General Sir Philip Honywood KB (also spelt Honeywood; 1677 – 17 June 1752) was a British Army officer.

Biography

He was born the second son of Charles Ludovic Honywood of Charing,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

and Mary Clement. Sir Robert Honywood was his grandfather: Sir Robert married Frances Vane, daughter of Sir Henry Vane the Elder.Noble, Mark ''Memoirs of the Protectorate-house of Cromwell'' Birmingham 1784 Vol.2 p.487 His father died when Philip was about ten. He entered the Army as an ensign in James Stanley's regiment of foot on 12 June 1694,Charles Dalton (1898)
''English Army Lists and Commission Registers 1661–1714'', volume IV
p. 29-30 and served under King William III in

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. He was promoted to captain in the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many war ...

on 1 April 1696, and captain in the Earl of Huntingdon's newly raised regiment on 10 March 1702. In the reign of Queen Anne he shared in the toils and dangers of two campaigns in Brabant under

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was a Briti ...

, and afterwards transferred his services to Spain. He was rewarded for his excellent conduct with the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment, now Wade's (and later the 33rd). On 27 May 1709 he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 92nd Regiment, which was disbanded in 1712,Cannon (1837),
Historical Record of the First, or King's Regiment of Dragoon Guards
', p. 115-116. and in 1710 he obtained the rank of brigadier-general. He was a zealous and warm-hearted advocate for the Protestant succession, and on the formation of a new ministry which was believed to be favourable to the interests of the Pretender, Honywood, Lieutenant-General Meredith and Major-General Macartney were guilty of drinking at a public dinner in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

the toast of "Damnation and confusion to the new Ministry, and to those who had any hand in turning out the old", and they received an]official intimation that the Queen had no further occasion for their services. Four years afterwards a change of monarch took place: the ministers who had induced the Queen to deprive him of his commission were charged with high treason and fled to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and Brigadier-General Honywood was rewarded for his attachment to the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...

with the post of

Groom of the Bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...

in the household of the new King George I. He also received a commission on 22 July 1715 to raise, form and discipline a corps of cavalry, later the

11th Hussars The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 10th Royal Hussars (Pri ...

. He served at the head of his regiment during the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, commanded a brigade at Preston, and was wounded at the storming of one of the avenues of the town, on which occasion he evinced signal valour and judgement.Cannon (1843),
Historical Record of the Eleventh, or the Prince Albert's Own Regiment of Hussars
', p. 95-97 In 1719 Honywood commanded a brigade in the expedition against Spain, under Lieutenant-General Lord Cobham. He took possession of the town of Vigo with eight hundred men, and was afterwards engaged in the siege of the citadel, which surrendered in a few days. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1726, and in 1727 he was placed on the staff of the army held in readiness to embark for Holland. On 29 May 1732, after commanding the 11th Dragoons seventeen years, he was removed to the 3rd Dragoons,Cannon (1847),
Historical Record of the Third, or the King's Own Regiment of Light Dragoons
', p. 114 and in 1735 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. In 1742 a British force was sent to Flanders under Honywood, who held the chief command of the troops until the arrival of the Earl of Stair. In the following year he was promoted to the rank of general, and on 18 April 1743 he was appointed colonel of the King's Horse, later 1st Dragoon Guards. At the

battle of Dettingen The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession, near Karlstein am Main in Bavaria. An alliance composed of British, Hanoverian and Austrian troops, known as the Pragmatic Army, defeated a French ...

one division of the army was commanded by Honywood, and he led the Royal Horse Guards and the King's Horse to the charge with great gallantry. He served in the subsequent campaigns on the Continent with distinction, and with the approbation of his Sovereign, by whom he was advanced to the dignity of Knight of the

Order 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 ...

. He died in 1752, and was interred with military honours at Portsmouth, of which place he was

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

at the time of his decease.

References

External links

A. A. Hanham, "Honywood, Sir Philip (c.1677–1752)" in the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

''. (subscription needed) {{DEFAULTSORT:Honywood, Philip 1670s births 1752 deaths Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath British Army generals 1st King's Dragoon Guards officers 3rd The King's Own Hussars officers 11th Hussars officers Royal Fusiliers officers Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers 33rd Regiment of Foot officers English military personnel of the Nine Years' War British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession British military personnel of the War of the Quadruple Alliance#