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 ...

Sir John Saunders Sebright, 6th Baronet (19 October 1725 – 23 February 1794) 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 and a Member of Parliament. Beechwood Park 2020-07-23

Sir John Sebright was a younger son of

Sir Thomas Sebright, 4th Baronet Sir Thomas Sebright, 4th Baronet (1692–1736) of Beechwood Park was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1736. Sebright was born on 11 May 1692, the eldest son of Sir Edward Sebright, 3rd Baronet of ...

and Henrietta Dashwood and 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 ...

. In 1761 he succeeded his elder brother to the baronetcy and the Beechwood Park estate in Hertfordshire. Sebright was

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

of the 83rd Regiment of Foot from 1758 to 1760, and then the

52nd Regiment of Foot The 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India dur ...

, from 1760 to 1762. In 1762 he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot, a position he held until his death. He was promoted full general on 20 November 1782. He was elected MP for

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

in 1763, was defeated in 1774, but returned in a by-election a few months later, sitting until 1780. He was a close friend of the Irish statesman and writer

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

. In 1765, on a visit to Sebright's home at Beechwood Park Burke came across a considerable number of medieval Irish manuscripts in the library. The manuscripts had been given to Sebright's father by the antiquary and philologist

Edward Lhuyd Edward Lhuyd (1660– 30 June 1709), also known as Edward Lhwyd and by other spellings, was a Welsh scientist, geographer, historian and antiquary. He was the second Keeper of the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, and published the firs ...

who had acquired them on a tour of Ireland in 1700. In 1786, these were bequeathed to the library of

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

and formed the foundation of the Irish manuscript collections there. The manuscripts presented by Sebright included the

Yellow Book of Lecan The Yellow Book of Lecan (YBL; Irish language, Irish: ''Leabhar Buidhe Leacáin''), or TCD MS 1318 (''olim'' H 2.16), is a History of Ireland (1169–1536), late medieval Irish manuscript. It contains much of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology ...

and the

Book of Leinster The Book of Leinster ( , LL) is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled and now kept in Trinity College Dublin. It was formerly known as the ''Lebor na Nuachongbála'' ("Book of Nuachongbáil"), a monastic site known today as Oughaval. In 2023 ...

. In 1766, he had married Sarah Knight, daughter of Edward Knight and Elizabeth James, and had 2 sons and 2 daughters. Their eldest son,

John 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 E ...

, inherited the baronetcy. Their daughter Henrietta Sebright (DOB. 6 May 1770) married

Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood DL (25 December 1767 – 24 November 1841), known as Viscount Lascelles from 1814 to 1820, was a British peer, Tory politician, planter and art collector. Early life and politics Harewood was the second son ...

.The Peerage
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebright, Sir John 1725 births 1794 deaths People educated at Westminster School, London 52nd Regiment of Foot officers Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 Sebright, 06th Baronet Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) officers British Army generals