Charles Rainsford
Encyclopedia
General
Charles Rainsford (3 February 1728 – 24 May 1809) was a British Army
officer.
. His uncle, also Charles Rainsford (died 1778), was deputy lieutenant of the Tower of London
and used his influence to get him made second cornet in General Bland's 3rd dragoons in March 1744, a unit at that time active in the Flanders theatre of the War of the Austrian Succession
. Rainsford joined it immediately, carrying its standard at and soon after being appointed ensign in the Coldstream Guards. With his new unit he returned to England to face the Jacobite rising
, rising to major of brigade and colonel's aide-de-camp. He then served as private secretary to Tyrawley, governor of Gibraltar (1756–7) before returning to England again in 1760. The following year he was given a company to command under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany, before re-joining Tyrawley as aide-de-camp, brigadier-general and chief engineer in 1762 to face the threatened Spanish invasion of Portugal. Ordered home in 1763, with promotion second major in the Grenadier Guards
and equerry to William, duke of Gloucester
(1766–80), he commanded the army detachment at the king's bench prison at Southwark
after the May 1768 riot.
He also served as MP for Maldon
(1772–74) until his patron William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford
's nephew and heir was elected. He also held Bere Alston
(1787–88) thanks to help from Algernon Percy, Lord Lovaine (brother of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
), leaving it over the Regency Bill, with Lovaine backing the government, but Gloucester and Northumberland opposing it. He was rewarded by Northumberland with Newport
, Cornwall (1790–96), before leaving parliament. He had taken little part in parliamentary proceedings, serving at the same time as governor of Chester
(1776–96), king's aide-de-camp (1777–82), commander of the troops stationed in Hyde Park
and then Blackheath
against the Gordon Riots
(1780) and nominal commander of the Minorca
garrison (1782, though it surrendered to the Spanish before he arrived to take up the post). He was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1779 (he was also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
, a Rosicrucian
, a freemason and a dabbler in alchemy
). He was then sent to be Robert Boyd
's second-in-command at Gibraltar on the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War
, and took over after Boyd's death as Governor
(1794–95). On his return to England he became governor of Cliff Fort, Tynemouth
, his last active posting. On his death in London in 1809 he was buried in a vault in the chancel of the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London, alongside his first wife, his father and his uncle Charles.
He and Elizabeth had three children:
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Charles Rainsford (3 February 1728 – 24 May 1809) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer.
Career
He was the second son of alderman Francis Rainsford (died 1770) and his wife, Isabella and received his first education from a cleric friend of Francis's at Great ClactonGreat Clacton
Great Clacton is a residential suburb of Clacton-on-Sea in the Tendring district of Essex, England. It is situated south east of the village of Little Clacton. The A133 road to Colchester from Clacton-on-Sea is directly west of this settlement...
. His uncle, also Charles Rainsford (died 1778), was deputy lieutenant of the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
and used his influence to get him made second cornet in General Bland's 3rd dragoons in March 1744, a unit at that time active in the Flanders theatre of the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
. Rainsford joined it immediately, carrying its standard at and soon after being appointed ensign in the Coldstream Guards. With his new unit he returned to England to face the Jacobite rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
, rising to major of brigade and colonel's aide-de-camp. He then served as private secretary to Tyrawley, governor of Gibraltar (1756–7) before returning to England again in 1760. The following year he was given a company to command under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany, before re-joining Tyrawley as aide-de-camp, brigadier-general and chief engineer in 1762 to face the threatened Spanish invasion of Portugal. Ordered home in 1763, with promotion second major in the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
and equerry to William, duke of Gloucester
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.-Early life:...
(1766–80), he commanded the army detachment at the king's bench prison at Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
after the May 1768 riot.
He also served as MP for Maldon
Maldon (UK Parliament constituency)
Maldon is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
(1772–74) until his patron William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford
William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford
William Henry Nassau, 4th Earl of Rochford, PC, KG was a British courtier, diplomat and statesman of Anglo-Dutch descent. He occupied senior ambassadorial posts at Madrid and Paris, and served as Secretary of State in both the Northern and Southern Departments...
's nephew and heir was elected. He also held Bere Alston
Bere Alston (UK Parliament constituency)
Bere Alston or Beeralston was a parliamentary borough in Devon, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1584 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act as a rotten borough.-History:...
(1787–88) thanks to help from Algernon Percy, Lord Lovaine (brother of Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
Lieutenant-General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, FRS was an officer in the British army and later a British peer...
), leaving it over the Regency Bill, with Lovaine backing the government, but Gloucester and Northumberland opposing it. He was rewarded by Northumberland with Newport
Newport (Cornwall) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a rotten borough situated in Cornwall. It is now within the town of Launceston, which was itself also a parliamentary borough at the same period...
, Cornwall (1790–96), before leaving parliament. He had taken little part in parliamentary proceedings, serving at the same time as governor of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
(1776–96), king's aide-de-camp (1777–82), commander of the troops stationed in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
and then Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
against the Gordon Riots
Gordon Riots
The Gordon Riots of 1780 were an anti-Catholic protest against the Papists Act 1778.The Popery Act 1698 had imposed a number of penalties and disabilities on Roman Catholics in England; the 1778 act eliminated some of these. An initial peaceful protest led on to widespread rioting and looting and...
(1780) and nominal commander of the Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
garrison (1782, though it surrendered to the Spanish before he arrived to take up the post). He was also elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1779 (he was also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, a Rosicrucian
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe...
, a freemason and a dabbler in alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
). He was then sent to be Robert Boyd
Robert Boyd (British Army officer)
Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Boyd KB was a British Army officer.Boyd was baptized on 20 April 1710 at Richmond, Surrey and attended Glasgow University before entering the army in his father Ninian's profession of civilian storekeeper...
's second-in-command at Gibraltar on the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, and took over after Boyd's death as Governor
Governor of Gibraltar
The Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The Governor is appointed by the British Monarch on the advice of the British Government...
(1794–95). On his return to England he became governor of Cliff Fort, Tynemouth
Tynemouth
Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England, at the mouth of the River Tyne, between North Shields and Cullercoats . It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough in its own right...
, his last active posting. On his death in London in 1809 he was buried in a vault in the chancel of the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London, alongside his first wife, his father and his uncle Charles.
Marriages and issue
- on 18 July 1775 Elizabeth (1758–1781), daughter of Edward Miles
- on 16 February 1789, Ann Cornwallis (d. 1 February 1798), youngest daughter of Sir William More Molyneux of Loseley Park, Guildford - the marriage remained childless.
He and Elizabeth had three children:
- Colonel William Henry Rainsford (bap. 1776, d. 1823)
- Julia Anne
- Josephina, baptised with Sir Joseph Yorke as godfather, died in infancy