Banastre Tarleton Bt GCB (1754 - 1833)

Born 21 Aug 1754 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Susan Priscilla (Bertie) Tarleton — married 17 Dec 1798 in Whitehall, London

Died 15 Jan 1833 at age 78 in Leintwardine, Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom

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Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (21 August 1754 – 15 January 1833) was a British soldier and politician.

Biography

Banastre Tarleton Bt GCB is Notable.

Banastre Tarleton was born on 21 Aug 1754 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England and was the third of seven children born to the merchant John Tarleton (1718–1773), who served as Mayor of Liverpool in 1764 and had extensive trading links with Britain's American colonies. Bannastre was baptised on 21 August 1754 in Liverpool. ^[1] His paternal grandfather Thomas Tarleton had been a shipowner and slave trader. Banastre's younger brother John (1755–1841) entered the family business. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP).

Oxford-educated, Banastre inherited thousands of pounds upon his father's death, and managed to squander nearly all of it in under a year. He had enough left to buy a commission as a cavalry officer in the 1st Dragoon Guards. He rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel. ^[2]

Battle of Waxhaw Creek

Banastre's nicknames included Bloody Ban, the Butcher, and the Green Dragoon (this last had reference to the green uniform worn by the "British Legion", which had been organised in 1778 in New York). However, it has been noted that the latter two nicknames are assigned without contemporary sources and may in fact be more recent in origin. Rebels claimed that his men had slaughtered surrendering Continental Army troops at the 1780 Battle of Waxhaws in South Carolina, and his reputation in the United States has been for "brutality" during the war, though the extent of this may have been greatly exaggerated (see John Knight's recent biography "War at Saber Point" for a contrary viewpoint). In fact, modern historians have noted that Tarleton's horse was shot dead, and he fell with it; his men, thinking he was dead, took brutal revenge on the soldiers they were facing. Tarleton himself noted that his soldiers "engaged in a vindictive asperity not easily restrained". At the end of the war, the American officers at Gloucester Point invited all the senior British officers to dinner - all except Tarleton.

In approximately 1780, he began a 15 year relationship with with the actress Mary Robinson (Perdita), ^[3], an ex-mistress of the future King George IV while he was still Prince of Wales. They had no children.

In 1790 he was elected as MP for Liverpool in the Parliament of Great Britain and, with the exception of a single year, was re-elected to the House of Commons until 1812. Banastre's family were slavers, and he was an opponent of British abolitionists, mocking their beliefs.

In 1794, Tarleton was promoted to Major-General, in 1801 to Lieutenant-General and in 1812 to General ^[4], but he never again led troops into battle. In 1790 he was elected as MP for Liverpool in the Parliament of Great Britain and, with the exception of a single year, was re-elected to the House of Commons until 1812. In 1815, he was made a baronet and in 1820 a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB).

In 1797 was the birth of his daughter Banina Georgiana by Kolina (possibly a made-up name) ^[5], but in 1798 he married Susan Bertie, the young, illegitimate and wealthy daughter of Robert Bertie 4th Duke of Ancaster in 1798. They had no children. Her mother was Rebecca Krüdener, a widow.

1808 saw Banastre's appointment as governor of Berwick and Holy Island (Lindisfarne). ^[6]

In 1833, Banastre Tarleton died on 15 January and was buried at Leintwardine, Herefordshire, England. ^{[7] [8]}

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975"
   FamilySearch Record: N5GH-K9W (accessed 6 May 2022)
   Bannistre Tarleton baptism on 21 Aug 1754 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.
2. ↑ Lt Colonel by brevet London Gazette
3. ↑ Wikipedia - Mary Robinson
4. ↑ General: London Gazette
5. ↑ Birth of daughter Biography
6. ↑ Governorship: London Gazette
7. ↑ Burial: "Herefordshire Burials"
   Series: AG87/18; Page: 52
   FindMyPast Transcription (accessed 6 May 2022)
   Sir Banastre Tarleton burial (died age 78) on 25 Jan 1833 in Leintwardine, Herefordshire, England.
8. ↑ Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/255488789/banastre-tarleton: accessed 18 October 2023), memorial page for General Sir Banastre Tarleton (21 Aug 1754–16 Jan 1833), Find a Grave Memorial ID 255488789, citing St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard, Leintwardine, Herefordshire Unitary Authority, Herefordshire, England; Maintained by CMWJR (contributor 50059520).

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Banastre_Tarleton
• Wikidata: Item Q332464, en:Wikipedia
• England and America 1763 to 1783; the history of a reaction; by Mary A. Marks
• The Green Dragoon: The Lives of Banastre Tarleton & Mary Robinson by Robert D. Bass
• John Knight, War at Saber Point: Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion, Westholme Publishing, 2020, ISBN: 978-1-59416-352-4
• Lost History - Banastre Tarleton