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HISTORY OF EAST GRINSTEAD. |
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This Member afterwards became the Rt. Hon. Sir J. Irwine, Major-General of the Forces.
1765, Dec. 30. Sir Chas. Farnaby, Bart., of Sevenoaks.
1768, March 18th. Lord George Sackville and Major-Gen. Irwine.
At this election boroughs were openly bought and sold, the price for the right to represent a small borough being £4,000, and Pitt declared that the House elected represented, not the nation, but " ruined towns, noble families, wealthy individuals and foreign potentates."
Lord George Sackville was born on January 26th, 1715-16, and assumed the surname of Germaine, in compliance with Lady Elizabeth Germaine's will, by which he inherited a considerable fortune, in 1770. Long before this time he had acquired a world-wide reputation in consequence of his trial, at his own request, for disobedience to orders at the battle of Mind en, fought on August 1st, 1759. In this struggle the French were beaten by British and Hanoverian troops and the victory practically ended the seven years' war. It is memorable as having been the only known occasion on which infantry charged through and destroyed more than their own number of cavalry. The allied forces were commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Prussia and Lord George served under him as commander-in-chief of the British cavalry of the right wing. The allegation against him was that, when told to advance his brigade, he neglected to immediately comply and so jeopardised the safety of the infantry. It appeared that two aides-de-camp took different orders to him and Lord George's defence was that, in the confusion thus caused, he did what he considered best. Though the battle was won Prince Ferdinand reported Lord George to the King, he was recalled, tried, convicted and judged "unfit to serve His Majesty in any military capacity whatever." He was a man of great educational attainments and one of those credited with writing " the letters of Junius," a most elaborate book being published with a view to proving this contention. Though his career as a soldier was thus cut short, he afterwards rendered great services to his |
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