The Lord Blakeney | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Lieutenant Governor ofMenorca | |
| In office 1748–1757 | |
| Governor of Stirling Castle | |
| In office 1742–1748 | |
| Member of Parliament forKilmallock,Irish Parliament | |
| In office 1725–1757 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1672 Mount Blakeney,County Limerick |
| Died | 20 September 1761(1761-09-20) (aged 89) Mount Blakeney,County Limerick |
| Resting place | Westminster Abbey |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Relations | Robert Blakeney (1679-1733); |
| Parent(s) | William (1640–1718); Elizabeth (1652–1710) |
| Occupation | Soldier and landowner |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Years of service | 1695–1756 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Unit | Colonel,27th Foot, later Inniskilling Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
Lieutenant-GeneralWilliam Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney,KB (7 September 1672 – 20 September 1761) was aBritish Army officer and politician who served from 1695 until 1756. From 1725 to 1757, he also sat in theParliament of Ireland asMP forKilmallock, although he rarely attended.
A tough, reliable and courageous soldier, Blakeney was also known for his innovative approach to weapons drill and training. One of the few officers to bolster their reputation during theJacobite rising of 1745, he was rewarded by being appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the British-held island ofMenorca in 1748. When theSeven Years' War began in April 1756, the French occupied most of the island, although Blakeney and the garrison ofFort St. Philip held out for 70 days. AdmiralJohn Byng was later court-martialled and shot for failing to relieve him, but Blakeney was made abaron in recognition of his resolute defence.
Now over eighty years old, this ended his military career, and he retired to his home inCounty Limerick, where he died in September 1761 and later buried inWestminster Abbey. He never married, and the title became extinct on his death.
William Blakeney was born on 7 September 1672, eldest child of William (1640–1718), and Elizabeth Blakeney (1652–1710). His siblings included Robert (died 1763), Charles (1674–1741), John (1696–1720), Mary (bornc. 1678), Catherine (born 1680) and Elizabeth (died 1740).[1]
William Blakeney owned estates atCastleblakeney, in County Galway, and Mount Blakeney, inCounty Limerick. The family supplied the MP forAthenry andHigh Sheriff of County Galway for over a century. Blakeney inherited his father's property, but reputedly lived on his military pay and allowed his brothers use of the family estate. He never married, and on his death in 1761, the property passed toMajor Robert Blakeney, his younger brother.[1]
During the 1689 to 1691Williamite War in Ireland, Blakeney remained at Mount Blakeney to defend his estates against raids by Irish irregulars orRapparees, while the rest of his family relocated to Castleblakeney.[1] In 1692, he joined his uncle George Blakeney inFlanders; serving as a volunteer, he was wounded atNamur on 31 August 1695 during the attack on the Terra Nova earthwork which allegedly inspired the song 'The British Grenadiers'.[2] In September 1695, he was commissioned as anensign inThe Royal Regiment of Foot, then placed onhalf-pay after the 1697Treaty of Ryswick.[3]
When theWar of the Spanish Succession began in 1701, he was reactivated and fought at the battles ofSchellenberg,Blenheim andRamillies. He was promoted captain in April 1707.[4] In March 1708, he was commissioned as alieutenant in theFoot Guards, although only 16 of its nominal 24 companies were actually formed, and Blakeney remained with his original unit.[5]
Under the practice known as double-ranking, Guards officers held a second, higher army rank; for example, a Guards lieutenant ranked as an army major.[6] In addition, such units were rarely disbanded and their officers given precedence when deciding promotions, making it a cheap way to reward competent but poor officers.John Huske (1692–1761), one of Blakeney's colleagues during theJacobite rising of 1745, was commissioned in the Guards for similar reasons.[7]
Blakeney's regiment escaped disbandment after the 1713Peace of Utrecht; when his uncle retired from the31st Foot in 1718, he assigned his commission aslieutenant colonel to his nephew.[8] Blakeney retained this position for the next 20 years; some biographers suggest he was deliberately held back, but promotion in this period was slow for all officers.[9] He becamecolonel of the27th Foot in 1737, with the support of theDuke of Richmond.[1]
When trade disputes with Spain led to the outbreak of theWar of Jenkins' Ear in 1739, Blakeney was appointedbrigadier general in the expeditionary force sent to reinforceAdmiral Vernon. His reputation for training was a factor in his selection, since the force included 3,000 newly recruitedAmerican colonial militia.[1] He took part in the disastrous attack of March 1741 onCartagena de Indias and the short-livedoccupation of Cuba. TheWest Indies was a notoriously unhealthy posting, and simply surviving was an achievement. Between 1740 and 1742, British navy and army deaths from disease and combat were estimated as over 20,000, with death rates of 80–90% among land forces.[10]
With little to show for the investment of men and money, the survivors returned to Britain in October 1742.[11] Blakeney was appointedlieutenant governor ofStirling Castle, an immensely strong position controlling access between theScottish Highlands and theLowlands.[12] In September 1745, theJacobite army passed the castle en route toEdinburgh, but lacked the equipment needed to take it.[13]
The Jacobites made a more serious attempt in theSiege of Stirling Castle in January 1746, but progress was slow. Despite victory atFalkirk Muir on 1 February, the Jacobites lifted the siege and withdrew toInverness whenPrince William, Duke of Cumberland began advancing north from Edinburgh.[14] After the Rising ended atCulloden in April 1746, Blakeney was promotedlieutenant general and given military command of the Highlands.[15]
In 1748, he was appointed lieutenant governor ofMenorca; captured by the British in 1708, the island was considered vital for control of the Western Mediterranean. However, it was also vulnerable; the Spanish deeply resented British occupation, while it was only two days sail fromCádiz, and one from the French naval base atToulon.[16] Since the nominal governor,Baron Tyrawley, never visited Menorca, Blakeney was its effective ruler. He attempted to reduce local opposition by encouraging his troops to marry local women, and by controlling Catholic schools and institutions, but neither of these measures was successful.[17] Tyrawley's absence was symptomatic of general neglect; in 1757, a Parliamentary committee noted the poor state of its defences, with crumbling walls and rotten gun platforms. In addition to Tyrawley, over 35 senior officers were absent from their posts, including the governor of Fort St Philip, and the colonels of all four regiments in its garrison.[18]
When theSeven Years' War began in April 1756, the French quickly occupied the island and began theSiege of Fort St Philip, which was commanded by Blakeney.[1] An attempt byAdmiral John Byng to lift the siegewas repulsed in May, and Blakeney surrendered on 29 June. The garrison was given free passage toGibraltar, whose governor wasThomas Fowke,court-martialled but acquitted in 1746 for the defeat atPrestonpans.[19] In the inquiry that followed, Fowke was dismissed for failing to provide reinforcements from the Gibraltar garrison, while Byng was executed in March 1757.[20] Blakeney's heavy drinking, which left him with "a paralytick disorder" and "nervous tremors", was portrayed as the pardonable trait of a simple soldier, but many considered his surrender premature.[21] Although rewarded by being appointed to theOrder of the Bath and made 'Baron Blakeney' in theIrish peerage, he was barely able to write his name due to hand tremors, and this ended his military career.[22] He died on 20 September 1761 in Ireland and was later buried in the nave ofWestminster Abbey; the gravestone still exists, but the inscription is now very faint.[23]
Weapons drill and infantry training was a common topic among professional officers; Blakeney suggested using puppets to demonstrate drill positions to recruits. After Culloden, he was invited to demonstrate 'firings and evolutions of my own design' but in 1748, a new standard infantry drill manual was issued and Blakeney dropped his suggestions.[24]
In 1759, a statue of Blakeney by sculptorJohn Van Nost and paid for by the Friendly Brothers of Saint Patrick was erected inDublin on the location whereSpire of Dublin now stands.[25] The statue was removed in 1763 after having been severely damaged.[26]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| Parliament of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kilner Brasier | Member of Parliament forKilmallock 1725–1757 | Succeeded by Silver Oliver |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Archibald Hamilton | Colonel,27th Foot, later Inniskilling Regiment 1737–1761 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| New creation | Baron Blakeney 1756–1761 | Extinct |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
