General Hunt Walsh (1720 – 28 February 1795) was a British soldier and politician. Since the 1630s his family had owned lands in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

at Ballykilcavan, near

Stradbally Stradbally () is a town in County Laois, Ireland. Overview It is located in the midlands of Ireland along the N80 road, about from Portlaoise and from Dublin. It is a townland, a civil parish, and historic barony. It is known for its annu ...

, Queen's County (now

County Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

). He served as an officer in the

28th Regiment of Foot The 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gloucestershire Reg ...

, rising to the rank of major in May 1753, and appointed to the lieutenant-colonelcy on 2 February 1757. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

he commanded that regiment in North America, where it fought at the capture of Louisbourg and the

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe the North American theatre). The battle, which took place on 13 Sept ...

. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1760, and appointed to the colonelcy of the

56th Regiment of Foot The 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army, active from 1755 to 1881. It was originally raised in Northumbria as the 58th Regiment, and renumbered the 56th the following year when two senior regiments we ...

in 1766, a post he would hold for almost thirty years. He was promoted to major-general in 1772, lieutenant-general in 1777, and full general in 1793. Between 1764 and 1776, he represented Maryborough in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

. As a reward for his military service,

Lot 11, Prince Edward Island Lot 11 is a township in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is part of Halifax Parish. Following the Seven Years' War, Lot 11 was awarded in the land lottery of 1767 to Colonel Hunt Walsh, the commanding officer of 28th Regiment ...

was awarded to Colonel Walsh in the great lottery of 1767. While ownership remained with the heirs of Colonel Walsh, portions of the lot were leased to settlers under the administration of land agents in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. In 1856, the Walsh heirs sold the lot to the Prince Edward Island colonial government for resale to leaseholders in accordance with the Land Purchase Act of 1853.O'Grady, pp. 35&104 He was an uncle of

Sir Henry Johnson, 1st Baronet General (United Kingdom), General Sir Henry Johnson, 1st Baronet (1 January 1748 – 18 March 1835) was an Anglo-Irish general in the British Army. Life He was the second son of Allen Johnson of Kilternan, County Dublin, and his wife Olivia, da ...

and of

John Allen Johnson-Walsh Sir John Allen Johnson-Walsh, 1st Baronet (bapt. 19 September 1744 – 16 December 1831) was an Irish landowner and Member of Parliament.George Edward Cokayne''The Complete Baronetage'' vol. 5, p. 383(Exeter 1906) He was born John Allen Johns ...

References

* * 1720 births 1795 deaths 56th Regiment of Foot officers 28th Regiment of Foot officers British Army generals British Army personnel of the French and Indian War Irish MPs 1761–1768 Irish MPs 1769–1776 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for Queen's County constituencies {{Ireland-pre1801-MP-stub