Sir Henry de Bathe, 4th Baronet

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Sir Henry Percival de Bathe, Bt
File:Percivaldebath.jpg
Sir Henry Percival de Bathe
Born 19 June 1823
Valletta, Malta
Died 5 January 1907 (aged 83)
Chichester, West Sussex, England
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch Flag of the British Army.svg British Army
Rank General
Commands held Northern District
Battles/wars Crimean War
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

General Sir Henry Percival de Bathe, 4th Baronet KCB (19 June 1823 – 5 January 1907) was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1870s.

Early life

De Bathe was born in Valletta, Malta in 1823 the son of Sir William Plunkett De Bath, the 3rd Baronet.[1] In 1838 he was a page at the Coronation of Queen Victoria.[1]

Military career

He was commissioned into the Scots Fusilier Guards in 1839[2] and served in the Crimean War being Second-in-Command of his battalion at the Siege of Sevastopol.[3] He was also present at the Battle of Traktir Bridge as Aide-de-Camp to Lord Rokeby.[3] He was appointed Commanding Officer of the Scots Guards in 1864.[3]

He inherited his baronetcy in 1870.[4] In 1874 he was appointed General Officer Commanding Northern District and in 1876 he was promoted to Lieutenant General.[5] He was promoted again to General in 1879 and retired in 1883.[3]

In 1877 he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry.[3] He was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant of County Meath, and a Justice of the Peace for Sussex.[1]

File:Sir Henry Percival de Bathe.jpg
Grave of Sir Henry Percival de Bathe 4th Bt. and his wife Charlotte

Family

De Bathe's father died in March 1870 and this removed the final objection to his marrying Charlotte Clare, who he had been living with for about thirteen years out of wedlock. They had seven children before the wedding and in February 1928 four of these children submitted a petition to the courts for declarations of legitimacy under the Legitimacy Act, 1926. They were Viscountess Burnham, Lady Somerleyton, Mrs Winifred McCalmont and Maximilian John de Bathe. The 90-year-old Dowager, Lady de Bathe, confirmed the facts in an affidavit and the petition was granted.[6] Hugo Gerald de Bathe was their first son born in wedlock (1871) and remained the heir to the baronetcy despite the verdict.[7]

De Bathe lived at Wood End near Chichester, where he died on 5 January 1907 aged 83.[1][8] He and his wife are buried together in the graveyard of St Andrew's Church, West Stoke. Their eldest daughter, Mary Archdale, is buried close to them.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Sir Henry De Bathe." Times [London, England] 7 Jan. 1907: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
  2. The London Gazette: no. 19785. p. 2054. 1 November 1839. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Memorial at St Mary's Church, Somerleyton, Suffolk
  4. Leigh Rayment
  5. The London Gazette: no. 24376. p. 5722. 8 March 1907. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. The London Gazette: no. 28002. p. 1680. 8 March 1907. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
Military offices
Preceded by GOC Northern District
1874–1878
Succeeded by
George Willis