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 norma ...

Giles Stibbert (1734–1809) was

Commander-in-Chief, India During the period of the Company and Crown rule in India, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the Indian Army from 1833 to 1947. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...

Military career

Stibber arrived in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1756 and took part in the

Battle of Plassey The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company, under the leadership of Robert Clive, over the Nawab of Bengal and his French Indies Company, French allies on 23 June 1757. The victory was made possible by the de ...

in 1757.''The Oriental herald'', Volume 6, July to September 1825, Page 120
/ref> He then raised a battalion of native infantry at

Bankipore Bankipur is a neighbourhood and residential area in Patna, in the Indian state of Bihar. It is located on the bank of the river Ganges. The prime attraction is the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library built by Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh in 1891 and ...

in 1761 and commanded them at the Siege of

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

where he was wounded in 1763. He commanded the left wing of the Army at the

Battle of Buxar The Battle of Buxar was fought between 22 and 23 October 1764, between the forces of the British East India Company, under the command of Major Hector Munro, against the combined armies of Balwant Singh, Maharaja of the Benaras State; Mir Qa ...

in 1764 and captured

Chunar Chunar is a city located in Mirzapur district of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is nearby Mirzapur city. The railway tracks passing through Chunar Junction railway station leads to major destinations of India, including Howrah, Delhi, Ta ...

in 1765. He was twice

, firstly from 1777 to 1779 and then again from 1783, following the death of Sir

Eyre Coote Eyre Coote may refer to: *Eyre Coote (East India Company officer) (1726–1783), Irish soldier and Commander-in-chief of India *Eyre Coote (British Army officer) (1762–1823), Irish-born general in the British Army *Eyre Coote (MP) (1806–1834), ...

, to 1785. He made a huge wealth during his service in

, when in England he resided at Hereford Street with his 3 children and wife. Stibbert then commissioned

John Crunden John Crunden (c. 1741 – 1828) was an English architect of country houses and villas, and mobiliary designer. Biography Most of his early inspiration was drawn from Chippendale and his school. He produced a very large number of designs which ...

the architect of Hereford Street to build his country estate the first Portswood House at

Portswood Portswood is a suburb and electoral ward of Southampton, England. The suburb lies to the north-north-east of the city centre and is bounded by (clockwise from west) Freemantle, Highfield, Swaythling, St. Denys and Bevois Valley. Portswood ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

in 1778. His grandson, Frederick Stibbert, used the family's wealth to establish the

Stibbert museum The Stibbert Museum () is located on via Frederick Stibbert on the hill of Montughi in Florence, Italy. The museum contains over 36,000 Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, including a vast Collection (museum), collection of armour from Eastern an ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. He made the family home on the Hill of Montughi, which was originally purchased by his mother, into a museum to hold his collection. He is buried in

South Stoneham South Stoneham was a manor in South Stoneham parish. It was also a hundred, Poor law union, sanitary district then rural district covering a larger area of south Hampshire, England close to Southampton. In 1911 the parish had a population of 193 ...

with a monument by John Bacon.

Family

He was married to Sophronia Rebecca Wright.''A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 5'', edited by William Page, 1912
/ref>

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Stibbert, Giles British Commanders-in-Chief of India 1734 births 1809 deaths British East India Company Army generals People from South Stoneham