| Prince William | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke of Cumberland (more) | |||||
 The Duke of Cumberland by SirJoshua Reynolds,c. 1759 | |||||
| Born | (1721-04-15)15 April 1721 (New Style) Leicester House,London, England | ||||
| Died | 31 October 1765(1765-10-31) (aged 44) Mayfair, London, England | ||||
| Burial | 10 November 1765 Westminster Abbey, London | ||||
| |||||
| House | Hanover | ||||
| Father | George II of Great Britain | ||||
| Mother | Caroline of Ansbach | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
| Military career | |||||
| Nicknames | The Butcher Sweet William | ||||
| Allegiance |  Great Britain (1740–1757) Hanover (1757) | ||||
| Branch |  Royal Navy British Army | ||||
| Service years | 1740–1757 | ||||
| Rank | General | ||||
| Unit | Grenadier Guards | ||||
| Commands | Pragmatic Army Government Army Hanoverian Army of Observation Commander-in-Chief of the Forces | ||||
| Conflicts | |||||
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721[N.S.] – 31 October 1765), was the third and youngest son ofGeorge II ofGreat Britain andIreland and his wife,Caroline of Ansbach. He wasDuke of Cumberland from 1726. He is best remembered for his role in putting down theJacobite Rising at theBattle of Culloden in 1746, which made him popular in certain parts of Britain.[1][2] He is often referred to by the nickname given to him by hisTory opponents: 'Butcher'Cumberland.[3][4]
For much of theWar of the Austrian Succession, with the assistance ofJohn Ligonier, Cumberland commanded the main allied field army in Flanders acting in defence of theAustrian Netherlands and theDutch Republic. At the head of the largest deployment of British troops on the continent since the days ofMarlborough and opposed to the experienced French MarshalMaurice de Saxe, Cumberland's campaigning could not prevent the fall of the Dutch Barrier Forts. Between 1748 and 1755 he attempted to enact a series of army reforms that were resisted by theopposition and by the army itself.[5] Following theConvention of Klosterzeven in 1757, he never again held active military command and switched his attentions to politics andhorse racing.
William was born inLeicester House, in Leicester Fields (nowLeicester Square),Westminster,London, where his parents had moved after his grandfather,George I, accepted the invitation to ascend the British throne.[3] On 27 July 1726, at only five years old, he was createdDuke of Cumberland,Marquess of Berkhamstead in theCounty of Hertford,Earl of Kennington in the County ofSurrey,Viscount of Trematon in the County ofCornwall, andBaron of the Isle ofAlderney.[6]
The young prince was educated well; his mother appointedEdmond Halley as a tutor.[7] Another of his tutors (and occasional proxy for him) was his mother's favouriteAndrew Fountaine.[8] AtHampton Court Palace, apartments were designed specially for him byWilliam Kent.[9]
William's elder brotherFrederick, Prince of Wales, proposed dividing the King's dominions. Frederick would get Britain, while William would getHanover. This proposal came to nothing.[10]
From childhood, he showed physical courage and ability, and became his parents' favourite.[11] He was enrolled in the2nd Foot Guards and made aKnight of the Bath, when aged four.[12] He was intended, by the King and Queen, for the office ofLord High Admiral, and, in 1740, he sailed, as a volunteer, in the fleet under the command of SirJohn Norris, but he quickly became dissatisfied with the Navy,[13] and, instead secured the post ofcolonel of theFirst Regiment of Foot Guards on 20 February 1741.[14]
In December 1742, he became amajor-general, and, the following year, he first saw active service in Germany.[3]George II and the "martial boy" shared in the glory of theBattle of Dettingen (27 June 1743),[15] where Cumberland was wounded in his right leg by amusket ball.[3] After the battle he was made alieutenant general.[13][16]
In 1745, Cumberland was given the honorary title of Captain-General of the British land forces and inFlanders becameCommander-in-Chief of the alliedBritish,Hanoverian,Austrian andDutch (known as thePragmatic Army) troops despite his inexperience.[13] He initially planned to take the offensive against the French, in a move he hoped would lead to the capture ofParis, but was persuaded by his advisors that this was impossible given the vast numerical superiority of the enemy.[17]
As it became clear that the French intention was totake Tournai, Cumberland advanced to the relief of the town, which was besieged by MarshalMaurice de Saxe. In the resultingBattle of Fontenoy on 11 May 1745, the Allies were defeated by the French.[18] Saxe had picked the battleground on which to confront the British, and filled the nearby woods with Frenchmarksmen. Cumberland ignored the threat of the woods when drawing up his battle plans, and instead concentrated on seizing the village ofFontenoy and attacking the main French army nearby.[19]
Despite a concerted Anglo-Hanoverian attack on the French centre, which led many to believe the Allies had won, the failure to clear the woods and of the Dutch forces to capture Fontenoy forced Cumberland to retreat toBrussels, where he was unable to prevent thefall of Ghent,Bruges andOstend.[20] Cumberland was frequently criticised for his tactics in the battle, particularly his failure to occupy the woods.[21]
As the leading British general of the day, he was chosen to put a decisive stop to PrinceCharles Edward Stuart, a grandson ofJames VII of Scotland and II of England (James VII/II was the last Stuart king on the male line), in theJacobite rising of 1745. His appointment was popular, and caused morale to soar amongst the public and troops loyal to King George.[22]
Recalled fromFlanders, Cumberland proceeded with preparations for quelling the Stuart (Jacobite) uprising. The Jacobite army had advanced southwards into England, hoping that English Jacobites would rise and join them. However, after receiving only limited support, such as theManchester Regiment, the followers of Charles decided to withdraw to Scotland.[23]
Cumberland joined the Midland army underLigonier, and began pursuit of the enemy, as the Stuarts retreated northwards fromDerby.[24][3] On reachingPenrith, the advanced portion of his army was repulsed onClifton Moor in December 1745, and Cumberland became aware that an attempt to overtake the retreating Highlanders would be hopeless.[25]Carlisle was retaken, and he was recalled to London, where preparations were in hand to meet an expected French invasion.[3] The defeat of his replacement as commander,Henry Hawley, caused great panic in England in January 1746,[24] when, under a hail of pistol fire, "eightydragoons fell dead upon the spot" atFalkirk Muir.[26]
Arriving inEdinburgh on 30 January 1746, Cumberland assumed command of his forces and marched them toAberdeen. There, he ordered them to undergo training for approximately two months in preparation for engaging the Jacobite Army.[27][24] On 8 April, he set out from Aberdeen with his troops forInverness; eight days later on 16 April, he engaged the main Jacobite army near the village ofCulloden. In theensuing battle, his army decisively defeated the Jacobites. The battle lasted only an hour, with the Jacobites suffering between 1,500 and 2,000 casualties, while approximately 300 government soldiers were killed or wounded.[24][23]
On the morning after the battle, Cumberland issued a written order reminding his men that "the public orders of the rebels yesterday was to give usno quarter" and ordering his men to treat Jacobite wounded in the same manner.[28] Cumberland alluded to the belief that such orders had been found upon the bodies of fallen Jacobites. However, for the two days after the battle, Cumberland's order was not followed upon; though in the following two days, government troops scoured the battlefield and put to death many wounded Jacobite soldiers they came across.[29]
Government forces subsequently embarked upon the pacification of Jacobite regions in the Scottish Highlands, which took several months. They carried out searches for rebels across the Highlands, confiscating property, destroyingnonjuring Episcopalian andCatholic meeting houses andsummarily executing numerous suspected rebels.[30] While he had been in Inverness, Cumberland emptied the city jails of all of those who had been imprisoned by Jacobites and replaced them with Jacobites themselves; after the battle at Culloden, Jacobite prisoners were taken south to England to stand trial forhigh treason.[31][29]
Following Culloden, Cumberland was nicknamed "Sweet William" by hisWhig supporters and "The Butcher" by hisTory opponents[32] the latter being a taunt first recorded in theCity of London[33] and used for political purposes in England. Cumberland's own brother, thePrince of Wales (who had been refused permission to take a military role on his father's behalf), seems to have encouraged the virulent attacks upon the Duke. Cumberland preserved the strictest discipline in his camp. He was inflexible in the execution of what he deemed to be his duty, without favour to any man. In only a few cases he exercised his influence in favour of clemency.[24][nb 1] The Duke's victorious efforts were acknowledged by his being voted an income of £25,000per annum over and above his money from thecivil list.[3] A thanksgiving service was held atSt Paul's Cathedral, that included the first performance ofHandel's oratorioJudas Maccabaeus, composed especially for Cumberland, which contains the anthem "See the Conquering Hero Comes".[34]
The Duke took no part in the Flanders campaign of 1746, during which the French made huge advancescapturing Brussels and defeating the Allies atRocoux.[24] In 1747, Cumberland returned toContinental Europe. He again opposed the still-victoriousMarshal Saxe and received a heavy defeat at theBattle of Lauffeld, or Val, nearMaastricht, on 2 July 1747.[35] This and thefall of Bergen-op-Zoom compelled the two sides to the negotiating table and in 1748 thePeace of Aix-la-Chapelle was concluded and Cumberland returned home.[36]
Cumberland's unpopularity, which had steadily increased since Culloden, interfered greatly with his success in politics, and when the death of thePrince of Wales brought the latter'sson, a minor, next in succession to the throne, the Duke was not able to secure for himself the contingentregency.[24] As a compromise, the regency was vested in theDowager Princess of Wales, who considered him an enemy, but her powers were curtailed and she was to be advised by a committee of twelve men, headed by Cumberland.[37]
Whilst in the office ofCommander-in-Chief, Cumberland attempted to reform the peacetime army with the support of hisfather. He wished to wrest control over promotions from the government to the army itself and to limit or curtail the practise ofpurchase. Cumberland further wished to create a special standing force which could be quickly deployed overseas in time of crisis.[38] The Whigs, who only tolerated the army's existence in peacetime and had confidence only in the commanders' control over themilitia, saw the expansion and further professionalisation of the army asabsolutist. Critics such asHorace Walpole argued the institution of purchase was one of the safeguards of parliamentary sovereignty against Royalist insurrection.[38] Cumberland's opponent in governmentCharles Townshend wished to instead further reduce the peacetime army and reform the militia by creating a volunteer force for home defence, a precursor to the volunteers of the 19th century which would be under the direct control of civil authorities.[38]
In 1754, the simmering colonial rivalry betweenBritain andFrance over competing territorial claims in North America developed into war. France asserted its claim to theOhio Valley by building a network of powerful fortifications. The government ministry led byThomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle initially proposed a limited military response, in which a Highland regiment supported by colonial forces would drive the French from the Ohio Valley.[39][40] Cumberland believed the plan was not decisive enough to protect British interests in North America and expanded the plan to include a four-pronged assault againstNew France, with forces striking simultaneously atFort Duquesne,Fort Saint-Frédéric,Fort Niagara, andFort Beauséjour.[41]
Cumberland proposed that only overwhelming force would defeat France in America, which was contradictory to Newcastle's own proposals and previous government strategies which advocated limited offensive operations.[41][40] Further, Cumberland proposed a role ofcommander-in-chief for forces in America, who would have the power to levy local troops and direct local strategy.[39] A 3,500 strong mixed force of regulars, militia, and allied natives would be assembled. It would then cross the Virginia mountains and strike Duquesne. Two regimentsdrawn from Ireland were given this task.[42] An officer who had impressed Cumberland on previous campaigns,Edward Braddock, was given command of all crown forces in America, to the surprise of many in the army as Braddock was relatively unknown.[40]
Newcastle approved the bolder plan, which met with limited success. In his role as army Commander-in-Chief, Cumberland advised on the conduct of the war in North America. He believed the war should be principally conducted by the colonies themselves and that regular troops should only play a supporting role.[40] He was influential in the appointment ofJohn Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, another favorite and an officer who had served in Cumberland's army during the Jacobite rebellion.[43] Cumberland advised Loudoun to expose his officers and soldiers to scouting expeditions, so that they might "learn to beat the woods".[44] Cumberland approved the plan to developlight infantry in the British Army.[40]
In 1757, thewar having spread toContinental Europe, Cumberland was placed at the head of theHanoverian Army of Observation, intended to defendHanover (of which George II wasElector) from a French invasion.[45] At theBattle of Hastenbeck, nearHamelin, on 26 July 1757, Cumberland's army was defeated by the superior forces ofLouis Charles d'Estrées.[24] Despite seemingly having the advantage towards the end of the battle, Cumberland's forces began to retreat. Within a short time discipline had collapsed, and Cumberland's army headed northwards in total disorder. Cumberland hoped that theRoyal Navy might bring him reinforcements and supplies which would allow him to regroup and counterattack, but the British mounted anexpedition to Rochefort instead, despite suggestions that it should be sent to aid Cumberland.[46]
By September 1757 Cumberland and his forces had retreated to the fortified town ofStade on theNorth Sea coast. George II gave him discretionary powers to negotiate a separate peace.[47] Hemmed in by French forces led by theDuc de Richelieu, Cumberland agreed to theConvention of Klosterzeven, under which his army was to be disbanded and much of Hanover occupied by French forces, at theZeven Convent on 8 September 1757.[48]
On Cumberland's return to London, he was treated badly by his father, despite the fact that he had previously been given permission to negotiate such an agreement. When they met, George II remarked "Here is my son who has ruined me and disgraced himself".[49] In response, Cumberland resigned all the military and public offices he held and retired into private life.[50]
Cumberland's final years were lived out during the first five years of the reign of his nephew,George III, who acceded to the throne on the death of William's father on 25 October 1760. Cumberland became a very influential advisor to the King and was instrumental in establishing theFirst Rockingham Ministry.[3] Cabinet meetings were held either atCumberland Lodge, his home inWindsor, or atUpper Grosvenor Street, his house inLondon.[3] Cumberland never fully recovered from his wound at Dettingen, and wasobese.[3] In August 1760, he suffered astroke[51] and, on 31 October 1765, he died at his home on Upper Grosvenor Street at age 44.[3] He was buried beneath the floor of the nave of theHenry VII Lady Chapel inWestminster Abbey.[52] He died unmarried.[3]
British Honours
Academic
On 20 July 1725, as a grandchild of the sovereign, William was granted use of the arms of the realm, differenced by alabel argent of five points, the centre point bearing a cross gules, the first, second, fourth and fifth each bearing a canton gules. On 30 August 1727, as a child of the sovereign, William's difference changed to alabel argent of three points, the centre point bearing a cross gules.[56]
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Prince William County, Virginia is named for him,[57] as well asCumberland County, Maine,[58]Cumberland County, New Jersey,[59]Cumberland County, North Carolina,[60] andCumberland County, Virginia.[61] Various other places in the American colonies were named after him, including theCumberland River,[62] theCumberland Gap[63] and theCumberland Mountains.[64] In Britain, Cumberland Road inKew and the Grade II listed Cumberland Gate intoKew Gardens are named after him.[65]
In 2005 he was selected by theBBC History Magazine as the 18th century's worst Briton.[66]
A memorial obelisk was erected to the Duke's military services inWindsor Great Park. It is inscribed "THIS OBELISK RAISED BY COMMAND OF KING GEORGE THE SECOND COMMEMORATES THE SERVICES OF HIS SON WILLIAM DUKE OF CUMBERLAND THE SUCCESS OF HIS ARMS AND THE GRATITUDE OF HIS FATHER THIS TABLET WAS INSCRIBED BY HIS MAJESTY KING WILLIAM THE FOURTH". According to a local park guide and Scottish historianMurray Pittock, the obelisk was originally inscribed "Culloden" butQueen Victoria had "Culloden" removed.[67][68]
An equestrian statue of the Duke was erected in London'sCavendish Square in 1770, but was removed in 1868 since by that time the 'butcher of Culloden' was generally reviled. The original plinth remained.[68][69]
In 2019, plans by developers to name a street close to the battlefield after the Duke were rejected by theHighland Council.[68]
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cumberland, William Augustus, Duke of".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 623–624.
Prince William, Duke of Cumberland Cadet branch of theHouse of Welf Born: 15 April 1721 Died: 31 October 1765 | ||
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Colonel of theColdstream Regiment of Foot Guards 1740–1742 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of the1st Regiment of Foot Guards 1742–1757 | Succeeded by |
| Vacant Title last held by The Duke of Marlborough(1714–1717) | Captain-General of the British Army 1744–1757 | Vacant Title next held by The Duke of York and Albany(1799–1809) |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1745–1757 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the University of St Andrews 1746–1765 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the University of Dublin 1751–1765 | Succeeded by |
15th and 16th Century |
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17th and 18th Century |
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19th and 20th Century |
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21st Century | ||
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