Lord George Lennox

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Lord George Lennox
Lord George Lennox, by George Romney
Born29 November 1737
Died25 March 1805(1805-03-25) (aged 67)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
RankGeneral
Commands held33rd Regiment of Foot
Battles/warsSeven Years' War
Spouse(s)Lady Louisa Kerr

General Lord George Henry Lennox (29 November 1737 – 25 March 1805) was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1790.

Early life[edit]

He was the second son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and was a great-grandson of King Charles II of England. He was a brother of the famous Lennox sisters.

Military career[edit]

On 17 December 1751, Lennox was commissioned an ensign in the 2nd Regiment of Foot Guards. He was promoted to be captain of a company in the 25th Regiment of Foot on 23 March 1756.[1] From 1758 to 1762 George Lennox was the Colonel of the 33rd Regiment of Foot. In 1757 a second battalion (2nd/33rd) of the 33rd Regiment had been raised. In 1758, this battalion became an independent regiment, the 72nd Regiment of Foot. At that time, his elder brother Charles Lennox had been the Colonel of the 33rd and was then appointed Colonel of the new regiment. George Lennox took command of the 33rd Regiment (1st/33rd).[2] At the beginning of May 1758 the 33rd Regiment was stationed in Blandford, Dorset and was then moved to the Isle of Wight to take part in an attack on the French coast at St Malo on 5 May in the Seven Years' War.

On 1 August, both Brothers Regiments (33rd & 72nd) were involved in a highly successful raid on Cherbourg, which resulted in the destruction of 30 French ships, and the capture of 200 guns and rockets, plus a number of French Regimental Colours and a large quantity of booty. After this raid George Lennox and the 33rd Regiment remained inactive, garrisoned on the Isle of Wight on internal security duties.

On 29 December 1762, he was appointed Colonel of the 25th Regiment of Foot, which he commanded until his death. On 16 February 1784, he was appointed Constable of the Tower of London.

Parliamentary career[edit]

He was the Member of Parliament for Chichester from 1761 to 1767 and for Sussex from 1767 to 1790. He was succeeded in the latter seat by his son.[3] He was appointed a member of the Privy Council in 1784.

Later life[edit]

In 1772, he was elected Mayor of Chichester.[4]

Family[edit]

Emilia Charlotte Lennox (John Hoppner)

Lord George Lennox married Lady Louisa Kerr, daughter of William Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian in 1759, and they had four children:

Despite the Hanoverian side taken by his father, George made an arranged marriage for his own son Charles with the heiress of Clan Gordon, a notable Jacobite family.

Ancestry[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Mackinnon, Daniel (1833). Origin and Services of the Coldstream Guards. Vol. II. London: Richard Bentley. pp. 486–487.
  2. ^ History of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (page 41), Brereton / Savoury, ISBN 0-9521552-0-6
  3. ^ "LENNOX, Lord George Henry (1737–1805), of West Stoke, Suss". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  4. ^ "List of Mayors" (PDF). Chichester City Council. Retrieved 8 May 2016.

External links[edit]

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Chichester
with John Page
1761–1767 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Sussex
1767–1790
With: Thomas Pelham 1767–1768
Richard Harcourt 1768–1774
Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson 1774–1780
Thomas Pelham 1780–1790 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Colonel of the 25th Regiment of Foot
1762–1805 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Plymouth
1784–1805 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Constable of the Tower
Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets
1784 		Succeeded by
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