Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, KCB (11 September 1776 – 26 January 1849"''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''") was a British Army commander.

Military career

He was born in Rockfleet Castle,

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

, Ireland, the sixth son of

John Arbuthnot, Sr of Rockfleet John Arbuthnot FRS (c.1729 – 27 December 1797) was a British agriculturist, the Inspector General of the Irish Linen Board. Career John Arbuthnot Esq., of Mitcham, was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1770. His appointment state ...

. He entered the British Army as an ensign in the

29th Regiment of Foot The 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, the Worcestershire Reg ...

in November 1795. He was promoted to lieutenant in the

40th Regiment of Foot The 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1717 in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) ...

in May 1796 and to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the 8th West India Regiment in June 1798. He then joined the Quarter-master General's department and served under Sir John Moore on the

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

from May 1803. Arbuthnot was promoted to major in the 5th West India Regiment in the West Indies in April 1808 before being appointed assistant adjutant-general in General Picton's division for the greater part of the Peninsular War. He was twice wounded, once in the West Indies and again in one of the actions in the Peninsula. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel, he became deputy quartermaster general at the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

in May 1810. He was appointed an aide-de-camp to the Prince Regent in February 1812, promoted to

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

colonel in June 1814 and appointed a

Knight of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

in 1815. Promoted to major-general in May 1825, Arbuthnot was sent next year to Portugal in command of a brigade. He afterwards commanded a district in Ireland, and having attained the rank of lieutenant-general in June 1838, was appointed, in 1842, to the command of the Northern and Midland Districts in England, which command he retained until his death. He also served as colonel in turn of the 99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot from August 1836, of the

52nd Foot The 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India du ...

from December 1839, of the 9th Regiment of Foot from December 1844 and of the 71st Highlanders from February 1848. He died unmarried at his residence in The Crescent, Salford.

Family

He was brother of General Sir Robert Arbuthnot, KCB and Charles Arbuthnot and bishop Alexander Arbuthnot. He was uncle of Sir

Alexander John Arbuthnot Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot (11 October 1822 – 10 June 1907) was a British official and writer. Early life He was born at Farmhill, County Mayo, the third son of Alexander Arbuthnot and his second wife Margaret Phoebe Bingham, daughter ...

, Major General George Bingham Arbuthnot and Lieutenant General Sir

Charles George Arbuthnot Lieutenant General Sir Charles George Arbuthnot (19 May 1824 – 14 April 1899) was a British Army officer. He served in the Royal Artillery in the Crimean War and rose to become a senior officer in British India. Early life Arbuthnot was b ...

References

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External links

* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbuthnot, Thomas 1776 births 1849 deaths 29th Regiment of Foot officers 52nd Regiment of Foot officers 57th Regiment of Foot officers 71st Highlanders officers British Army lieutenant generals British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Military personnel from County Mayo South Lancashire Regiment officers Worcestershire Regiment officers Thomas Arbuthnot