. Batsford, 1965.

References

External links

National Portrait Gallery, London

National Gallery, London
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heathfield, George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron 1717 births 1790 deaths Scottish soldiers 1 Peers of Great Britain created by George III Governors of Gibraltar British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War British Army generals Eliott, George Augustus Military personnel from the Scottish Borders Nobility from the Scottish Borders 15th The King's Hussars officers Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland Eliott, George Augustus Leiden University alumni Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain