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 William Houston, 1st Baronet KC (10 August 1766 – 8 April 1842) 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 Governor of Gibraltar. Houston joined the army in 1781, and by the start of the French Revolutionary War was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He fought in the Flanders campaign before being promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1794. As a lieutenant-colonel he fought at the Capture of Minorca and at the sieges of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

and

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. Promoted to

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 ...

in 1802, Houston fought in the Walcheren Expedition of 1809 before being promoted to major-general. Houston initially commanded a brigade 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 ...

before becoming the first commander of 7th Division in 1811. He left his command later in the year because of illness, having commanded it at the battles of Sabugal and Fuentes de Oñoro and the siege of

Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...

. Houston saw no more active service in the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, with a series of staff positions culminating in him serving as acting Governor of Gibraltar in 1832. He died in 1842.

Military career

Early service

William Houston was born on 10 August 1766, the only child of Andrew Houston of Calderhaugh (Calderhall, or Calder Hall),Heathcote, ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals'', p. 73. Kirknewton, West Lothian, Scotland. Houston was commissioned into the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

on 18 July 1781. He was promoted to lieutenant on 2 April 1782, and joined an unnumbered regiment raised as a temporary unit; he was promoted to

within this unit on 13 March 1783. Upon the end of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, it was disbanded. Houston's next regiment was the 19th Regiment of Foot, which he joined on 20 July 1785. With the 19th he served at

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

until 1791 when they were transferred to

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 ...

. By the start of the French Revolutionary War in February 1793, the regiment was back in England, and they were soon sent to serve in the Flanders campaign.Heathcote, ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals'', p. 74. Here, Houston was promoted to

on 30 May 1794, and was given command of the 19th in the campaign. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 18 March 1795 and as such command the 84th Regiment of Foot until 10 June, when he transferred to the command of the 58th Regiment of Foot. He commanded the 58th at the Capture of Minorca in 1798.William Houston at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
/ref> Later on, he commanded a brigade at the sieges of

and

, for which he received the Turkish

Order of the Crescent The Imperial Order of the Crescent () was a chivalric order of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was instituted in 1799 by Sultan Selim III when he wished to reward Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, Horatio Nelson, an Church of England, ...

, second class (KC). Houston was promoted to

on 29 April 1802 during the Peace of Amiens, commanding a brigade first at

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, and then at

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

to protect against any possible French invasion upon the beginning of the

in 1803. Houston commanded another brigade in the Walcheren Expedition of 1809, and was promoted to major general on 25 October, after he had returned home from the failed expedition.

Peninsular War general

Towards the end of the year Viscount Wellington, commanding the British army in the

, requested Houston as a replacement brigade commander, as so many of his had become casualties in the fighting. He arrived in January 1811 and was given command of a brigade in the 4th Division. When the 7th Division was formed in March he was made its first commander. The division's first battle was the Battle of Sabugal on 3 April but with his troops being unseasoned in warfare they were kept in reserve. The division entered combat for the first time at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May, where his men were crucial in halting a dangerous advance of French cavalry. Houston and the division were also present at the Siege of Badajoz between May and June; he organised two failed

forlorn hope A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the vanguard in a military operation, such as a suicidal assault through the breach of a defended position, or the first men to climb a scaling ladder against a defended ...

s during the siege, one on 6 June and one on 9 June.

Later service

Houston left the peninsula on 1 July when his health began to deteriorate and was given command of the South-Western District instead, as well as becoming Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth. When his health improved again he requested to Wellington that he be given another command in his army but he was declined on the grounds that there were no open commands for him to take up.Heathcote, ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals'', pp. 74–5. Houston was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

on 4 June 1814 and as a part of the victory celebrations of 1815 he was appointed a

Knight Commander 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 ...

.Heathcote, ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals'', p. 75. He was further rewarded when he became a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order in 1827. From 1825 to the accession of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in 1837 he served as a

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 ...

to both

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

and King William IV. His next active role came when on 8 April 1831 he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Gibraltar, a post he held until 28 February 1835. He set up the first official free school on Flat Bastion Road in

while he was acting Governor of Gibraltar in 1832. After his term at Gibraltar ended he was created a

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 ...

on 19 July 1836 and was promoted to general on 10 January 1837. He died at his home in Bromley Hill,

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

, Kent on 8 April 1842 and was interred in the

catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

at West Norwood Cemetery.

Personal life

On 5 November 1808 he married Lady Jane Long, the fourth daughter of James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale and widow of Samuel Long, who was the brother of Lord Farnborough. William and Mary had two sons together, Sir George Augustus Frederick Houston (b.1809), an army officer and William, who became a captain in the 10th Hussars. William's wife was a prolific writer, Matilda Charlotte Houstoun. Lady Jane died on 1 June 1833.

References

Notes

Sources

* Heathcote, T.A. (2010). ''Wellington's Peninsular War Generals & Their Battles: A Biographical and Historical Dictionary.'' Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword. * Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Houstoun, William, 1st Baronet 1766 births 1842 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army generals Governors of Gibraltar British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Green Howards officers East Surrey Regiment officers Lancashire Fusiliers officers Burials at West Norwood Cemetery Knights of the Order of the Crescent