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 norma ...

Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, KCB (11 September 1776 – 26 January 1849"''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''") 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 ...

commander.

Military career

He was born in

Rockfleet Castle Rockfleet Castle, or Carrickahowley Castle ( Irish: ''Carraig an Chabhlaigh''), is a tower house near Newport in County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) 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 Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

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 ...

, the sixth son of John Arbuthnot, Sr of Rockfleet. He entered the

as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

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 R ...

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 Volunte ...

in May 1796 and to

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

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 only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

from May 1803. Arbuthnot was promoted to major in the 5th West India Regiment in the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

in April 1808 before being appointed assistant adjutant-general in General Picton's division for the greater part of the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. He was twice wounded, once in the

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 ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

in May 1810. He was appointed an aide-de-camp to

the Prince Regent George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

in February 1812, promoted to brevet

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

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 King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

in 1815. Promoted to major-general in May 1825, Arbuthnot was sent next year to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

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 The 99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1824. It amalgamated with the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) in 1881. History Formation The ...

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 dur ...

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 Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

Family

He was brother of General Sir Robert Arbuthnot, KCB and

Charles Arbuthnot Charles Arbuthnot (14 March 1767 – 18 August 1850) was a British diplomat and Tory politician. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1804 and 1807 and held a number of political offices. He was a good friend of the Duke of Welling ...

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 of ...

, Major General George Bingham Arbuthnot and Lieutenant General Sir

Charles George Arbuthnot Lieutenant general (United Kingdom), 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 Brit ...

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