Hi All,
Anyone can help me find more information on Major-General Thomas Staunton St. Clair (1785-1847)?
There is a good article on him by Robert M Feibel in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol. 48, No. 193, SPRING 1970 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40176965). However, the article is lacking almost all information from his 10 years of service in the Portuguese Army and contains some minor mistakes, due to lack of access to Archives.
St. Clair's Challis Card gives some hints, but is also very incomplete, missing the fact that he was awarded the Orders of São Bento de Avis and the Tower and Sword, the Peninsular War Portuguese Campaign Cross (4) and the Portuguese Medal of Distinction (in Command).
He wrote a most interesting book (in 2 volumes) that was published with two distinct titles in the same year:
St. Clair, Thomas S. (1834). A residence in the West Indies and America: With a narrative of the expedition to the Island of Walcheren. London: R. Bentley.
St. Clair, Thomas S. (1834). A soldier's recollections of the West Indies and America. London: R. Bentley.
He is the author of the fabulous set of watercolours that were engraved by Charles Turner and published under the title of Twelve Views of the principal occurences of the Campaigns of 1810 and 1811 in Spain and Portugal: by Major T. S.t Clair, engraved by C. Turner, 1812-15.
A good help would be to find where is his portrait, revealed on page 35 of the referenced journal. A private collection? A military unit? A museum? A government building?
Any thoughts?
Thomas St. Clair: as campanhas da Guerra Peninsular nos quadros de um oficial do Exército Português
26 april, tuesday - 18:00 WEST (UTC+1)
https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/87640916212?pwd=U2U4MHUremxrUXIvYUxPNzZZdWdVdz09…
ID da reunião: 876 4091 6212 ;
Senha de acesso: 406457
Excellent article based on terrific research.
Thanks for your inputs @Ron McGuigan and @tomholmberg.
Please find the article just published in the open access Journal Anglo Portuguese Studies:
Moura, Rui. “Thomas Staunton St. Clair: the Sword, the Pen and the Paintbrush”. Revista de Estudos Anglo-Portugueses / Journal of Anglo-Portuguese Studies, no. 30, 2021, pp. 41-92. doi: https://doi.org/10.34619/qcpe-hnx3
Enjoy and wishing you a Merry Christmas.
Looks like he may also have been know as Col. Sinclair (or Sincler) in Portugal.
See here: https://books.google.com/books?id=VYE9AQAAMAAJ
MAJOR-GENERAL THOMAS STAUNTON ST. CLAIR (jstor.org)
Of possible interest https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/15234653
Interesting Thomas Staunton Bookplate with some of his medals
From left to right:
British Army Gold Medal (Nive)
Portuguese Order of Tower and Sword
Hannover Royal Guelphic Order
Portuguese Peninsular War Cross IV (4 campaigns)
Medal of Distinction (in Command) aka Commander's Medal for the Peninsular War (Nive)
Hi @Ron McGuigan thank you for your response.
Additional information on his British Army career from:
Phillipart, John (1829) The Royal military calendar, or Army service and commission book. London: Egerton et alli
Harth, H.G. (1841). The New Annual Army List for 1841. London: John Murray
London Gazette
1803
Appointed Ensign 1st foot, August 12, 1803
1804
Lieutenant 1st Foot Aug 6, 1804
1814
Brevet Major, June 2, 1814, in the British army
1817
Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, September 4, 1817, in the British army
1828 - Half-pay
December 9th, 1828
1826 - Promotion from Captain to Major (being Bt. Lieutenant Colonel)
94th Regiment of Foot, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Staunton St. Clair, from the half-pay, to be Major, vice Allan, promoted. Dated 29th June 1826
(Dispatch War-Office, 10th July 1826)
Pub. London Gazette 18267, page 1720, July 11, 1826
1828 - proxy to Promotion to Lieutenant Colonel (being Bt. Lieutenant Colonel)
94th Foot, Captain David Munro to be Major, by purchase, vice St. Clair, promoted. Dated 9th December 1828.
(Dispatch at the Court at St. James's, April 28, 1828)
Pub. London Gazette 18530, page 2275, December 9, 1828
1831 - Thomas Staunton St. Clair, Esq. Lieutenant Colonel in the Army
Royal licence and permission to accept and wear The Royal Portuguese Military Order of the Tower and Sword
(Dispatch Whitehall, February 23, 1831)
Pub. London Gazette 18779, page 366, February 25, 1831
1833 - Promotion to Lieutenant Colonel (halfpay unattached)
To be Lieutenant-Colonel for a particular Service (Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Staunton St. Clair, from half-pay Unattached. Dated 4th April 1833)
(Dispatch War Office, April 16, 1833)
Pub. London Gazette 19039, page 729, April 16, 1833
1837 - Promotion to Colonel in the Army.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Staunton St. Clair, half-pay unattached
(Dispatch at the Court at Brighton, the 22d December 1836)
Pub. London Gazette 19456, page 65, January 10, 1837
1838 - Companion of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath
Colonel Thomas Staunton St. Clair, Unattached
(Dispatch at Downing Street, July 19, 1838)
Pub. London Gazette, Supplement, 19638, page 1660, July 20, 1842
1842 - Knight Commander of St. Bento d'Avis
Royal licence and permission to accept and wear The Insignia of Knight Commander of the Royal and Military Order of St. Bento d'Avis
(Dispatch at Whitehall, July 11, 1842)
Pub. London Gazette, 20119, page 1905, July 12, 1842
1846 - Promotion to MGEN (half-pay unattached)
Colonel Thomas Staunton St. Clair, C.B. half-pay Unattached to be Major-General in the Army
(Dispatch at War Office, November 9, 1846)
Pub. London Gazette, 20660, page 3988, November 10, 1846
Additional information of his 10 years career in the Portuguese Army, 1810-1820, will be shared in a future post.
Hi Rui
Ensign 1st Foot 12 August 1803.
Lieutenant 1st Foot 6 August 1804.
Captain 1st Foot 30 September 1807.
Entered Portuguese Service 1810 retaining his British Army rank.
Major 2 June 1814 attached to Portuguese Service not holding a Regimental Commission in the British Army.
English Half Pay Portuguese Service 25 December 1816.
Major 94th Foot 29 June 1826..
Brevet Lieutenant Colonel h.p. Portuguese Service 4 September 1817.
Lieutenant Colonel h.p. Unattached, by purchase, 9 December 1828.
Brevet Colonel 10 January 1837.
Brevet Colonel 10 January 1837.
Major General 9 November 1846.
CB 19 July 1838. KH 1833.
Died 23 October 1847. Was from a family of Landed Gentry, St Clair of Staverton Court, Gloucestershire.
Ron