William Thornton (British Army officer)
Sir William Thornton | |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant Governor of Jersey | |
| In office 1830–1835 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Colin Halkett |
| Succeeded by | Archibald Campbell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1779 |
| Died | 30 March 1840 |
| Parent(s) | William Thornton Anne James |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1796–1835 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars | Peninsular War War of 1812 |
Early life
Thornton was born around 1779,
Among Thornton's relatives was aunt, Catherine Thornton, who was married to the Hon. and Rev. John Skeffington, third son of Clotworthy Skeffington, 4th Viscount Massereene and Lady Catherine Chichester (daughter of Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegall), and Letitia Thornton, who married Daniel Todd, Esq. (the parents of William Thornton-Todd).[1]
Military career
On 31 March 1796, Thornton was
Thornton became aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General
Thornton became commanding officer of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot in August 1811, commanding officer of the Duke of York's Greek Light Infantry Regiment in January 1812[5] and assistant military secretary to the commander-in-chief, the Duke of York later that year. In January 1813 he became commanding officer of the 85th Regiment of Foot and saw action during the Peninsular War.[6]
Thornton led the Light Brigade at the Battle of Bladensburg in August 1814. The Americans took him prisoner, but released him in October 1814.[6][7]
Thornton was then involved in the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815,[6] at which the only British success was on the west bank of the Mississippi River, where Thornton's brigade, comprising the 85th Regiment and a detachment of one hundred sailors from the Royal Navy and one hundred men of the Royal Marines,[8][9] attacked and overwhelmed the American line.[6][10]
Promoted to
Personal life
Thornton died of suicide on 30 March 1840 (or 6 April),[3] after having suffered from psychological problems attributed to wounds from the War of 1812.[6] Thornton, who died unmarried, left his estates to his nephew, William Todd, who had already inherited Buncrana Castle, County Donegal, from another uncle, Isaac Todd. On inheriting Thornton's estates William Todd took the additional surname of 'Thornton', becoming William Thornton-Todd.[11]
References
- ^ a b c Burke, C.B., LL.D., Sir Bernard (1886). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland. London: Harrison and Sons, Pall Mall. p. 1813. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/27366. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c Lee, Sidney (1898). Dictionary of National Biography: Teach – Tollet. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 309–310. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ a b Vetch, Robert Hamilton. "Thornton, William (1779?–1840)". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ^ Smith, Henry Stooks (1851). "An Alphabetical List of the officers of the Eighty-fifth, Bucks Volunteers, the King's Light Infantry regiment, from 1800 to 1850". p. 9. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ^ ISBN 9781591143628.
- ISBN 0-8147-6717-6
- ^ Gleig, George (1840). "Recollections of the Expedition to the Chesapeake, and against New Orleans, by an Old Sub". United Service Journal (2).
Gleig, on p340, uses the source document a report from Thornton to Pakenham 'we were unable to proceed across the river until eight hours after the time appointed, and even then with only a third part of the force which you had allotted for the service * viz 298 of the 85th, and 200 Seamen and Marines'
- ^ Patterson, Benton Rain, p.236
- ^ "No. 16991". The London Gazette. 9 March 1815. pp. 440–446.
- ^ "Nineteenth century landlords of Greater Buncrana". The Irish History. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
External links
