Sir Henry William Carr
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Sir Henry William Carr KCB KTS |
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|---|---|
| Born |
October 6, 1777 Twickenham, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 10 August 1821 (aged 43) Romsey, Hampshire, England |
| Buried | Feltham, Middlesex, England |
| Allegiance |
 British Army
|
| Service/branch |
 United Kingdom
|
| Years of service | 1793–1821 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Unit | 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Order of the Tower and Sword |
| Relations | Robert James Carr, Sir James Lloyd, 1st Baronet |
Sir Henry William Carr (1777-1821) was a professional soldier in the British Army who, when peace came in 1814, married the widow of the assassinated prime minister Spencer Perceval.
Born in Twickenham, where at the time his father ran a private school, he was the second son of the Reverend Colston Carr (1740-1822) and his wife Elizabeth Bullock (1747-1826). His elder brother was Robert James Carr, bishop of Chichester and of Worcester, while his eldest sister Elizabeth Anne Carr married Sir James Martin Lloyd, 1st Baronet. Though his father intended him to join Coutts Bank, he chose the Army.
Joining the newly raised 83rd Foot, Carr was posted to the West Indies where he saw action in the Second Maroon War in Jamaica and in Santo Domingo and was wounded, requiring long convalescence. In 1802 the regiment was recalled to the United Kingdom and the 2nd Battalion was not thrown into action again until 1809, when it was sent to Lisbon to counter the French invasion of Portugal. After fighting at the Second Battle of Porto and at the Battle of Talavera, in 1810 the 83rd were engaged at the Battle of Bussaco. Its commanding officer was then promoted to lead a Portuguese brigade and for the rest of the war the 2nd Battalion was led by the then Major Carr.
In 1811 the 83rd won further honours at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro and in the spring of 1812 the Anglo-Portuguese forces advanced into Spain. After capturing the frontier towns of Almeida and Ciudad Rodrigo, they surrounded the French in the heavily fortified town of Badajoz. In a daring night assault, a party led by Carr captured the town's castle, after which the French surrendered. For this achievement, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. The roads into Spain were now open and in July they encountered the French at the Battle of Salamanca. The 83rd were in the thick of the fighting, with Carr having his horse shot dead under him. Next year the advance continued towards the north coast ports and the French frontier. In June 1813 the French were overcome at the Battle of Vitoria. For his rôle there in leading the 83rd, Carr was one of two officers to be awarded a medal.
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