Phineas Bowles (died 1722) was an English army major-general.

Life

The subject's father was Valentine, his uncle was Colonel John Seymour, Governor of Maryland, and a brother named Tobias, a London merchant, was nominated to succeed his uncle as Royal Governor of Maryland. Bowles served in the Admiralty as a secretary from 6 March 1689 until 15 January 1690. Bowles is first mentioned in the '' Military Entry Books'' in January 1692, when he was appointed

captain-lieutenant Captain lieutenant or captain-lieutenant is a military rank, used in a number of navies worldwide and formerly in the British Army. Northern Europe Denmark, Norway and Finland The same rank is used in the navies of Denmark (), Norway () and Fin ...

in the regiment of Colonel W. Selwyn, later the 2nd Queen's, then just arrived in

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

from

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 ...

. In July 1705 he succeeded Colonel Caulfield in command of a regiment of foot in Ireland, with which he went to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and served at the Siege of Barcelona. According to the memoranda of General Erie, Bowles was one of the regiments broken at the bloody battle of Almanza. It appears to have been reorganised in England, as Narcissus Luttrell mentions Bowles's arrival in England on parole, and afterward that he was at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

with his regiment, awaiting embarkation with some troops supposed to be destined for

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. Instead, he again went with his Regiment to Spain, where it was distinguished at the

battle of Saragossa The Battle of Saragossa, also known as the Battle of Zaragoza, took place on 20 August 1710 during the War of the Spanish Succession. A Spanish Bourbon army loyal to Philip V of Spain and commanded by the Marquis de Bay was defeated by a Gra ...

in 1710, and was one of the regiments surrounded by the mountains of Castile, and made prisoners, in December of the same year. After this Bowles's regiment disappeared from the rolls, and its colonel remained unemployed until 1715, when, as a brigadier-general, he was commissioned to raise a corps of dragoons, of six troops, in

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 ...

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, ...

, and

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, to rendezvous at

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. This corps became the

12th Royal Lancers The 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war ...

. In 1719 Bowles was transferred to the colonelcy of a Regiment of Dragoons. Brigadier General Bowles was replaced in 1721 at

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

by Philip Honywood, Esq."Volume 235: August 2-December 27, 1721." ''Calendar of Treasury Papers'', Volume 6, 1720-1728. Ed. Joseph Redington. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1889. 70-96
British History Online website
Retrieved 11 March 2019. He died in 1722. His cousin's son Phineas Bowles (1690–1749) was a

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 ...

References

Sources

* Luttrell's Relation of State Affairs, 1857, vi. 213, 427 * Home Office Mil. Entry Books, vols. iii. and viii. * Treasury Papers, cvi. 57, cxvi. 32 * Cannon's Hist. Records, 6th Dragoon Guards, 8th Hussars, 12th Lancers. 17th-century births 1722 deaths 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars officers 12th Royal Lancers officers British Army major generals British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession {{UK-army-bio-stub