Lt.-General Godfrey Bosville Macdonald, 3rd Baron Macdonald of Sleat (14 October 1775 – 13 October 1832) was a Scottish aristocrat.

Early life

Godfrey was born on 14 October 1775 in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

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.Alison Weir, ''Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy'' (

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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, 1999), page 279. He was the second of seven sons and three daughters born to the former Elizabeth Diana Bosville (1748–1789) and Sir Alexander Macdonald, 9th Baronet (–1795). In 1776, the year following his birth, his father was created

Baron Macdonald Baron Macdonald, of Slate in the County of Antrim, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for Sir Alexander Macdonald, 9th Baronet, of Sleat. The Macdonald family of Sleat descends from Uisdean Macdonald (died 1498), also ...

in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

. His elder brother,

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

, was MP for

Saltash Saltash () is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Cornwall". Saltash’s landmarks ...

who held his seat in the

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after succeeding to the barony in 1795 as it was an Irish peerage which did not entitle him to a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. His father, a younger son of Lady Margaret Montgomerie (a daughter of the 9th Earl of Eglinton) and

Sir Alexander Macdonald, 7th Baronet Sir Alexander Macdonald, 7th Baronet, 14th Chief of Sleat (1711 – 23 November 1746) was a Scottish Scottish clan chief, Chief of Clan Macdonald of Sleat. Early life Macdonald was born in 1711. He was the son of Sir James Macdonald, 6th Baronet ...

, had succeeded to the baronetcy in 1766 following the death of his elder brother, Sir James Macdonald, 8th Baronet. His mother was the eldest daughter of Godfrey Bosville IV of

Gunthwaite Gunthwaite is a hamlet in the civil parish of Gunthwaite and Ingbirchworth, in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is on the boundary of Kirklees in West Yorkshire. Until 1974 it was in the West Riding of Yorksh ...

and of Thorpe Hall,

Rudston Rudston is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Driffield and Bridlington approximately west of Bridlington, and lies on the B1253 road. The Gypsey Race (an intermittent stream) r ...

, both in Yorkshire.G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14'' (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

Alan Sutton Publishing The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

, 2000), volume VIII, page 340. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

Harrow on the Hill Harrow on the Hill or Harrow-on-the-Hill is a locality and historic village in the borough of London Borough of Harrow, Harrow in Greater London, England. The name refers to Harrow Hill, ,Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He matriculated

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, ...

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, on 17 December 1792.

Career

He gained the rank of ensign, in 1794, serving in the Loyal Kelso Regiment and the

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...

. He then gained the rank of captain, in 1796, serving in the 86th Regiment of Foot and the rank of lieutenant, that same year, while serving with the

70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot The 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the East Surrey Regiment in 1881. History Formation The ...

. He then gained the ranks of major, in the service of the

55th Regiment of Foot The 55th Regiment of Foot was a British Army infantry regiment, raised in 1755. After 1782 it had a county designation added, becoming known as the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 34th (Cu ...

, and lieutenant-colonel, in the service of the

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...

. He gained the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1808 in the service of 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 ...

. He gained the ranks of brevet colonel, in 1811, the rank of major-general, in 1814, and of lieutenant-general, in 1830. He fought in the expedition to Ostend in 1798 and then in the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were the territories in the West Indies under British Empire, British rule, including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Antigua and Barb ...

from 1801 to 1802. He fought in the recapture of the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

between 1805 and 1806, under

Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet General Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet, of Newbyth, GCB (6 December 1757 – 18 August 1829) was a British Army officer who served in the Anglo-Mysore wars and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Military career He was born at Newbyth Hous ...

. He fought in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

in 1812.

Titles and name changes

He was the heir of his uncle William Bosville who died unmarried in 1813, having left him nearly the whole of his fortune and estates, including

in Yorkshire. In accordance with the terms of the bequest, by royal licence on 11 April 1814 he changed his surname to Bosville and later on 20 July 1824 to Bosville-Macdonald. Following the death of his elder brother

Alexander Macdonald, 2nd Baron Macdonald Alexander Wentworth Macdonald, 2nd Baron Macdonald (9 December 1773 – 19 June 1824) was a Scottish peer and Member of Parliament. Macdonald was the eldest son of Alexander Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Skye, Scotland, and his wife Elizab ...

on 19 June 1824, Godfrey succeeded to his father's titles after his brother died unmarried and without legitimate issue.

Personal life

On 29 December 1803, Macdonald married Louisa Maria La Coast (1781–1835). She is said to have been the illegitimate daughter of

Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (25 November 1743 – 25 August 1805), was a grandson of George II of Great Britain, George II and a younger brother of George III, George III of the United Kingdom. Life Youth Prince Wi ...

(a son of

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen C ...

and a younger brother of King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

) and his mistress, Lady Almeria Carpenter (a daughter of the 1st Earl of Tyrconnell), although she was baptised at

Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon ...

in 1781 as the daughter of Farley Edser (a steward to the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester ( ) is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

who was a tenant of a dairy farm near

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

). Together, they were the parents of thirteen children, including: * Alexander William Robert Bosville (1800–1847), ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' 12th

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, who married Matilda Eliza Moffat Bayard, a daughter of Col. John Bayard. * William Macdonald (1801–), who died young. * Louisa Bosville Macdonald (1802–1854), who married

John Hope, 5th Earl of Hopetoun John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

. * Hon. Elizabeth Diana Bosville Macdonald (1804–1839), who married Duncan Davidson, 4th of

Tulloch Tulloch may refer to: People with the surname * Alexander Bruce Tulloch (1838–1920), Major-general in the British Army, author * Bert Tulloch, English footballer *Bitsie Tulloch, American actress * Francis Tulloch (born 1940), Jamaican politici ...

, a son of Henry Davidson of Tulloch, in 1825. * Hon. Julia Bosville Macdonald (1805–1884), who married the Rev. Charles Walter Hudson, a son of Harrington Hudson (MP for

Helston Helston () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: ...

) and Lady Anne Townshend (a daughter of the 1st Marquess Townshend), in 1838. * Hon. Susan Hussey Bosville Macdonald (1807–1879), who married Capt. Richard Beaumont, son of Col.

Thomas Richard Beaumont Colonel Thomas Richard Beaumont (29 April 1758 – 31 July 1829) of Bretton Hall, Wakefield, Yorkshire, was a British Tory politician and soldier. Origins He was the son of Thomas Beaumont of The Oaks in Darton, Yorkshire, by his wife Anne Ay ...

(MP for

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

), in 1832.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes.'' Crans, Switzerland:

Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish geneal ...

, 1999, volume 1, page 61. * Godfrey William Wentworth Bosville-Macdonald, 4th Baron Macdonald (1809–1863), who married Maria Anne Wyndham, eldest daughter and co-heiress of George Thomas Wyndham, of

Cromer Hall Cromer Hall is a country house located one mile south of Cromer on Holt Road, in the English county of Norfolk. The present house was built in 1829Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East, By Nikolaus Pevsner and Bill Wilson, Cromer entry, page 120. b ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, in 1845. Her sister, Cecilia, married

Lord Alfred Paget Lord Alfred Henry Paget (26 June 1816 – 24 August 1888) was a British soldier, courtier and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1837 and 1865. Early life Paget was the sixth son of William Paget, the 1st Marquess of ...

(a son of the 1st Marquess of Anglesey). * Hon. James William Bosville Macdonald (1810–1882), a Lieutenant-General who was Aide-de-camp,

Equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

and Private Secretary to

Prince George, Duke of Cambridge Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (George William Frederick Charles; 26 March 1819 – 17 March 1904) was a member of the British royal family, a grandson of King George III and cousin of Queen Victoria. The Duke was an army officer by professio ...

; he married Hon. Elizabeth Nina Blake, daughter of

Joseph Blake, 3rd Baron Wallscourt Joseph Henry Blake, 3rd Baron Wallscourt (2 June 1797 – 28 May 1849), was an Irish Nobility, nobleman and pioneering socialist. Blake (one of The Tribes of Galway) was the eldest son of Colonel (United Kingdom), Colonel Henry James Blake, young ...

, in 1859.Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. ''Burke's Irish Family Records.''

: Burkes Peerage Ltd, 1976, page 120. * Hon. Diana Bosville Macdonald (1812–1880), who married John George Smyth, MP for

City of York The City of York, officially simply "York", is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. ...

who was a son of

John Henry Smyth John Henry Smyth (20 March 1780 – 20 October 1822) was a Whig member of Parliament for Cambridge University from 9 June 1812 until his death. Early life Smyth was born on 20 March 1780. He was one of four sons and two daughters born to Lady ...

(MP for

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

) and Lady Elizabeth FitzRoy (a daughter of the

4th Duke of Grafton George Henry FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton (14 January 1760 – 28 September 1844), styled Earl of Euston until 1811, was a British peer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1782 to 1811 when he succeeded to the Dukedom. ...

), in 1837. * Hon. Jane Bosville Macdonald (1815–1888), who died unmarried. * Hon. Marianne Bosville Macdonald (1816–1876), who married Capt. Henry Martin Turnor, a son of Edmund Turnor, in 1840. * Hon. William Bosville Macdonald (1817–1847), who married Sophia Keppel. * Hon. Octavia Sophia Bosville Macdonald (–1897), who married William James Hope Johnstone, the eldest son of John Hope-Johnstone, ''

'' 7th

Earl of Annandale and Hartfell Earl of Annandale and Hartfell is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1661 for James Johnstone. In 1625, the title of Earl of Annandale had been created for John Murray, but it became extinct when his son James died without heirs. Ja ...

, in 1841.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, 2003, volume 2, page 2474. Three of his children with Louisa were born before their marriage, so they were considered illegitimate, while the ten children born after their marriage were considered legitimate. The eldest three were eventually legitimized by Scottish law, but not by Irish law, therefore, the Scottish baronetcy passed to his eldest son, Alexander, while the Irish barony passed to his third son,

Godfrey Godfrey may refer to: People * Godfrey (name), a given name and surname * Godfrey (comedian), American comedian, actor Places In the United States * Godfrey, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Godfrey, Illinois, a village * Godfrey, Kansas, an ...

. Lord Macdonald died on 13 October 1832 at

Bridlington Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...

, in England. His widow, the dowager Lady Macdonald, died on 10 February 1835, at

Bossall Bossall is a hamlet in North Yorkshire, England with fewer than 100 residents. The village was part of the Ryedale district between 1974 and 2023. It is now administered by North Yorkshire Council. The Church of St Botolph was built in the 12t ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

Descendants

Through his eldest son Alexander, he was a grandfather of Godfrey Wentworth Bayard Bosville, ''

'' 13th

, who married Hon. Harriet Cassandra Willoughby (sister to the 8th

Baron Middleton Baron Middleton, of Middleton in the County of Warwick, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, created in December 1711 for Sir Thomas Willoughby, 2nd Baronet, who had previously represented Nottinghamshire and Newark in Parliament. It wa ...

); and Hon. Julia Louisa Bosville (1824–1901), who married Henry Willoughby, 8th Baron Middleton. Through his eldest daughter Louisa, Countess of Hopetoun, he is a direct ancestor of the

Marquesses of Linlithgow A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

. Through his daughter Diana, he was a grandfather of Diana Smyth, who married

Henry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

. Through his daughter Marianne, he was a grandfather of Henrietta Turnor, who married John Scott, 3rd Earl of Eldon. Through his youngest daughter Octavia, he was posthumously a grandfather of John Hope Johnstone, ''de jure'' 8th

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald of Slate, Godfrey Macdonald, 3rd Baron 1775 births 1832 deaths Nobility from Highland (council area) People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford British Army lieutenant generals British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars King's Royal Rifle Corps officers South Wales Borderers officers Grenadier Guards officers 55th Regiment of Foot officers East Surrey Regiment officers Sleat, Godfrey Macdonald, 8th Lord 3