General Richard Vyse or Vise

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

(11 July 1746 – 30 May 1825) was a British general, and briefly a Member of Parliament for Beverley.

Life

The family's earlier history in Staffordshire is outlined by the editor of Erdeswicke. Vyse was born at

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

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the younger son of William Vyse (1710–1770), canon residentiary and treasurer of

and his wife Catherine Smalbroke, and younger brother of William Vyse (1741–1816), canon residentiary and chancellor of Lichfield. He married twice: first, in 1771, he married Anna Susannah Spearman, who died without issue a year later and was buried at St Chad's, Stowe. In 1780, he married Anne, the only surviving daughter and heiress of Field-marshal Sir George Howard and his wife Lucy Wentworth, daughter of Thomas, Earl of Strafford, and became the father of Major-General Howard Vyse,

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and

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, and his sister Georgiana Anne Vyse. Vyse was appointed cornet in the 5th Dragoons on 13 February 1763. He attained the brevet rank of colonel on 7 January 1781, received the command of the 1st Dragoon Guards on 28 May 1784, and during the revolutionary war served in Flanders in command of a brigade under the

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. He distinguished himself on several occasions, particularly at the Battle of Beaumont on 26 April 1794, where at the head of two brigades of heavy cavalry, he materially contributed to the victory, and at the evacuation of Ostend, which he superintended on 1 July. Vyse was nominated major-general on 2 October 1794, and lieutenant-general on 1 January 1801. In 1799 he was appointed Commander of Forces in Scotland and based at

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

. During his time in Edinburgh, in 1804, he was elected a Fellow of the

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. His proposers were Ninian Imrie, John Clerk, and Thomas Charles Hope. In 1805 he left Scotland to become Commanding Officer of the

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district. He was returned to parliament in 1806 for Beverley, but in the following year made way for his son, Howard Vyse. He attained the rank of general on 1 January 1812, and died at Lichfield on 30 May 1825. He filled for some time the office of

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to Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. He was buried in Lichfield Cathedral near his parents: in 1827 his sister Mary (1745-1827), who had become the second wife of Spencer Madan, Lord Bishop of Peterborough, was buried beside him in the same vault. Their sister Catherine in 1768 became the second wife of Sir George Smith, 1st Bart., was widowed in the following year, and died in 1786.

Family

He married Anne Howard, daughter of Field Marshall George Howard. They had one son, who was a Lt Colonel in the Life Guards and one daughter, who was Maid of Honour to Queen Charlotte.Kay's Originals vol.2 p.350

Notes

References

* ;Archival documents
Smalbroke family of Birmingham MS 1098
includes Vyse family at Birmingham City Archives.
Vyse, Richard (1746-1825) MP General 131255
at National Register of Archives. ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Vyse, Richard 1746 births 1825 deaths British Army generals 3rd Dragoon Guards officers 5th Royal Irish Lancers officers 1st The Royal Dragoons officers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1802–1806 People from Lichfield British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Military personnel from Staffordshire