Page:The Complete Peerage (Edition 1, Volume 8).djvu/229

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YORK. 219 in ihe Army, 1780, in which he eTentually, 1795, boeiima Field Marehel, being GoL of ihe Coldstream foot guards, 1 78l,(*) of the Roynl Dublin reg. of Foot» 1794, of the 60th Foot, 1797, and of the Ist Foot Guards, 1805. He was rr. 20 Nov. 1784, EARL OF ULSTER [I.] and DURE OF YOKK AND ALBANY [a.B.],(b) taking his seat, 27 Nor. 1787 ; P.C. 1787 ; F.U.S., 26 Jan. 1789 ; was in Command of the forces in the United provinces, 1793, conducting an unsuccessful campaign against the Frencli, 1793-05, as also in 1799, terminated by the (too favourable) convention of Alkmaer. He was Commander in chief of the forces in Great Britain, 1798-1809 and agitiu, 1811-27 ; was Warden of the New Forest and Keeper of Windsor forest, 1805 ; Field Marshal in the Austrian army, 1814 ; ICnii^ht of tbe Holy Ghost, of France, 21 April 1814 ; Koight Grand cross of Charles HI. of Spain, 19 Nov. 1814, as also of Maria Theresa of Austria, 1814 ; Q.O.B. 2 Jan, 1816 ; G.O.H., 12 Aug. 1815. lu 1818, after the death of the Queen Consort, he was appointe^l ffuardian of the person of his father, George 111. He m-, 29 Sep. 1791, at Berlin, and again, 28 Nov. following, at the Queen's house (Buckingham palace), Frederica Charlf»tte Ulrica Catherine, PRiN.CB8a IIotal of Prussia, being Ist da. of Frederick William II., EiBQ OF Prussia, by his first wife, Elizabetb, da. of Charles, Dukk or Bruhswiok. She, who was 6. 7 May 1767, d, of watttr on the chest,(') at her residence, Oatlande park, in Weybridge, co, Surrey, 6 and was* privately bur., 14 Aug. 1820, in a vault in the Church of Weybridge, aged 54. M.I. He d. 8.p. of dropsy at the Duke of Uutland's house in Arlington street, 5 and was frwr., from St James* palace, 19 Jan. 1827, at St. George's diapel, Windsor, aged 63, when all his honours became exttfic(.(<>) WUl pr. Feb. 1827 and again Feb. 1848. the Diet of the Empire '* and having (as the Duke of Edinburgh) " the attributes of Sovereignty.'* It is also there stated that '* by royal patent," 2 Nov. 1803, Geon;e HI. took possession of "the said principality" using the following words, vis., "as we have agreed with respect to its cession and eyacuation with its Sovereign our beloved Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany." So also with rea])ect to the Dukes of Cumberland, who, from 1887 to 1866, were Kings of Hanover. (*) In May 1789 he was (challenged by and fought a duel with Colonel Lennox, the letter's ball grasins the Duke's temple, who did not return the fira This appears to be a unique cane of, a prince of the blotNl accepting a challenge from a subject. 0') Tliu8,from 1605 to 1827, the five Dukes of York (all being of separate creations) had aUo been Dukes of Albany [S. or G.B.] and, from 1659 to 1827, four of them had alto been Earls of Ulster [I.]. (<>) Her dowry was jt2C,000. After a few years of uneasy and formal iuteroourae, a separation took place. She is spoken of, 6 Jan. 1796 [S. Holroyd to M. J. Holroyd] as " the sweetest little woman, doing good evei^ where, giving no trouble or offence ; modest, arid yet not losing dignity.*' Greville speaks of her {Memoirt) as " clever and well-informed ; she likes society and dislikes all form and ceremony, but in tho midst of the moet familiar intercourse she always preserves a certain dignity of manner," and again " probably no person in such a situation was ever more really liked." In Blackwood's magazine for Feb. 1827 she is called " a harmless but an eccentric little woman, with an estraordinary fondness for cats and dogs, some indications of the German severity of family etiquette, which gave her household the air of Potsdam, and but a slight share of these attractions which might retain the regards of a husband — ^young, a soldier, and a prince." {^) In the Annual Register for 1827, is a good account of his career, including Sir Walter Scott's character of him, and a long (18 pages) description, by Sir Herbert Taylor, of his last illness. Tho' nut a successful commander, he was most sealous in carrying out measures to reform the great abuses which he found in the'army and was essentially " the soldier's friend." His forced retirement, 1809-11, from his post was owing to charges made by Col. Wardle in the House of Commons as to pro- motions made at the suit of Mary Anne Clarke,* with whom, unhappily for his fair fame, he had become involved. He was twice thanked by Pari. (1814 and 1815) for the benefits he had conferred on the army, and was the founder of the " Duke of York's School for the Sons i»f Soldiers " at Chelsea. He is spoken of in 1789 hj Sir Gilbert Elliot [Minto'sUtterti] as "extremely handsome . . . very gentlemanlike " ; by Sir Walter Scott as '* large, stout and manly," and by Baron Stockmar [Afesiotri]

  • She d* at Boulogne 21 June 1852, aged 74. See N. and Q., 4th S., zi.