Brigadier-General Sir Herbert Conyers Surtees (13 January 1858 – 18 April 1933) was a British military leader, politician and historical author.

Early life

He was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 13 January 1858. He was the only son of Col. Charles Freville Surtees of the 10th Hussars and his wife, Bertha Chauncey. He was christened in St James' Church in

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

. He was descended from Robert Surtees of Mainsforth. His father was MP for South Durham 1865 to 1868. 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 ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

, before entering the

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 ...

in 1876, joining the 49th Regiment of Foot. In October 1877, he transferred to the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

and remained with them for the rest of his career.

Career

He worked initially as a "musket instructor". From 1884 to 1887 he was posted in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He was promoted to Captain in 1887 and Major in 1895. He mainly served with the

he rose to the rank of Brigadier General. He saw action as a Lt. Colonel in from 1899 to 1900

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

(during the Boer War). In 1899, he saw action at the

Siege of Kimberley The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the South African Republic, Transvaal besieged the diam ...

, Belmont, Enslin, the

Modder River The Modder River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Riet River that forms part of the border between the Northern Cape and the Free State provinces. The river's banks were the scenes of heavy fighting in the beginning of the ...

Magersfontein The MagersfonteinMisspelt "Maaghersfontein" in some British texts ( ) battlefield is a site of the Battle of Magersfontein (11 December 1899), part of the Second Boer War in South Africa. The battlefield is located at south of Kimberley, Norther ...

, and the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

. In 1900 he saw action at Driefontein, the

Vet River The Vet River (, "fat river") is a westward-flowing tributary of the Vaal River in central South Africa. Its sources are between Marquard and Clocolan and the Vet River flows roughly northwestwards to meet the Vaal at the Bloemhof Dam near Hoopst ...

, the Zand River and

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. For these numerous actions he received the Queen's South African Medal with six clasps (indicating seven awards). He also received the DSO. In 1904, he was promoted to Brevet Colonel and served as a military attache in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. He retired in 1912, but came out of retirement due to the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

commanding the 52nd Infantry Brigade in France and Belgium.

Political career

From 1918 to 1922 he was the Member of Parliament for

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

as a . He lived at Mainsforth Hall (inherited from his father, demolished in 1962 though the Mainsforth Hall south entrance gate piers and gates on east boundary survive and are Grade II listed) near

Ferryhill Ferryhill is a towns in England, town and civil parish in County Durham (district), County Durham, England, with an estimated population in 2018 of 9,362. The town grew in the 1900s around the coal mining industry. The last mine officially clo ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. A notable

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

he was created Provincial Grand Master for Durham in October 1932 and Provisional Prior of the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

in November 1932.

Personal life

Durham Cathedral plaque for Brigadier-General Herbert Conyers Surtees

In 1887 he married Madeline Augusta Crabbe, daughter of Edward Crabbe and his wife Ruth Herbert, a stage actress and the artist's model to

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

. Together, Madeline and Herbert had two daughters: * Dorothy Cynthia Surtees (1890–1957), who married Christopher Cecil Tower. After his death, she married Sir Patrick Ramsay, the second son of John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie and a brother-in-law of

Princess Patricia of Connaught Lady Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth Ramsay (born Princess Patricia of Connaught; 17 March 1886 – 12 January 1974) was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Upon her marriage to Alexander Ramsay, she relinquished her title of a British princ ...

(through her husband Sir Alexander Ramsay). * Etelka Bertha Surtees (1891–1974), who married the American diplomat Edward J. Bell (1882–1924), nephew of the publisher

James Gordon Bennett Jr. James Gordon Bennett Jr. (May 10, 1841May 14, 1918) was an American publisher. He was the publisher of the ''New York Herald'', founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett Sr. (1795–1872), who emigrated from Scotland. He was generally known as ...

, in 1914. After his death in

Peking Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

(while acting Minister to China when Minister

Jacob Gould Schurman Jacob Gould Schurman (May 2, 1854 – August 12, 1942) was a Canadian-American educator and diplomat, who served as President of Cornell University and United States Ambassador to Germany. Early life and education Schurman was born at Freetown ...

was in Washington) in 1924, she remarried to Sir James Leishman Dodds (1891–1972), a son of

Under-Secretary of State for Scotland The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland is a junior ministerial post (of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State rank) in the Government of the United Kingdom, supporting the Secretary of State for Scotland. The post is also kn ...

Sir James Miller Dodds, in Paris in 1927. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Dodds was the British Minister to Bolivia. He died in London on 18 April 1933 after an operation. His widow, a recipient of Turkish Order of the Chefaket, died in 1957. After Lady Surtees' death, their granddaughter Virginia inherited Mainsforth Hall and changed her name to Surtees in 1962.

Descendants

Through his daughter Dorothy, he was a grandfather of David Patrick Maule Ramsay (1919–1978), who married (and divorced) Hélène Arvanitidi, and James Surtees Maule Ramsay (1923–1944), a Lt. in the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

who died in

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

at the Western Front during

.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, U.S.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. From his daughter Etelka's first marriage, he was a grandfather of noted society hostess and writer Evangeline Bell, who married David K. E. Bruce (a son of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

William Cabell Bruce, he served as the

U.S. Ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations w ...

, the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

), and Virginia Bell, who married (and later divorced) Sir Henry Ashley Clarke, the British Ambassador to Italy. From Etelka's second marriage, he was a grandfather of Josephine Leishman Dodds, who married Squadron Leader Hugh Glyn Laurence Arthur Brooking in 1949. Brooking, the

King's Messenger The Corps of King's Messengers (or Corps of Queen's Messengers during the reign of a female monarch) are couriers employed by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). They hand-carry secret and important documents to B ...

, a younger son of Hugh Cyril Arthur Brooking.

Legacy and honours

He was knighted by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

in 1932. After his death, a memorial plaque was erected in the cloister of

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

to his memory. His portrait is held by

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

Library.

Publications

*''The History of the Church of

St Brandon Saint Brandon (), also known as the Cargados Carajos Shoals, is a southwest Indian Ocean archipelago of sand banks, shoals and islets belonging to the Republic of Mauritius. It lies about northeast of the island of Mauritius. It consists of fiv ...

in Brancepeth, County Durham'' (1919) *''The History of the castle of Brancepeth at Brancepeth, County Durham'' (1920) *''The History of the Parish of Byers Green, including the Townships of Newfield and Binchester'' (1922) *''The History of the Township of Newton Cap in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1922) *''The History of the Village and Church of Escombe, County Durham'' (1922) *''The History of the Parish of Byers Green, including the Townships of Newfield and Binchester'' (1922) *''The History of Frosterley and District in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1923) *''The History of New Shildon and East Thickley in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1923) *''The History of the Parishes of Hunwick, Helmington, Witton Park and Etherley in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1923) *''The History of the Parish and Township of Evenwood and the Parish of Eldon in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1923) *''The History of the Parish of Coundon with the townships of Coundon, Westerton and Windlestone in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1924) *''The History of the Parish and Township of St. Helen Auckland in the County Palatine of Durham together with the Township of West Auckland'' (1924) *''The History of the Parish of Witton-le-Wear in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1924) *''The History of the Parish of Middleton-in-Teesdale in the County of Durham with the townships of Egglestone, Newbiggin, and Forest and Frith with Harwood'' (1924) *''The History of the Parishes of

Tudhoe Tudhoe is a village in the civil parish of Spennymoor, in County Durham, England. It lies just outside Spennymoor, a short distance to the west of the Great North Road. Tudhoe lay at the centre of a network of roads: one ran to Durham by way o ...

and Sunnybrow in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1925) *''The History of the Parishes of Willington and Crook with Billy Row and Stanley in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1925) *''The History of the Parishes of St. John's Chapel and Heathery Cleugh in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1925) *''Records of the Family of Surtees'' (1925) *''The History of the Parishes of Rookhope, Westgate and Eastgate in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1925) *''The History of the Parishes of Hamsterley and Lynesack and Softley in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1926) *''The History of the Parishes of Thornley and Tow Law, together with the Lordship of Bradley and the Ecclesiastical Parish of Firtree, with the Township of North Redburn in the County Palatine of Durham'' (1926) *''The History of

Durham Castle Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Heri ...

'' (1928) *''The History of the Parish of Wolsingham'' (1929) *''The history of the Parish of Brancepeth together with the civil and ecclesiastical parish and township of Brandon with Byshottles, including East and West Brandon, Holywell, Langley Moor, Littleburn, Browney, Sleetburn and Waterhouses with Hareholm and NewHouse'' (1930) *''The Heraldry of the Cloisters of Durham Cathedral'' (1930) *''Memorial Inscriptions in

'' (1932)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surtees, Conyers 1858 births 1933 deaths Military personnel from London British Army brigadiers People educated at Harrow School English Freemasons British historians British Army generals of World War I Coldstream Guards officers Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1918–1922 Military attachés for the United Kingdom 49th Regiment of Foot officers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Knights Bachelor Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Royal Victorian Order Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London