HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 th ...
William Amherst (5 February 1732 – 13 May 1781) was a British military commander. In 1762 during the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
he led British forces that defeated a French expedition which had occurred earlier that year in St. John's,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
at the
Battle of Signal Hill The Battle of Signal Hill was fought on September 15, 1762, and was the last battle of the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. A British force under Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst recaptured St. John's, which the French had sei ...
.


Early life

William Amherst was born, in
Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...
,
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, into a family of lawyers. He was the son of Jeffery Amherst and Elizabeth Kerril and the brother of Field Marshal Jeffery 1st Lord Amherst and Admiral John Amherst. He later married Elizabeth Amherst (Patterson). Their children included: * William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst of Arracan, GCH, PC, a future
Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
* Elizabeth Frances Amherst


Seven Years' War

Amherst was commissioned as an
ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in the First Regiment of Foot Guards in 1755.The Recapture of St. John's, Newfoundland in 1762
/ref> He eventually rose to the rank of
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 th ...
in 1779. As a
lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...
, Amherst was instrumental in the re-capture of St. John's from the French in 1762 at the
Battle of Signal Hill The Battle of Signal Hill was fought on September 15, 1762, and was the last battle of the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. A British force under Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst recaptured St. John's, which the French had sei ...
. An area near Signal Hill at the entrance of St. John's harbour is named "
Fort Amherst Fort Amherst, in Medway, South East England, was constructed in 1756 at the southern end of the Brompton lines of defence to protect the southeastern approaches to Chatham Dockyard and the River Medway against a French invasion. Fort Amherst is ...
" in commemoration of his victory in 1762. In 1766 he became
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada England * ...
, and in 1768 he became MP for Launceston until 1774. In 1769 he built a house in
Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came ...
, on the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...
. He named the house and estate St John's, after his victory in Newfoundland. The neighborhood of Ryde that surrounds the house is still known by that name. He was appointed
Adjutant-General to the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...
in 1778: he died while serving in that role in 1781.Light Infantry
/ref>


Notes


References

*


External links


Biography at Newfoundland Grand Banks

The Rooms article on Conflict in Newfoundland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amherst, William 1732 births 1781 deaths Military personnel from Kent British military personnel of the French and Indian War British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 Grenadier Guards officers People from Sevenoaks Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Launceston British Army lieutenant generals 32nd Regiment of Foot officers