General Thomas Wood FRS (1804 – 23 October 1872) 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

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1837 to 1847.

Early life

Wood was born the son of Thomas Wood MP for

Breconshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1536 under the Laws in Wales ...

and Lady Caroline Stewart. His younger brother, Sir

Charles Alexander Wood Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

, married Sophia Ann Brownrigg (a daughter of John Studholme Brownrigg, a prominent merchant and MP for

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

). His paternal grandparents were Thomas Wood (eldest son of Thomas Wood, MP for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

) and Mary Williams (daughter and heiress of

Sir Edward Williams, 5th Baronet Sir Edward Williams, 5th Baronet (1728 – 12 July 1804) was a Welsh landowner. Early life Williams was born in 1728 in Gwernyfed, Brecknockshire, Wales. He was the second surviving son of David Williams (1684–1739) and Susannah Witherstone (b. ...

). His maternal grandparents were

Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry PC (Ire) (1739–1821), was a County Down landowner, Irish Volunteer, and member of the Irish Parliament who, exceptionally for an Ulster Scot and Presbyterian, rose within the ranks of Ireland's ...

and

Frances Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry Frances Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry (''née'' Pratt; 15 April 1751 – 18 January 1833), was an English aristocrat and mistress of a large landed and politically connected household in late Georgian Ireland. From her husband's mansion at ...

(daughter of the Whig politician

Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (baptism, baptised 21 March 1714 – 18 April 1794) was an English lawyer, judge and Whig (British political faction), Whig politician who was first to hold the titl ...

).National archives
/ref> 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 ...

. He lived at Littleton, Middlesex, and at Gwernyfed Park,

, Wales.

Career

He became an officer in the Grenadier Guards. He commanded the 3rd Battalion

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 ...

in the early stages of the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

(1853–56) and reached the rank of

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 ...

. In 1837 he was elected Member of Parliament for

. He held the seat until 1847. Also in 1841 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

Personal life

On 6 July 1848, Wood married Frances Smyth (d. 1892), daughter 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 ...

and Lady Elizabeth Anne FitzRoy (a daughter

George FitzRoy, 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 Peerage, peer and British Whig Party, Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1782 to 1811 when h ...

).Mosley, Charles (ed.). ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 1,''

Burke's Peerage 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 genea ...

Ltd, 2003, p. 583 Together, they were the parents of: * Caroline Elizabeth Wood (b. 1850) * Mary Isabella Wood (b. 1852) * Thomas Wood (1853–1933), a Col. in the Grenadier Guards who married Hon. Rhona Cecily Emily Tollemache, daughter of

John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache John Jervis Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache (; 5 December 1805 – 9 December 1890) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, landowner and peer who owned large estates in Cheshire. He was raised to the peerage of the ...

, in 1883. * Laura Lavinia Wood (1854–1938), who married Sir Henry Charles John Bunbury, 10th Baronet, son of Col.

Henry William St Pierre Bunbury Colonel Henry William St Pierre Bunbury CB (2 September 1812 – 18 September 1875) was a British Army officer who served for periods in Australia, South Africa, and India. Early life Bunbury was the son of Lt.-Gen. Sir Henry Bunbury, 7th Baro ...

, in 1884. * William Henry Wood (1857–1923), a Reverend. * Ruth Francis Wood (b. 1859), who married Edward Cyril Newcome. * Charles John Wood (1862–1902), who married Mary Ashton Oxenden in 1891. He died on 23 October 1872, aged 68. His widow died on 7 December 1892.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Thomas 1804 births 1872 deaths People educated at Harrow School Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 Grenadier Guards officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War Fellows of the Royal Society British Army generals