Sir John Sebright | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait byFrancis Wheatley, c. 1770 | |
| Born | 19 October 1725 |
| Died | 23 February 1794(1794-02-23) (aged 68) Beechwood Park, Hertfordshire |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Branch | British Army |
| Service years | 1741–1794 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | 1st Foot Guards |
| Alma mater | Westminster School |
| Spouse | |
| Member of Parliament forBath | |
| In office 1763–1774 | |
| In office 1775–1780 | |
GeneralSir John Saunders Sebright, 6th Baronet (19 October 1725 – 23 February 1794) was aBritish Army officer and aMember of Parliament.
Sir John Sebright was a younger son ofSir Thomas Sebright, 4th Baronet and Henrietta Dashwood and was educated atWestminster School. In 1761 he succeeded his elder brother to the baronetcy and theBeechwood Park estate in Hertfordshire.
Sebright wascolonel of the83rd Regiment of Foot from 1758 to 1760, and then the52nd Regiment of Foot, from 1760 to 1762. In 1762 he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot, a position he held until his death. He was promoted full general on 20 November 1782.
He was elected MP forBath in 1763, was defeated in 1774, but returned in a by-election a few months later, sitting until 1780.[1]
He was a close friend of the Irish statesman and writerEdmund Burke. In 1765, on a visit to Sebright's home at Beechwood Park Burke came across a considerable number of medieval Irish manuscripts in the library.[2] The manuscripts had been given to Sebright's father by the antiquary and philologistEdward Lhuyd who had acquired them on a tour of Ireland in 1700. In 1786, these were bequeathed to the library ofTrinity College Dublin and formed the foundation of the Irish manuscript collections there. The manuscripts presented by Sebright included theYellow Book of Lecan and theBook of Leinster.[3]
In 1766, he had married Sarah Knight, daughter of Edward Knight and Elizabeth James, and had 2 sons and 2 daughters. Their eldest son,John, inherited the baronetcy.[4] Their daughter Henrietta Sebright (DOB. 6 May 1770) marriedHenry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood.[5]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New regiment | Colonel of the83rd Regiment of Foot 1758–1760 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Edward Sandford | Colonel of the52nd Regiment of Foot 1760–1762 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of the18th Regiment of Foot 1762–1794 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of England | ||
| Preceded by Thomas Saunders Sebright | Baronet (of Besford) 1761–1794 | Succeeded by |