Henry Wyndham (British Army officer)
General Sir Henry Wyndham KCB (12 May 1790 – 3 August 1860) was a British Army General and Conservative Party politician. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Cockermouth from 1852 to 1857 and for West Cumberland from 1857 until his death in 1860.
![](../I/m/Sir_Henry_Wyndham_by_William_Salter.jpg)
Wyndham was the second son of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont (1751–1837) and his mistress Elizabeth Ilive (died 1822), of Petworth House, near Chichester, West Sussex, and a descendant of John Wyndham who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Country against the threat of Spanish invasion.
As a young officer, then-Captain (Guards officers held 'double' rank, so a Captain was also a Lieutenant-Colonel) Henry Wyndham fought at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, where he was severely injured.[2] He had taken part in the famous closing of the gates at Hougoumont and was said to have been so disturbed by the incident that he would never again close a door, preferring to sit in a room in a howling draught. During the battle, his life had been saved by Corporal James Graham, the soldier responsible for slotting the bar home after the North Gate was shut.[3]
Pictures of the battles of Battle of Vittoria and Waterloo were commissioned by Wyndham's father from George Jones, RA. They hang in the Beauty Room of Petworth House.[4]
References
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Henry Wyndham
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Edward Horsman Henry Aglionby |
Member of Parliament for Cockermouth 1852–1857 With: Henry Aglionby 1852–1854 John Steel 1854–1857 |
Succeeded by Lord Naas John Steel |
Preceded by Samuel Irton Henry Lowther |
Member of Parliament for West Cumberland 1857–1860 With: Henry Lowther |
Succeeded by Henry Lowther Percy Scawen Wyndham |
Military offices | ||
Preceded by The Earl Cathcart |
Colonel of the 11th (Prince Albert's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars) 1847–1860 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Cardigan |