Henry Holmes (general)

Henry Holmes (general)

Lieutenant-General Henry Holmes (February 1703-11 August 1762) was a British army officer and Member of Parliament (MP).

The second son of Henry Holmes, an MP and lieutenant-governor of the Isle of Wight, Holmes was commissioned as an ensign in the 28th Foot in 1721. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1723, captain in 1727, major in 1740, lieutenant-colonel in 1743. It was in 1746 that he is said to have won the favour of the King. A military expedition was being planned, and it was widely believed that its destination was to be Canada. The King questioning the officers when they would be ready to embark, several of them asked for a few weeks leave of absence; but when the King turned to Holmes, he replied "Tomorrow, and whenever your Majesty should require my service." He was immediately promoted to Colonel in charge of a regiment of marines, and duly served in the planned action, although it turned out that it was only to be an assault on the coast of Brittany.

Holmes remained a favourite of George II. In 1749, he was appointed Colonel of the 31st Foot, nicknamed the "Young Buffs". He was further promoted to Major-General in 1756 and Lieutenant-General in 1759.

His older brother Thomas was the government's election manager on the Isle of Wight, eventually rewarded with an Irish peerage for his services and being allowed almost complete control over the nomination of MPs for five of the island's six Parliamentary seats. In 1741, Henry was elected at Thomas's instigation for Newtown; after one Parliament, he transferred to Yarmouth, which he represented for the rest of his life. He was also appointed lieutenant-governor of the Isle of Wight, in 1754, and Commander-in-Chief of Portsmouth.

Holmes's younger brother, Charles Holmes, was also an Isle of Wight MP and a distinguished naval leader, third in command during Wolfe's capture of Quebec.

References

* Lewis Namier & John Brooke, "The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790" (London: HMSO, 1964)
*
* [http://holmesacourt.org/d4/i0000388.htm Holmes à Court Family History]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Henry Holmes — The name Henry Holmes may refer to:* Dr. H. H. Holmes, (1861 1896) serial killer. * Henry Holmes (composer) (1839 1905), composer and professor of violin at the Royal College of Music in London. * Henry Holmes (d.1738), English Member of… …   Wikipedia

  • Daniel Henry Holmes Ingalls, Jr. — Daniel Henry Holmes Ingalls, Jr. Citizenship United States …   Wikipedia

  • Holmes (surname) — Holmes is a surname, and may refer to many people. Since holm is a Scandinavian word meaning a small island , people bearing the name might either have a Scandinavian ancestry or have a surname derived from a place which gained its name from a… …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Smith — ist der Name folgender Personen: Henry Smith (Rhode Island) (1766–1818), US amerikanischer Politiker Henry Smith (Texas) (1788–1851), US amerikanischer Politiker Henry Smith (New York) (1829–1884), US amerikanischer Politiker Henry Smith… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Henry A. Wise — Henry Alexander Wise (3 décembre 1806 12 septembre 1876) fut un avocat, un homme politique de Virginie et un général de l’armée confédérée pendant la guerre de Sécession. Sommaire 1 Débuts 2 Mariage et famille 3 Carrière politique …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Holmes Herbert — Données clés Naissance 30 juillet 1882 Mansfield (Angleterre) Nationalité Britannique Décès …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Henry Roberts Pease — (* 19. Februar 1835 in Winsted, Litchfield County, Connecticut; † 2. Januar 1907 in Watertown, South Dakota) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker (Republikanische Partei), d …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — Longfellow in 1868 by Julia Margaret Cameron Born February 27, 1807(1807 02 27) Portland, Maine, United States Died …   Wikipedia

  • Henry Steel Olcott — Colonel Henry Steel Olcott Born 02 August 1832 Orange, New Jersey Died 17 February 1907 (aged 74) Adyar, Chennai …   Wikipedia

  • Henry M. Britt — Henry Middleton Britt, III (June 9, 1919 February 17, 1995), was a Hot Springs lawyer who was a pioneer in the revitalization of the Republican Party (GOP) in the heavily Democratic state of Arkansas, primarily during the 1960s and 1970s. He was… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”