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General Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer

General Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer

Male 1775 - 1850  (74 years)    Has more than 100 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

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  • Name Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer 
    Prefix General 
    Birth 24 May 1775 
    Gender Male 
    Death 23 Feb 1850  Belgravia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Burial West Norwood Cemetery Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Siblings 4 Siblings 
    Person ID I681096  Geneagraphie
    Last Modified 8 Sep 2010 

    Father Henry Aylmer,   b. ca 1750   d. 22 Oct 1785 (Age 35 years) 
    Mother Catharine Whitworth   d. 09 Jan 1805 
    Marriage 23 Feb 1774  Didbrook, Gloucestershire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F348160  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • 5th Baron Aylmer

      He was gazetted ensign in 1787, lieutenant in 1791 and major in 1800, after being held in a French prison for six months in 1798. His career continued as colonel in 1810, being aide-de-camp to the King between 1810 and 1812 and then major-general in 1813. He was present at most of the battles in the Peninsular War.

      In 1814, following service in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, he was appointed adjutant general of British forces in Ireland, where he remained until 1823.

      After reaching the position of lt-general in 1825, he was, in 1830, appointed commander of British military forces in North America as well as Governor General of British North America and Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada.

      Lord Aylmer had no previous experience as a civil administrator and no political experience and was unable to pacify the growing demands in Lower Canada for responsible government and, in 1834, the radical Assembly of Lower Canada passed 92 resolutions of grievance including a demand that Aylmer be recalled. Lord Aylmer exacerbated ethnic tensions in Lower Canada by favouring the English over the French. The deterioration of the situation led to his recall in 1835[citation needed]. His administration may have been a contributing factor to the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837.

      Returning to England, Aylmer was promoted to the rank of general in 1845 but he never obtained a British peerage (his dignity was in the Irish peerage), or another administrative post.

      Aylmer's sister Rose Aylmer was the inspiration behind the poem of that name by Walter Savage Landor
    • 5th Lord Aylmer, Baron of Balrath, co. Meath [I., 1718] on 22 October 1785
      8th Baronet Aylmer, of Balrath, co. Meath [I., 1662] on 22 October 1785
      officer in 1787 in the service of the British Army
      1798 he was in a French prison for 6 months
      On 1 August 1800 he obtained an annuity of £600 for life
      Aide-de-Camp to the King between 1810 and 1813
      fought in the Peninsular Wars
      Major-General in 1813
      Adjutant-General of Ireland between 1814 and 1823
      Knight Commander, Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 2 January 1815
      Lieutenant-General in 1825
      On 1825 his name was legally changed to Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer by Royal Licence, on the death of his uncle, 1st Earl of Whitworth
      Colonel of the 56th Foot between 1827 and 1832
      Governor-General of Canada between 1830 and 1835.1 He was Colonel of the 18th Foot between 1832 and 1850
      Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) on 10 September 1836
      General on 23 November 1841



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