William Harris, 2nd Baron Harris

William George Harris, 2nd Baron Harris KCH (19 January 1782 – 30 May 1845) was a British soldier and peer.

Life

Belmont House, Kent - the Harris family seat

Harris was the son of General George Harris, 1st Baron Harris.

He fought under his father during the siege and capture of Seringapatam in 1799 at the age of 17. He later became a Lieutenant-General in the British Army and commanded the 73rd Regiment of Foot at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He succeeded his father in 1829 to the barony and the family seat of Belmont House and Gardens near Faversham in Kent.

He was given the colonelcy of the 86th Foot from 1832 to 1835 [1] and his old regiment, the 73rd Foot, from 1835 to his death.[2]

Lord Harris died in May 1845, aged 63. He had married Isabella Helana Handcock-Temple of Waterstown, Co. Westmeath on 28 May 1824. She was obliged by a previous will to continue the Temple name. William George Harris moved into Waterstown House after the wedding. He was succeeded in the barony by his son George.

His great-grandson is Michael Marriott.

Arms

Coat of arms of William Harris, 2nd Baron Harris

Crest On a mural crown Or a royal tiger passant-guardant Vert striped Or spotted of the first pierced in the breast with an arrow of the last vulned Gules charged on the forehead with a Persian character for Ryder and crowned with an Eastern coronet both of the first. Escutcheon Vert on a chevron embattled, erminois between three hedgehogs Or, as many bombs Sable fired Proper a chief of augmentation thereon the gates and fortress of Seringapatam the draw-bridge let down and the Union flag of Great Britain and Ireland hoisted over the standard of Tippoo Sahib all Proper. Supporters Dexter a Grenadier soldier of the 73rd Regiment in his regimentals Proper supporting with his exterior hand a staff thereon hoisted the union flag of Great Britain and Ireland over that of the standard of Tippoo Sahib and beneath the tri-coloured flag entwined, inscribed with the word " Republique " ; sinister a Malay soldier in his uniform Proper supporting a like staff thereon hoisted the flag of the East India Company Argent striped barwise Gules with a canton, over the standard of Tippoo Sahib with the tri-coloured flag entwined beneath as on the dexter inscribed with the word "Franeaise" all Proper. Motto My Prince And My Country. [3]

References

1. "86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 March 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
2. "73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 18 April 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
3. Burke's Peerage. 1949.

• Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney, eds. (1891). "Harris, William George" . Dictionary of National Biography. 25. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by George Harris	Baron Harris 1829–1845	Succeeded by George Francis Robert Harris
Military offices
Preceded by Sir Frederick Adam	Colonel of the 73rd Regiment of Foot 1835–1845	Succeeded by Sir Robert Henry Dick
Preceded by Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey	Colonel of the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot 1832–1835	Succeeded by Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby