William Amherst (British Army officer)

Lieutenant General William Amherst (5 February 1732 – 13 May 1781) was a British military commander. In 1762 during the Seven Years' War he led British forces that defeated a French expedition which had occurred earlier that year in St. John's, Newfoundland at the Battle of Signal Hill.

William Amherst
Lieutenant General William Amherst
Born	5 March 1732 Sevenoaks, Kent, England
Died	13 May 1781 (aged 49) England
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant-general
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War

Early life

William Amherst was born, in Sevenoaks, Kent, into a family of lawyers.[1] He was the son of Jeffery Amherst and Elizabeth Kerril[2] and the brother of Field Marshal Jeffery 1st Lord Amherst and Admiral John Amherst.[3] He later married Elizabeth Amherst (Patterson). Their children included:

• William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst of Arracan, GCH, PC, a future Governor-General of India[4]
• Elizabeth Frances Amherst[5]

Seven Years' War

Amherst was commissioned as an ensign in the First Regiment of Foot Guards in 1755.[4] He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant general in 1779.[4] As a lieutenant colonel, Amherst was instrumental in the re-capture of St. John's from the French in 1762 at the Battle of Signal Hill.[4] An area near Signal Hill at the entrance of St. John's harbour is named "Fort Amherst" in commemoration of his victory in 1762.

In 1766 he became Member of Parliament for Hythe,[6] and in 1768 he became MP for Launceston until 1774.[7]

In 1769 he built a house in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. He named the house and estate St John's, after his victory in Newfoundland. The neighborhood of Ryde that surrounds the house is still known by that name.[8]

He was appointed Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1778:[9] he died while serving in that role in 1781.[10]

Notes

1. Chartrand p.24.
2. Lundy, Darryl. "A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe". Retrieved 7 May 2008.
3. "Jeffrey Amherst". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
4. The Recapture of St. John's, Newfoundland in 1762
5. "Lieutenant General William Amherst". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
6. "Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages". Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
7. "Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages". Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
8. Parks and gardens UK, St John's House, (also known as Bishop Lovett Middle School), St John's Ryde, England
9. "No. 11937". The London Gazette. 22 December 1778. p. 1.
10. Light Infantry

References

• Chartrand, René (2000), Louisbourg 1758: Wolfe's first siege, Oxford: Osprey.

External links

• Biography at Newfoundland Grand Banks
• The Rooms article on Conflict in Newfoundland