Thomas Wood (British Army officer)

General Thomas Wood FRS (1804 – 23 October 1872)[1] was a British Army officer and a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1837 to 1847.

Thomas Wood
Member of Parliament for Middlesex
In office
1837–1747
Preceded byJoseph Hume
George Byng
Succeeded byRalph Bernal Osborne
Lord Robert Grosvenor
Personal details
Born1804
Died23 October 1872(1872-10-23) (aged 67–68)
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Frances Smyth
(m. 1848)
ParentThomas Wood
EducationHarrow School
Military service
Branch/serviceGrenadier Guards
RankGeneral
Battles/warsCrimean War

Early life

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Wood was born the son of Thomas Wood MP for Breconshire and Lady Caroline Stewart. His younger brother, Sir Charles Alexander Wood, married Sophia Ann Brownrigg (a daughter of John Studholme Brownrigg, a prominent merchant and MP for Boston).[2]

His paternal grandparents were Thomas Wood (eldest son of Thomas Wood, MP for Middlesex) and Mary Williams (daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Williams, 5th Baronet). His maternal grandparents were Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry and Frances Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry (daughter of the Whig politician Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden).[3]

He was educated at Harrow School. He lived at Littleton, Middlesex, and at Gwernyfed Park, Breconshire, Wales.

Career

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He became an officer in the Grenadier Guards. He commanded the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards in the early stages of the Crimean War (1853–56)[3] and reached the rank of General.[4]

In 1837 he was elected Member of Parliament for Middlesex. He held the seat until 1847.[5] Also in 1841 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.[6]

Personal life

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On 6 July 1848, Wood married Frances Smyth (d. 1892), daughter of John Henry Smyth and Lady Elizabeth Anne FitzRoy (a daughter George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton).[7] Together, they were the parents of:[7]

He died on 23 October 1872, aged 68. His widow died on 7 December 1892.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "No. 23915". The London Gazette. 1 November 1872. p. 5109.
  2. ^ Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. Burke's Peerage Limited. 1898. p. 207. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b National archives
  4. ^ "No. 23821". The London Gazette. 23 January 1872. p. 232.
  5. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 2)
  6. ^ "Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mosley, Charles (ed.). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 1, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 583
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Middlesex
18371847
With: George Byng to Feb 1847
Lord Robert Grosvenor from Feb 1847
Succeeded by