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John Barrington (British Army officer)

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John Barrington
John Barrington, by Sir Joshua Reynolds
Died2 April 1764
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
RankMajor-General
Battles / warsSeven Years' War
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Vassal
RelationsJohn Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington (father)

Major-General John Barrington (c. 1722 – 2 April 1764) was a British Army officer who was the third son of John Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington.

Early life

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He was the second son of John Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington and Anne (née Daines) Barrington (a daughter and co-heiress of Sir William Daines MP, Mayor of Bristol). Among his siblings was older brother William, who served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer and became the 2nd Viscount Barrington upon their father's death in 1734. His younger brothers included Daines Barrington, a lawyer, antiquarian and naturalist; Rear-Admiral Samuel Barrington of the Royal Navy; and Shute Barrington who became Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Durham.

Career

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He served in the 3rd Foot Guards, and in 1746, he obtained the commission of Captain-lieutenant in the 2nd Foot Guards, in which corps he was promoted to the rank of Captain and Lieutenant-colonel in 1748. In 1756, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and appointed aide-de-camp to King George II.[1]

In 1758, the King gave him the colonelcy of the 64th Regiment of Foot, then formed from the second battalion of the 11th, promoted him to the local rank of major-general in the West Indies, and sent him second-in-command of an expedition against the French West India Islands. Major-General Peregrine Hopson died in the West Indies and command of the troops devolved on Major-General Barrington.[1] During the Invasion of Guadeloupe Barrington transferred most of the soldiers from Fort Royal, Martinique, to Fort Louis on the Grande-Terre side of Guadeloupe. In March he used this as a base from which naval transport carried separate forces under Brigadiers Byam Crump and John Clavering to attack French positions around the island. The attacks were highly effective, and the French capitulated on 2 May 1759.[2]

In June 1759, Barrington was removed to the 40th Regiment, and on 24 October the same year to the 8th, or the King's; he was also appointed Governor of Berwick.[3]

Personal life

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Barrington was married to Elizabeth Vassal, the daughter of Florentius Vassall, a wealthy planter and slave-owner, and Mary Foster (a daughter of Col. John Foster of Jamaica). Together, they were the parents of:

He died in Paris on 2 April 1764.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Cannon, Richard; Robertson, ed., A. Cunningham (1883). Historical Records of the King's, Liverpool Regiment of Food. London: Harrison. p. 267. Retrieved 30 September 2019. {{cite book}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ Brumwell, Stephen (9 January 2006), Redcoats: The British Soldier and War in the Americas, 1755-1763, Cambridge University Press, p. 32, ISBN 978-0-521-67538-3, retrieved 23 October 2019
  3. ^ Cannon, Richard (1837). Historical Record of the Eighth, Or the King's Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1844. Parker. p. 115. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
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Military offices
Preceded by Colonel of the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot
1759–1764
Succeeded by
Preceded by
New regiment
Colonel of the 64th Regiment of Foot
1758–1759
Succeeded by