Sir Thomas Myddelton Biddulph (29 July 1809 – 28 September 1878) was an officer in the
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 ...
and courtier.
Early life
Thomas was born on 29 July 1809. He was the second son of Charlotte Myddelton and
Robert Myddelton Biddulph (1761–1814) of
Ledbury
Ledbury is a market town and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills.
It has a significant number of Tudor style timber-framed structures, in particular along Church Lane a ...
and younger brother of
Robert Myddelton Biddulph, MP for Denbighshire.
[Margaret Escott]
MYDDELTON BIDDULPH, Robert (1805-1872), of Chirk Castle, Denb. and 35 Grosvenor Place, Mdx.
in ''History of Parliament
The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in ...
: The House of Commons 1820-1832'', Volume 4, Cambridge 2009 His father adopted, by royal licence, the additional surname of
Myddelton Myddelton is a surname, a variant of Middleton associated with Wales. Notable people with the surname include:
*Sir Richard Myddelton, 3rd Baronet (1655–1716), Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1685 to 1705
*Sir Thomas Myddel ...
in 1801 after his mother inherited
Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle () is a Grade I listed castle located in Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales, from Chirk railway station, now owned and run by the National Trust.
History
The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roge ...
from her unmarried brother
Richard Myddelton in 1796.
His paternal grandparents were Penelope (née Dandridge) Biddulph and barrister Michael Biddulph. His maternal grandparents were
Richard Myddelton and, his first wife, Elizabeth Rushout (the daughter of Lady Anne
Compton and
Sir John Rushout, 4th Baronet
Sir John Rushout, 4th Baronet (6 February 16852 February 1775), of Northwick Park, Worcestershire was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for 55 years from 1713 to 1768. He was a supporter of Pulteney in opposition to Wal ...
). An aunt, Maria Myddelton, was the second wife of
Hon. Frederick West (a younger son of
John West, 2nd Earl De La Warr
John West, 2nd Earl De La Warr (9 May 1729 – 22 November 1777), styled Viscount Cantelupe from 1761 to 1766, was a British Army officer, peer and courtier.
Early life
Born The Honourable John West, he was the son of John West, 1st Earl De La ...
)
He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
.
[
]
Career
Biddulph entered the Army with the purchase of a commission as cornet
The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...
and sub-lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards
The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadi ...
on 7 October 1826. He purchased further promotion to lieutenant on 23 February 1829 and 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 ...
on 16 May 1834. In 1837
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The destructive Galilee earthquake causes thousands of deaths in Ottoman Syria.
* January 26 – Michigan becomes the 26th state admitted to the United States.
* February 4 – Seminoles attack Fo ...
and 1841
Events
January–March
* January 20 – Charles Elliot of the United Kingdom and Qishan of the Qing dynasty agree to the Convention of Chuenpi.
* January 26 – Britain occupies Hong Kong. Later in the year, the first census of the ...
his brother Robert unsuccessfully tried to have him elected as Member of Parliament for the Denbigh Boroughs.[ Biddulph was granted ]brevet rank
In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...
as a major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
on 9 November 1846.
On 16 July 1851, Biddulph was appointed Master of the Household
The Master of the Household is the operational head (see Chief operating officer) of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. The role has charge of the domestic staff, from the Royal Kitchens, the pages and footm ...
to Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
, an office for which he had been selected by Baron Stockmar.[ On 31 October that year, he purchased the substantive rank of major in the ]7th Light Dragoons
The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1689. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in ...
, and then the rank of lieutenant-colonel on the unattached list the same day. He was made an Extra Equerry
An equerry (; from French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon ...
to the Queen on 16 July 1854 and 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 ...
on 29 January 1857, with seniority later antedated to 28 November 1854.
On 10 March 1863, it was announced that Biddulph would be made a Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Order 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 received the knighthood on 27 March.[ He was promoted to major-general on 31 May 1865. On 3 March 1866, he resigned as Master of the Household and was appointed joint ]Keeper of the Privy Purse
The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the Monarchy of the United Kingd ...
with Lieutenant-General Charles Grey. He was also appointed Receiver-General of the Duchy of Cornwall
A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition.
There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...
on 31 March that year. After Grey's appointment as Private Secretary to the Sovereign
The private secretary to the sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom (as distinct from the great officers of the Household, whose duties are largely ceremonial). The private secre ...
on 30 April 1867, Biddulph became sole Keeper of the Privy Purse. He was further appointed Receiver-General of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...
in 1873, and would hold all three offices to his death.[ He was promoted to ]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 ...
on 29 December 1873 and full 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 ...
on 1 October 1877, and on 22 December 1877 was sworn of the Privy Council.
Personal life
On 16 February 1857, Biddulph married Mary Frederica Seymour (1824–1902), one of the Queen's maids of honour
A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts.
Tudors and Stuarts
Traditi ...
, the only daughter of Frederick Charles William Seymour. Her paternal grandparents were Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour
Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (29 April 1759 – 11 September 1801) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the American Revolutionary War, American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. The fifth son of Francis Seymo ...
and Lady Mary Gordon (herself the daughter of George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly
George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly, (28 June 1761 – 17 June 1853), styled Lord Strathavon until 1795 and Earl of Aboyne from 1795 to 1836, was a Scotland, Scottish peer and soldier.
Early life
George was the son of Charles Gordon, 4th Ear ...
).[K. D. Reynolds]
Biddulph, Sir Thomas Myddleton (1809–1878), courtier and army officer
in ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford 2004 Biddulph's wife had been maid of honour 1850–1857, and kept the style ''the Honourable'' for the rest of her life. She later served as an honorary Woman of the Bedchamber
In the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Woman of the Bedchamber is used to describe a woman (usually a daughter of a peer) attending either a queen regnant or queen consort, in the role of lady-in-waiting. Historically the term 'Gen ...
to the Queen, and as a Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
to her daughter Princess Henry of Battenberg.[ They had one son and one daughter:][
* Frederica Myddelton Biddulph]Clewer
Clewer (also known as Clewer Village) is an ecclesiastical parish and an area of Windsor, in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. Clewer makes up three wards of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, namely Clewer North, Cle ...
.[ Hon. Lady Biddulph was granted the use of rooms at the Henry III's Tower at ]Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
, where she died on 23 October 1902. King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910.
The second child ...
and other members of the royal family visited her in the days before her death.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biddulph, Thomas Myddelton
1809 births
1878 deaths
Myddelton family
People educated at Eton College
British Army generals
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Masters of the Household
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath