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Page 6 - References
New Challenges as an Administrator
Dudley
St Leger continued on ½ pay until the 1st December 1823, when he was
brought back as Major of the new 95th Regiment of Foot (the former
95th having become the Rifle Brigade)39.
He served with this Regiment in the Ionian Islands and in Malta until
January 1826; when he was again placed on ½ pay unattached. From then,
until 1828, he was known to have resided in Carlow and Dublin in
Ireland and Bath, Hampshire and Surrey in England. On the 22nd July
1830 he was advanced to the rank of Colonel in the army.
In 1834, he was appointed Governor of St. Lucia in the West Indies and
conveyed there the act of the emancipation of slaves. A number of
publications attest to the “honesty of purpose which characterised the
administration of Sir Dudley”. He attempted to restore the Soufriere
baths, but his exertions were defeated by Mrs. Alexander, the owner of
an adjoining property. At Castries, he developed the Place d’Armes and
“this square was indebted for much of its importance. He it was who
planted its ornamental trees; removed the old Court House; and thence
transferred the market”. Importantly, the colony was in serious debt
on his appointment but “due to the economical discrimination with
which he husbanded the revenue” he “found means to liquidate nearly
the whole of the debts before he retired in April 1837”. Sir Dudley
was also involved in some controversy being charged following an
investigation into his conduct by Major Harpour in late 1837.
The charges were subsequently dismissed. He returned home for the
occasion of his second marriage to Mary Davies (nee Watkins), the
widow of Mark Davies of Turnwood (or Turnworth) House Dorset, on 23rd
June 1838. At the 1841 Census, Dudley was staying at St Marylebone in
Middlesex with his daughters Caroline and Julia. Mary died at
Turnwood, Dorset on 6th November 184440.
In 1839, he was made a commander of St. Bento d'Avis and on 23rd
November 1841 he attained the rank of Major General 50th Queen's
Regiment and served on the staff in Ireland. At the marriage of his
daughters, Caroline in 1841 and Charlotte in 1847, he was living at
High Cliff House, Lyme in Dorset. On 2nd March 1848, Dudley was
created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
Sir Dudley appointed to divisional staff in Bengal Early in 1848, he
was appointed to the Divisional Staff in India, and having departed on
20th February41 with his family and staff on the “Ripon” he
arrived at Calcutta in April. Allen’s Indian Mail reported that he
arrived on the “Precursor” and was accorded a 15 gun salute. “The
gallant officer and his family are residing at Spence’s Hotel”. He was
in the following month gazetted to the command of the Presidency
Division. He may have taken this posting to be with some of his
family, with Charles serving in the Madras Army and Dudley Clarges
being a Captain in the 75th Foot in Calcutta in 1851.
The Indian Mail in late April reported that “Sir Dudley Hill has
assumed the command of the Sirhind Division and as a commencement of
the labours in store for all under his command, has ordered grand
guard mounting to take place every Monday morning, half an hour after
sunrise at every station within the Division. All officers to attend.
This at the larger stations at Ferozepore and Umballa will entail the
attendance of nearly 100 officers.”
John Lang42 records a conversation when Sir Charles Napier
jokingly refers to Dudley’s corpulence and baldness and asking what
sort of figure he would cut now in leading a forlorn hope. A civilian,
ignorant of Sir Dudley’s early deeds, put the question “Did you ever
lead a forlorn hope Sir Dudley?” a query which induced him to groan
and exclaim “Such is fame. A forlorn hope, my dear sir! I have lead
fifty!” - “an exaggeration of course”. However, Lang claims “I believe
Sir Dudley Hill had, in the Peninsula War, led more forlorn hopes than
any other officer in the British Army”.
When the army took the field for the Punjab campaign against the Sikhs
in October 1848, he was ordered up to the frontier. Allen’s Indian
Mail in late November reported that it had been “found necessary to
form a reserve force in the Sirhind Division which it may be expedient
to support and strengthen from the Meerut Division. His Excellency is
pleased to appoint Major-General Sir Dudley St Leger Hill to command
the reserve, exercising at the same time a general control for all
purposes over the troops in the Sirhund and Meerut Divisions.”
Major-General Hill was appointed Colonel of the 50th Foot on the 28th
March 1849. He held this command until the termination of the war,
when in April 1849; he was transferred from the command of the
Presidency to that of the Sirhind Division.
Wills and Probate. The National Archives, TNA Reference PROB 6/227, IR
26/274 Hill, Dudley St Leger, July 1851 Entry: Sir, Kt., of Umballa,
Knight Commander of the Bath, Major General HM Army, widr. [d 21 Feb
1851, to Caroline Wilhemina Templar [but Templer in the administration
itself] of Lyme Regis, Dorset, Estate Duty Registers] wife of George
Denis O’Kelly Templer Esq. one of the children, £3000 in province,
Pts.
|
Year |
Event |
Place |
Wife |
|
1787 |
Birth Carlow, Co Carlow |
|
|
|
1804 |
Ensign 1st Battalion 82nd Foot |
Curragh, Co Kildare |
|
|
1805 |
|
Co
Meath & Dublin |
|
|
1805 |
Lieut 2nd Battalion 95th Foot |
Faversham, Kent |
|
|
1806/07 |
South American campaign South America |
|
|
|
1808 |
Peninsula War |
Portugal |
|
|
1808/09 |
|
Retreat to Corunna |
|
|
1809 |
|
England |
|
|
1809 |
Lieut 1st Battalion 95th Foot |
Advance to Spain |
|
|
1810 |
Capt Royal West India Rangers |
Spain |
|
|
1810 |
Major Loyal Lusitanian Legion |
Spain |
|
|
1810/11 |
|
Retreat to Portugal |
|
|
1811 |
|
Advance to Spain |
|
|
1812 |
Major 8th Cacadores |
Spain |
|
|
1812 |
Promoted Major 95th Foot |
|
|
|
1813 |
Promoted Lieut-Col 95th Foot |
|
|
|
1814 |
End
of Peninsula war |
Returned to England |
|
|
1814-20 |
Portuguese Army |
Portugal |
|
|
1815 |
Companion of Order of Bath |
|
|
|
1815 |
Knight of the Portuguese Order of Tower and Sword |
|
|
|
1815 |
Colonel Portuguese Service |
|
|
|
1816 |
Knighthood |
|
|
|
1818 |
Built “Braganza” |
Carlow |
|
|
1819 |
Marriage |
London |
Caroline Hunter |
|
1820 |
Birth Dudley Clarges |
Lagos, Portugal |
|
|
1822 |
Birth Caroline Willhemenna |
Carlow, Co Carlow |
|
|
1823 |
Birth Julia Johnstone |
Richmond, Surrey |
|
|
1823-26 |
Major new 95th Foot |
Ionian Is & Malta |
|
|
1826-28 |
½
pay |
Carlow, |
Dublin, Bath, Hampshire, Surrey |
|
1826 |
Birth Charles Edward Dawson |
Carlow, Co Carlow |
|
|
1828 |
Birth Charlotte Lavinia |
Basingstoke, Surrey |
|
|
1829 |
Birth Rosamund St Leger |
Moseley, Surrey |
|
|
1831 |
Death Caroline |
Moseley, Surrey |
|
|
1834 |
Governor of St Lucia |
West Indies |
|
|
1838 |
Marriage |
London |
Mary Davies |
|
1839 |
Commander of St Bento d’Avis |
|
|
|
1841 |
Major-General 50th Queens Reg’t |
Ireland |
|
|
1841 |
Marriage of Caroline |
Lyme, Dorset |
|
|
1844 |
Death Mary Davies |
|
|
|
1847 |
Marriage Charlotte |
Lyme, Dorset |
|
|
1848 |
Knight Commander Order of Bath |
|
|
|
1848 |
Command of Presidency Division |
India |
|
|
1849 |
Command of Sirhind Division |
India |
|
|
1849 |
Colonel 50th Foot |
Ambala, India |
|
|
1851 |
Death |
Ambala, India |
|
Source: Rodney
Kerr c.2010
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