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 ...

Sir Charles Howard KB ( 1696 – 26 August 1765), was a

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 ...

officer and politician.

Background

He was the second son of the 3rd Earl of Carlisle and Lady Anne de Vere Capell, daughter of the 1st Earl of Essex. Howard was a

Groom of the Bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...

from 1714 to 1727 and Member of Parliament (MP) for

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

from 1727 to 1761.

Military career

He was commissioned an ensign in the

2nd Regiment of Foot Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

on 10 April 1715. He was promoted to captain of a company of the

16th Regiment of Foot 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 ...

on 10 June 1717. He briefly transferred to Wynne's Dragoons, and on 21 April 1719, returned to the 2nd Foot Guards as captain of a company and lieutenant-colonel in the Army. In 1725, Howard was appointed

Lieutenant-Governor of Carlisle Carlisle Castle is a stone keep medieval fortress located in the city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1092 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over 930 year ...

and in 1734 colonel and aide-de-camp to

King George II of Great Britain George II (George Augustus; ; 30 October / 9 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 ( O.S.) until hi ...

. In 1738, he received the command of the

19th Regiment of Foot 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics Nineteen is the eighth prime number. Number theory 19 forms a twin prime with 17, a cousin prime with 23, and a sexy prime with 13. ...

, which under him became known as The Green Howards. His regiment took part in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

and in 1742, Howard became brigadier-general. He commanded a brigade in the

Battle of Dettingen The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession, near Karlstein am Main in Bavaria. An alliance composed of British, Hanoverian and Austrian troops, known as the Pragmatic Army, defeated a French ...

in 1743 and as result was promoted to major-general a week later. He fought in the

Battle of Fontenoy The Battle of Fontenoy took place on 11 May 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession, near Tournai, then in the Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Maurice, comte de Saxe, Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Ar ...

in 1745, and commanded the British Infantry in the

Battle of Rocoux The Battle of Rocoux took place on 11 October 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession, at Rocourt (or Rocoux), near Liège in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, now modern Belgium. It was fought between a French army under Marshal Saxe a ...

in 1746. He was made lieutenant-general in the days after the

Battle of Val The Battle of Lauffeld took place on 2 July 1747, during the War of the Austrian Succession. Fought between the towns of Tongeren in modern Belgium, and the Dutch city of Maastricht, a French army of 80,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmat ...

in 1747.

After the war

After the war Howard was transferred to the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1748 and in 1749, created a

Knight of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

. He was appointed

Governor of Fort George and Fort Augustus The Governor of Inverness or Governor of Fort George and Fort Augustus was a British Army officer who commanded the garrisons at Fort George and Fort Augustus in Inverness-shire. The office became a sinecure and was abolished in 1833. The role of ...

(Governor of Inverness) for life in 1752 and in 1765, three months before his death, promoted to the rank of general. He died at

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

and is buried in

The Mausoleum, Castle Howard The Mausoleum is a historic building on the Castle Howard estate in North Yorkshire, in England. The mausoleum was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor between 1726 and 1729, its design inspired by the Tomb of Caecilia Metella and the alleged Tomb of ...

. Unmarried, his will mentions two

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 ...

children: * William Howard, a captain in Major General Brudenel's Regiment. * Eleanor Howard, married John Dalrymple of St. James, Westminster,

esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

in 1765.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Charles 1690s births 1765 deaths British Army generals British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 Green Howards officers Charles Howard Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Carlisle Younger sons of earls 3rd Dragoon Guards officers Coldstream Guards officers 9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers Burials in Somerset