George Wade | |
|---|---|
 Field Marshal George Wade | |
| Born | 1673 Killavally,County Westmeath, Ireland |
| Died | (1748-03-14)14 March 1748 |
| Allegiance | |
| Service |
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| Years of service | 1690–1748 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
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| Signature |  |
Field MarshalGeorge WadePC (1673 – 14 March 1748) was aBritish Army officer and politician who served in theNine Years' War,War of the Spanish Succession,Jacobite rising of 1715 andWar of the Quadruple Alliance before leading the construction of barracks, bridges and proper roads in Scotland. He went on to be a military commander during theWar of the Austrian Succession andCommander-in-Chief of the Forces during theJacobite rising of 1745.
Born the son of Jerome Wade inKillavally,County Westmeath, Ireland, he spent his early years inEnglish Tangier, where his father was a member of theTangier Garrison.[1] Wade wascommissioned into theEarl of Bath's Regiment on 26 December 1690[2] and served inFlanders in 1692, fighting at theBattle of Steenkerque in August 1692 during theNine Years' War and earning a promotion tolieutenant on 10 February 1693.[2] He transferred to SirBevil Granville's Regiment on 19 April 1694[3] and was promoted tocaptain on 13 June 1695.[2]
During theWar of the Spanish Succession, he first served underMarlborough, seeing action in Flanders at the Battle of Kaiserwerth in April 1702, the Battle of Venlo in September 1702, the Battle of Roermond in October 1702 and the Battle of Liège also in October 1702. He was promoted tomajor on 20 March 1703 and tolieutenant colonel in October 1703.[2] In 1704 he joined the staff ofHenri de Massue, Earl of Galway asadjutant-general in Portugal,[2] and distinguished himself as colonel of theHuntingdon's Regiment during theBattle of Alcántara, where he was wounded in April 1706.[2] He repelled a large force of cavalry at Vila Nova and then commanded the3rd infantry brigade during theBattle of Almansa in April 1707.[2] He was promoted tobrigadier general on 1 January 1708.[3]
He served as second in command toJames Stanhope inMenorca in 1708,[2] leading one of the storming parties onFort St. Philip, before returning to Spain in 1710, where he fought at theBattle of Saragossa in August 1710.[2] He was promoted tomajor-general on 3 October 1714[4] and became commander of the British forces in Ireland in November 1714.[3]
Wade returned home to join in the suppression of theJacobite rising of 1715 and undertook security duties inBath, where he unearthed a haul of Jacobite weapons.[3] He entered politics asMP forHindon in 1715.[5] On 19 March 1717, he became colonel of theEarl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse.[3]
In 1719, he served as second-in-command toViscount Cobham[4] during theWar of the Quadruple Alliance when Cobham led a force of 4,000 troops on a raid on the Spanish coastline which capturedVigo andoccupied it for ten days before withdrawing.[6] The same year he was one of the original backers of theRoyal Academy of Music, establishing a London opera company that commissioned numerous works fromHandel and others.[7]
He became MP forBath in 1722,[8] retaining the seat for 25 years.[4]His house, built around 1700, is situated next toBath Abbey and is now a Grade Ilisted building.[9][10]
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The government ofGeorge I sent Wade to inspect Scotland in 1724.[4] He recommended the construction of barracks, bridges and proper roads to assist in the control of the country. On 10 May 1725, he was appointedCommander in Chief of His Majesty's forces, castles, forts and barracks in North Britain and was tasked with carrying out his own recommendations.[11] Over the next twelve years Wade directed the construction of some 240 miles (390 km) of roads and 30 bridges (including theWade's Bridge atAberfeldy).[3]General Wade's military roads linked the garrisons atRuthven,Fort George,Fort Augustus, andFort William.[12]
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A reference in verse is said to be inscribed on a stone at the start of one of his military roads in Scotland:
If you had seen this road before it was made,
You would lift up your hands and bless General Wade.[4]
Wade also organised amilitia, "Highland Watches", and called on members of the landedgentry to sign up[13] and raised the first six companies in 1725 (three ofCampbells and one each ofFrasers,Grants, andMunros).[14] Also in 1725, Wade put down an insurrection after the government attempted to extend the "malt tax" to Scotland, and enraged citizens inGlasgow drove out the military and destroyed the home of their representative in Parliament.[15] He was promoted tolieutenant general on 15 April 1727.[16]
On 1 June 1732, he becameGovernor of Berwick-upon-Tweed,[17] and on 19 June 1733, he became Governor of Fort William, Fort George and Fort Augustus.[18] He was promoted togeneral of horse on 17 July 1739.[19]
He raised four more "Highland Watch" companies in 1739, which were subsequently reorganized as theBlack Watch regiment.[14] He still had the time to sign his support to theFoundling Hospital, which was established in 1739 in London.[20] On 22 June 1742, he was appointedLieutenant-General of the Ordnance,[21] and on 24 June 1742, he was appointed a member of thePrivy Council.[22]
On 17 December 1743 he became afield marshal[23] with his appointment to the joint command of the Anglo-Austrian force in Flanders against the French in theWar of the Austrian Succession.[4] Wade organised an advance towardsLille in July 1744, but the action became stalled in the face of logistical problems.[3] He resigned from his command in March 1745 and returned home to becomeCommander-in-Chief of the Forces.[4]
In October 1745, during theJacobite rising, Wade concentrated his troops inNewcastle upon Tyne, on the east coast of England; however, the Jacobite forces advanced from Scotland down the west coast of England viaCarlisle intoLancashire and the speed of their advance left Wade scrambling.[4] In freezing conditions and with his men starving, he failed to counter their march into England or their subsequent retreat back fromDerby to Scotland. Wade was replaced as Commander-in-Chief byPrince William, Duke of Cumberland, who led the army to success at theBattle of Culloden in April 1746.[24]
It was because of the difficulties Wade encountered marching his troops cross-country from Newcastle to Carlisle that he built hisMilitary Road west of Newcastle in 1746, entailing such destruction ofHadrian's Wall. Wade helped plan the road but had died before construction began in 1751.[25] His Military Road is still in use today as the B6318; it should not be confused with theMilitary Way built by the Romans immediately south of Hadrian's Wall.[26]
Wade received mention in a verse sung as part ofGod Save the King around 1745:[4]
Lord, grant that Marshal Wade
May, by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush
And, like a torrent, rush
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the King.
Wade died unmarried on 14 March 1748 and is buried atWestminster Abbey, where his life is recognised by a monument created byLouis-François Roubiliac.[27]
Wade left two natural (illegitimate) sons, Captains William and John Wade, and two natural daughters, Jane Erle and Emilia. Wade left most of his estate to his natural children although he provided generously for the widow and children of his brother William, Canon of Windsor, Berkshire. Wade had a second natural daughter named Emilia, who was married first in 1728 to a Mr John Mason and then to a Mr Jebb.[28]
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forHindon 1715–1722 With:Reynolds Calthorpe John Pitt | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBath 1722–1747 With:John Codrington Robert Gay John Codrington Philip Bennet Robert Henley | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Colonel ofWade's Regiment of Dragoon Guards 1717–1748 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Scotland 1724–1740 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed 1732–1733 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Inverness 1733–1748 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Fort William 1733–1743 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance 1741–1748 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1745 | Succeeded by |
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