Thomas Robert Swinburne


Lieutenant-General Thomas Robert Swinburne of Marcus FRSE DL was a British military administrator serving in the British Army. He served at the Battle of Waterloo. He was a gifted amateur artist.

Life

He was born in March 1794 and raised at Pontop Hall, a 17th-century manor house in County Durham. He was the eldest son of Thomas Swinburne and his wife, Charlotte Spearman.
In June 1813 he became an Ensign in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. He was at the Battle of Waterloo at Quatre Bras and survived uninjured. He was also at the Siege of Peronne. In December 1816 he was promoted to Captain and transferred to the 3rd Dragoon Guards. He became Lt Colonel in 1838 and Brevet Colonel in 1851. He was Major General in 1857 and Lt General shortly before death
From 1838 he was in administrative roles, based in Edinburgh, living at 33 Royal Terrace on Calton Hill.
In 1839 he was elected an Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposer was John Gordon of Cairnbulg.
He also had estates at Marcus in Forfar, and was made Deputy Lieutenant of Forfar.
He retired to 13 Great Stuart Street on the Moray Estate in west Edinburgh. He died there on 29 February 1864. He is buried with his wife in Dean Cemetery.

Family

He married twice.
Firstly in 1818 to Maria Coats, daughter of Rev Anthony Coats. Following Maria's death in 1820, in 1826 he married Helen Aspinall.
His eldest son Thomas Anthony Swinburne was a Captain in the Royal Navy.

Known Art Works