General Charles George James Arbuthnot, DL (180121 October 1870) was a British

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 ...

Early life

Arbuthnot was born at sea aboard the frigate ''

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...

'' and raised at

Woodford, Northamptonshire Woodford is a large village and civil parish located in North Northamptonshire, England. At the time of the 2011 census, the parish's population (including Woodwell) was 1,461 people. The village has one public house, The Dukes Arms, located ...

. His father,

Charles Arbuthnot Charles Arbuthnot (14 March 1767 – 18 August 1850) was a British diplomat and Tory politician. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1804 and 1807 and held a number of political offices. He was a good friend of the Duke of Welling ...

, was a prominent

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

politician, diplomat and confidant of the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

. He was made a

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The only ...

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

in 1812 (at the age of eleven or twelve).

Military career

Arbuthnot was made an Ensign in the

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 1816, was promoted to Captain of the 28th Regiment in 1820, and was made lieutenant colonel of the 72nd Regiment in 1825. He was returned to Parliament from the

rotten borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or Electoral district, constituency in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, or the United Kin ...

Tregony Tregony (), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parishes in England, civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village there is a post o ...

in 1831, but resigned the seat in the following year by becoming Steward of the Manor of East Hundred. On 19 May 1831, he left the 72nd and became lieutenant-colonel of the 90th Regiment, replacing Lord George Russell. In 1833, Arbuthnot married Hon. Charlotte Eliza Vivian, eldest daughter of

Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian Lieutenant General Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian (28 July 1775 – 20 August 1842), known as Sir Hussey Vivian from 1815 to 1828 and Sir Hussey Vivian, Bt, from 1828 to 1841, was a British cavalry leader from the Vivian family. Earl ...

. Their only child, Charlotte Letitia Caroline Arbuthnot (d. 1884), married Herbert Harley Murray. Returning to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 72nd Regiment on 23 February 1838, Arbuthnot was

brevetted In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

colonel on 28 June 1838. When Sir

Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

became Prime Minister,

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 ...

asked Charles to become her Equerry in Ordinary (a senior aide). He replaced

Lord Alfred Paget Lord Alfred Henry Paget (26 June 1816 – 24 August 1888) was a British soldier, courtier and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1837 and 1865. Early life Paget was the sixth son of William Paget, the 1st Marquess of ...

in the post on 10 September 1841. Two months later Peel offered to help him get into Parliament but after discussion with his father he decided he would be more useful at court. In 1842, the 72nd was called out to help suppress the "Plug-Drawing Riots" in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. While supporting the local constabulary in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

, Arbuthnot and his troops were ordered by the local magistrate to fire on a stone-throwing crowd to disperse it. Several rioters were injured, but none fatally. On 14 April 1843, he gave up the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 72nd to Lord Arthur Lennox. On 1 August 1846, Arbuthnot resigned as equerry, to be replaced by

Charles Beaumont Phipps Colonel Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps (27 December 1801 – 24 February 1866), was a British soldier and courtier. He was the second son of Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave, and was born at the family estate of Mulgrave Castle in 1801. Educ ...

. He was promoted major-general in 1851, appointed to the colonelcy of the 89th Regiment on 9 July 1857, and promoted

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 normall ...

in 1858. Arbuthnot was appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, on 21 January 1861, and became colonel of the 91st Regiment on 4 July 1864. Promoted

on 25 November 1865, he was appointed to command the 72nd Regiment on 27 August 1870, he died shortly thereafter, on 21 October 1870.

References

* * *''The London Gazette''
History of Parliament

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbuthnot, Charles George James 1801 births 1870 deaths Charles George James Arbuthnot British Army generals Equerries Pages of Honour Grenadier Guards officers 28th Regiment of Foot officers Deputy lieutenants of Northamptonshire Tory MPs (pre-1834) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Tregony UK MPs 1831–1832 People born at sea Military personnel from Northamptonshire