General Edward Charles John Stopford Claremont CB (born Stopford; 23 January 1819 – 16 July 1890) was a British soldier who was the United Kingdom's first

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

, holding the post in Paris for 25 years.

Early life

Stopford Claremont was born in Paris with the name Edward Charles John Stopford, the

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

son of Lt.-Gen. Hon. Sir Edward Stopford and Anaïs Pauline Nathalie Aubert, known as

Mademoiselle Anaïs Anaïs Pauline Nathalie Aubert, known as Mademoiselle Anaïs (1802–1871) was a French actress. Biography Anaïs was born in Toury, Eure-et-Loir, and entered the Comédie-Française in 1816 at the age of just fourteen. In 1832 she was chosen to ...

, an actress in the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

. His paternal grandparents were

James Stopford, 2nd Earl of Courtown James Stopford, 2nd Earl of Courtown Order of St Patrick, KP, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire) (28 May 1731 – 30 March 1810), known as Viscount Stopford from 1762 to 1770, was an Anglo-Irish Peerage, peer and Tory politician who sat in the Bri ...

and Mary Powys. His uncle,

James Stopford, 3rd Earl of Courtown James George Stopford, 3rd Earl of Courtown KP, PC (15 August 1765 – 15 June 1835), known as Viscount Stopford from 1770 to 1810, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Tory politician. Early life Courtown was the eldest son of James Stopford, 2nd ...

, refused to allow him to use the sole name of Stopford because of his illegitimate status and so he was

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

in Britain by private act of Parliament in 1836 with the name of Edward Stopford Claremont.

Career

Claremont entered 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 1838 as an

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the Royal Regiment of Foot, and was promoted to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1841 and

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the

Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment The Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment of the British Army was raised in 1840 for service in Canada. Its members were veterans of service in other regiments of the British Army. Formation The concern which led to the creation of the regiment was ...

in 1845. For "distinguished service" he was given brevet rank of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1854. As "military commissioner" he was attached to the French army in 1855 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and was commended for his services by General Canrobert. Later that year he was given brevet Lieutenant-Colonel rank and awarded the CB. He was also with French forces during the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: ''Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana''; German: ''Sardinischer Krieg''; French: ...

in 1859 and the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

in 1870–71. The

Emperor of the French Emperor of the French ( French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First French Empire and the Second French Empire. The emperor of France was an absolute monarch. Details After rising to power by ...

said that Stopford Claremont was his favourite English officer and awarded him the Fourth Class of the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

after the Crimean War, and later promoted him to the Third Class. The

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

gave him (along with many other British officers) the

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie (, August 29, 1852 – 1922) was a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the order was awarded in five classes, with the Firs ...

, 4th class, in 1858, at which time he was described as "Military Attache to Her Majesty's Embassy at Paris". In 1862 the

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

gave him the further honour of

Groom of the Privy Chamber A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obli ...

. He was given the local rank of major-general in 1870, fully promoted the next year (backdated to 1868), and promoted again to

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 1877. Stopford Claremont retired in 1881 with the honorary rank of full

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 ...

. He was honorary colonel of the

Bedfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the World War ...

from 1883 until his death.

Personal life

In 1843, Stopford Claremont was married to Frances Charlotte Wetherall, a daughter of Gen. Sir George Wetherall, in

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

. Together, they had six children, including: * George William Frederick Stopford Claremont (1844–), who married Marianne "Daisey" McNeil-Hamilton ( Ewing), widow of William Henry McNeil-Hamilton, in 1887. * Emily Fanny Stopford Claremont (1846–), who married Capt. Fletcher Castell Hungerford Littledale of

Cookham Cookham is a historic River Thames, Thames-side village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north-eastern edge of Berkshire, England, north-north-east of Maidenhead and opposite the village of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, Bourne ...

End,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, son of Arthur Littledale, in 1878. * Edward MacDougal Stopford Claremont (1847–), who married Flora Mary Darell, a sister of

Sir Lionel Darell, 6th Baronet Colonel Sir Lionel Edward Hamilton Marmaduke Darell, 6th Baronet DSO JP DL (2 April 1876 – 27 May 1954) was an English soldier and landowner. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir Lionel Darell, 5th Baronet and Helen Frances Marshland. Am ...

and Brig.-Gen. William Harry Verelst Darell, in 1872. After her death in 1907, he married Dorothy Griffiths, a daughter of Lt. Charles John Griffiths, in 1909. * Henry Alexander Stopford Claremont (''later'' Lyne-Stephens) (1848–1894) of

Grove House, Roehampton Grove House is a Grade II* listed house at Roehampton Lane, Roehampton, London. It was built in 1777 by James Wyatt for Sir Joshua Vanneck, but has later alterations and additions. It is part of Froebel College, University of Roehampton ...

who married Katherine Gregory Walker, a daughter of Edward Walker, of Henbury Manor,

Wimborne Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Pool ...

, in 1882. After his death, his widow married Lt.-Col. Raoul Paston-Bedingfeld, a younger son of

Sir Henry Paston-Bedingfeld, 6th Baronet Sir Henry Richard Paston-Bedingfeld, 6th Baronet JP DL (born Bedingfeld; 10 May 1800 – 4 February 1862), was an English landowner and baronet. Early life Born Henry Richard Bedingfeld on 10 May 1800 at Oxborough in Norfolk, he was the eldest ...

. * Annie Charlotte Stopford Claremont (1853–1913), who married Capt. Cecil Thorold, brother to

Sir John Thorold, 12th Baronet Sir John Henry Thorold, 12th Baronet (9 March 1842 – 4 October 1922) was a British Conservative Party politician. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir John Thorold, 11th Baronet, and Elizabeth Frances Thoroton-Hildyard. Among his siblin ...

, in 1875. After his death in 1895, she married Ralph Henry Seymour Hall in 1902. After his death, she married John Felix Riley in 1903. * Olivia Gertrude Louisa Stopford Claremont (1857–1940), who married stockbroker John Algernon Bastard (grandson of John Bastard, MP). Reportedly, he had a liaison at some point with the wealthy widow, Yolande Lyne-Stephens as his third son Henry changed his surname from Stopford Claremont to Lyne-Stephens. Stopford Claremont died on 16 July 1890.Obituary
''The Times'', London, 17 July 1890, page 5.

Descendants

Through his son Henry, he was a grandfather of Sybil Lyne-Stephens, who married Sir Henry Paston-Bedingfeld, 8th Baronet (son of Sir Henry Paston-Bedingfeld, 7th Baronet and nephew of Lt.-Col. Raoul Paston-Bedingfeld), a Major in the Liverpool Regiment who served in the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Claremont, Edward Stopford 1819 births 1890 deaths British Army personnel of the Crimean War British Army generals Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 4th class Military personnel from Paris Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom British military attachés