Blennerhassett Family Tree - THE VICTORIA CROSS awarded to Thomas De Courcy Hamilton at Sebastopol during the Crimean War

Victoria Cross

Thomas de Courcy Hamilton, V.C.

"Distinguished Cheltenham Officer"

["Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic" 7-March-1908, p.2]

grandson of Susan Blennerhassett of Castle Conway, Killorglin, Co.Kerry

The Victoria Cross is the highest recognition of military valour in the British Commonwealth, awarded for exceptional acts of courage in the presence of the enemy, without regard to rank, service or length of service. Established in 1856 by Queen Victoria, who had been inspired by the bravery of recently returning veterans of the Crimean War, the VC takes precedence over all other decorations and is worn nearest the buttons of the tunic. Prince Albert, the Queen’s Consort, contributed to the design of the medal, which is made from bronze Russian guns captured during the Crimean War.

THE BLENNERHASSETT CONNECTION

Thomas Hamilton was born 20-Jul-1825 at Stranraer, Wigtonshire, Scotland; 2nd son of James John Hamilton (b.c1788 d.1842) of Ballymacoll, Co.Meath, Ireland, and Anne Geraldine de Courcy (b.c1790 d.20-Feb-1855) of Kinsale, Co.Cork, Ireland. On his mother's side of the family he was a grandson of John de Courcy *26th Baron Kingsale and Susan Blennerhassett

*26th Baron according to Burke's Peerage [BP] up to the 105th edition (1960); 19th Baron according to Burke's Peerage [BP] 106th (1999) and 107th (2003) editions; or 21st Baron according to "The Complete Peerage" [CP vol.VII p.290, note (d)]

Two de Courcy brothers married Blennerhassett sisters: Susan was sister of Anne Blennerhassett who married Michael de Courcy R.N. "Admiral of the Blue", the brother of John de Courcy, 26th (*19th, 21st) Baron Kingsale. Susan and Anne were daughters of Conway Blennerhassett Jr., of Castle Conway, Killorglin, Co.Kerry and Kinsale, Co.Cork, also sisters of Harman Blennerhassett of Blennerhassett Island in West Virginia.

The middle name de Courcy is traditionally used by this branch of the Hamilton family because of their descent from de Courcy, Lord Kingsale.

Thomas de Courcy Hamilton, VC was 2nd cousin, on both de Courcy and Blennerhassett sides of his mother's family, to Michael Constantine de Courcy (b.1855 d.1931) *33rd Baron Kinsale.

*33rd Baron according to his gravestone inscription and Burke's Peerage [BP] up to the 105th edition (1960); 26th Baron according to Burke's Peerage [BP] 106th (1999) and 107th (2003) editions; or 28th Baron according to "The Complete Peerage" [CP vol.VII p.290, note (d)]

This came about because:

Lord Kingsale was great-grandson of Michael de Courcy R.N., "Admiral of the Blue", and Anne Blennerhassett.

Thomas de Courcy Hamilton, on his mother's side, was grandson of John de Courcy, 26th (*19th, 21st) Baron Kingsale and Susan Blennerhassett. Michael & John de Courcy were brothers, Anne & Susan Blennerhassett sisters.

From 1910 to 1924 Michael Constantine de Courcy (b.1855 d.1931), the 33rd (*26th, 28th) Baron Kingsale, also made his home at Cheltenham, residing at The Grange, Evesham Road, Prestbury (a short walk around the corner from "Dunboyne", former home of Thomas Hamilton VC and home of his widow until 1913). Lord Kingsale is interred at Cheltenham Cemetery in section L, vault 966A, not far from the Hamilton grave.

MILITARY CAREER

photo from: "Beyond Praise: Durham Light Infantrymen who were awarded the Victoria Cross" by Stephen Shannon, 1998 - click image to enlarge

Capt. Thomas de Courcy Hamilton was an early recipient of the

Victoria Cross, awarded for his courage at the Siege of Sevastopol (Sebastopol) during the Crimean War .

Hamilton (standing 3rd from left, hand on sword hilt, facing camera) is posing with six brother officers of the 68th Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry). This relaxed, informal group (wearing their undress jackets and caps, one man pouring a drink for another...) was photographed by pioneer photographer Roger Fenton at General Bosquet's headquarters outside Sebastapol, on 19-May-1855, 8 days after the actions for which Hamilton was later to be awarded his Victoria Cross.

Stephen Shannon tells us that Captain Frederick Savage of the 68th Regiment "was too late to join the group but seven other officers posed for Mr Fenton". Capt, Savage kept a diary during his time in the Crimea, he writing on 19th May 1855:

"...Parade at 11 O'Clock. Afterwards all the fellows went over to General Bosquet's Headquarters to have themselves photographed by Mr Fenton. Started after them on Somerville's horse but went the wrong direction and did not get there until they had departed. Saw the pictures and thought them very good. Day dreadfully hot... "

Joining the British Army infantry in 1842 as Ensign with the 90th Regiment of Foot (Perthshire Volunteers), Thomas Hamilton served in South Africa during the Kaffir War of 1846-47 and was there promoted Lieutenant (South Africa 1853 medal).

In 1848 he exchanged into the 1st Battalion, 68th Regiment of Foot, becoming Adjutant by 1850. By 1854, when his regiment embarked for the Crimea, he had been promoted Captain.

At the Crimea, where the British with their French allies faught the Russians, the 68^th Regiment saw action in all the major battles: Alma (20-Sep-1854), Balaclava (25-Oct-1854), Inkerman (5-Nov-1854) and the siege and fall of Sevastopol (Sep-1854 to Sep-1855).

It was in trenches outside Sevastopol on 11-May 1855, towards the end of the seige, that Hamilton was to earn his VC ["Supplement to the London Gazette" 24-Feb-1857]. For his service in the Crimea he was awarded the Crimea medal (four clasps - Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sebastopol), the Turkish Crimea medal; also appointed a knight (5th class) of the French "Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur" ["Supplement to the London Gazette" 4-Aug-1856].

MEDALS

In this more formal photograph, an older Thomas Hamilton wears his VC above a four medal group, viewed left-to-right:

1. South Africa 1853

2. Crimea (clasps: Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sebastopol)

3. Légion d'honneur (5th class)

4. Turkish Crimea medal

68th Regiment VC holders Thomas de Courcy Hamilton, Corporal John Byrne and Sergeant John Murray were each awarded the same four clasps to their Crimea medal.

This photograph is courtesy of Rev. Brian Torode, Vicar of St Stephens, Tivoli, Cheltenham. Thomas de Courcy Hamilton was for some years a parishioner of St.Stephen's and churchwarden 1893-94. Later he attended All Saints Church, Cheltenham, where his daughter married and his funeral was held.

The photograph was published in the [The Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic"Art and Literary Supplement" No.91, 27-Sep-1902] for an item titled Gloucestershire Victoria Cross Heroes, featuring portraits of VC holders with Gloucestershire connections. Republished on the front cover of the Art and Literary Supplement No.375 7-Mar-1908, to accompany his obituary on p.2 of the CC&GG newspaper.

click on image to view full page

Henry Smyth, commanding officer of the 68th Regiment, immediately following the end of the Crimean War made eleven recommendations for the newly-created Victoria Cross. Seven, including Hamilton, were for the single night's action of 11-May-1855. Among those recommended was Private John Byrne, who had also distinguished himself that night and was later, with Hamilton, presented his VC medal at Corfu by Major General Sir George Buller.

Hamilton's citation in ["Supplement to the London Gazette" of 24-Feb-1857 p.661] reads:

68th Regiment - Captain Thomas de Courcy Hamilton - "For having, on the night of the 11th May, 1855, during a most determined sortie, boldly charged the enemy, with a small force, [driving them] from a battery of which they had obtained possession in great numbers, thereby saving the works (i.e. gun emplacements) from falling into the hands of the enemy.

He was conspicuous on this occasion for his gallantry, and daring conduct."

THE ACTION

Cheltenham's Crimean War Memorial was a pair of Russian cannon captured in 1856 during the siege of Sevastopol, mounted on stands in Imperial Gardens close to the "Queen's Hotel". Both cannon and one stand were given as scrap metal for the war effort during WWII. The one remaining stand is recently restored.

N. J. Thornicroft, in his 2005 The VC's of Gloucestershire and North Bristol

on pp.16-18 tells us:

"The latter period of the Crimean War, which lasted nearly a year, saw the Allies digging in around the beleaguered garrison of Sebastopol..."

After writing of cannon, cholera and extreme cold conditions, he continues:

"Not only did the Allied soldiers have to confront these sorts of appalling deprivations, the enemy also kept them occupied in other ways by carrying out clandestine operations under the cover of darkness, designed to further harass the besieging army, which included the 68th Regiment and Captain Hamilton, whose heroics from time-to-time were reported in the Gloucestershire Echo soon after his death [as follows]:-

'During the day of May 11th, 1855, continued bustle and excitement were observed within the Russian lines opposite one of the most important of the advanced posts, which was protected by a large body of the British... A sortie in force was expected, and every precaution was consequently made to resist it... [When] night fell there was a hush of expectancy on the whole camp... The day wore on; the gloom of night approached.

Then all was still. But the British were not deceived... Suddenly a deadly roar awoke the night; a blaze broke forth [and] the Russians came pouring forth in thousands, [advancing] with deadly force against the British, who were too few in number to to resist them. In the deadly conflict one of [our] artilliary batteries was captured and held, for our men were killed as they stood...'

'Captain Hamilton saw and recognised the peril of the situation, and without waiting to discuss relative numbers, he called upon a few of the 68th... men, and without pausing... rushed forward sword in hand, and in less than two minutes drove the enemy out, pursuing them towards the fortress. It was a sharp and determined conflict - sabre and bayonet flashing through the chests of the foe, men rushing on to death everywhere for the honour of the flag. The daring deed thus accomplished prevented the spiking of the guns, and the works from passing into the hands of the Russians. The V.C. thus won by Captain Hamilton was gained in a melee where the enemy outnumbered [the British] ten to one'."

Stephen Shannon, in his 1998 "Beyond Praise: Durham Light Infantrymen who were awarded the Victoria Cross" tells us:

"...For over an hour, two companies, no more than two hundred and fifty men, fought off two thousand Russians, keeping them back with bullet and bayonet. Despite the fierce resistance of doldiers like John Byrne, about 30 Russians were able to fight their way into the trenches to capture a gun (canon). These Russians were then charged by a small force led by Captain Thomas Hamilton. The Russians were driven out of the battery at the point of the bayonet, losing two officers and several men killed. By the time reinforcements arrived, the Russian sortie was over. The 68th lost five men jilled and nineteen wounded in the struggle..."

Returning from the Crimea in 1857 Thomas Hamilton was appointed Brevet-Major at Clochester and accepted a staff appointment at Corfu in the Ionian Islands (a British Protectorate 1815-1865).

His VC was announced in ["Supplement to the London Gazette" of 24-Feb-1857 p.661]. When the first VC medals were personally presented by Queen Victoria, at a ceremony held in Hyde Park, London on 26-Jun-1857, Thomas Hamilton was not among them. He and Private John Byrne, who both distinguished themselves in the Crimea during the same night, were each presented with their VC at Corfu by Major General Sir George Buller, on 22-Jul-1857.

Thomas married on 8-Sep-1857 at Trinity Church, St.Marylebone, London, to Mary Ann Louisa Baynes (b.1831/2 Macao, China) daughter of Sir William Baynes, 2nd Baronet. She travelled to Corfu with her husband, making their home on the island for five years, their first two children born there. There followed another five children, born in India (according to 1881 census), Gibraltar, Malta (2) and Hampshire, England.

In 1862 he was appointed Brevet Major with the 8th Regiment and five years later in 1869 Lt.-Col. commanding the 64th Regiment of Foot (2nd Staffordshire Regiment). In 1873 promoted Brevet Colonel, gaining the honorary rank of Major-General at his retirement on full-pay on 24-February-1874.

The National Archives (PRO - Public Record Office) at Kew, London, have these document series:

[NA Ref: WO 98/2] War Office: Correspondance and papers concerning the Victoria Cross - this includes:

"Officer Commanding 68th Regt., recommending Capt. T. D. C. Hamilton, Sjt. D. Dwyer, Sjt. T. Gereghty, Sjt. H. Sladden, Cpt. J. Meara, Pte. J. Byrne, Pte. M. Cormick, Pte. F. Daily, Pte. J. Sales, Pte. R. Sandys, Pte. J. Sims, Pte. J. Smith. Correspondence" Date: 1856

[NA Ref: WO 98/3] War Office: Victoria Cross Register - this includes:

"Medal listing of Hamilton Thomas De Courcy Captain 68th Regiment 11 May 1855 Crimea" Date: 1856 - 1864

NOTE: Documents in the series WO 98/3 (but not WO 98/2) may be downloaded from National Archives DocumentsOnline.

The 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), formed in 1758, was amalgamated into the The Durham Light Infantry in 1881. All 68th Regiment (Durham Light Infantry) VCs are listed at these sites:

English Light Infantry British Light Infantry Regiments

RETIREMENT AT CHELTENHAM

Retiring from the army on 24-Feb-1874 at the honorary rank of Major-General, Thomas Hamilton settled in the fashionable Pittville area of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

He was a founder of the Gordon Boys' Brigade and served as Cheltenham Magistrate (JP) 1881-1893. A parishoner of St. Stephen's Church, Tivoli, Cheltenham, he served as Churchwarden there 1893-1894 [St.Stephen's Parish Magazine No.88, May 1893 p.6] but later attended All Saints Church, Cheltenham, where his daughter married and his funeral was held.

The family home from 1874 until the death of his wife in 1913 was "Dunboyne", 3 Beaufort Villas, West Approach Drive, Marle Hill, Prestbury, at the edge of Cheltenham town.

Pittville was an early 19th century property development on a grand scale, large villas overlooking a park that attracted Army, Royal Navy and East India Company officers retiring from overseas duty.

The estate was named for Joseph Pitt, who conceived and developed it but was bankrupted by it. A map in "Pittville 1824-1860" shows No's 1-4 Beaufort Villas to be a fine row of four identical (when built) houses on the north side of West Approach Drive, this forming an "approach" from Evesham Road to Pittville Pump Room. West Approach Drive is also a boundary between Cheltenham and the neighbouring parish of Prestbury. Until 1914 Evesham Road had the alternative name Cleeve Road.

Pittville Pump Room a.k.a. Pittville Spa, erected between 1825 and 1830 on raised ground of Marle Hill overlooking Pittville Park, is the best-known of several spas that flourished in the town of Cheltenham during the late 18th century and the Regency period of the early 19th century, causing the principal railway station to be named "Cheltenham Spa". The Pump Room functioned as an assembly room where people would congregate for social reasons or to improve their health, drinking the strong tasting natural mineral water pumped from the ground beneath using the large hand-pump that may still be seen. If tempted to taste the spa water try to resist, is very, very saline...

The four large houses on West Approach Drive were known as 1-4 Beaufort Villas until given individual names in 1891. The Hamilton home was No.3, third house left-to-right in this view, named "Dunboyne" from 1891 until sold to J.W. Buckland c1915 following the death of Mrs Hamilton. At the end of West Approach Drive may be seen Pittville Pump Room.

HOUSE NAMES

No.1 Beaufort Villas (until 1890), Bexley (1891-1901)

Claremont House (1902-1908)

Claremont (1911-1914)

Rosehill (1915-1929)

Mount Sorrel (1930-1973+)

Richmond (???-present)

No.2 Beaufort Villas (until 1890), Beaufort (1891-1971)

Beaufort House (from 1972)

No.3 Beaufort Villas (until 1890), Dunboyne (1891-1914)

Cleeve House (1915-1954)

subdivided 1955-7

LHS Cleeve House (from 1958)

RHS Homewood (from 1958)

No.4 Beaufort Villas (until 1890), Gundulf (1891-1893)

No.4 Beaufort Villas (1899-1902)

Lorraine House (1903-1975+)

Park Gate (???-present)

Plan of the Pittville Estate at Cheltenham, showing those houses built before 1860.

from "Pittville 1824-1860: A Scene of Gorgeous Magnificence"

The Hamilton family lived at "Dunboyne", 3 Beaufort Villas, West Approach Drive, Marle Hill, Prestbury.

Beaufort Villas are coloured yellow.

Thomas Hamilton died at his home "Dunboyne" on 3rd March 1908, the funeral at All Saints Church, Cheltenham. Interred in the family vault at Cheltenham Municipal Cemetery, section L plot 1143 (photographs below). The cemetery office on request will provide visitors with a plan indicating the location of memorials to the six Victoria Cross holders interred there.

A memorial plaque is in the Staffordshire Regiment Garrison Church, Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire (Whittington Barracks is now a Tri-services Medical Station). The "Union Jack Club" in London displays portraits of all VC holders.

His obituary appeared in ["The Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic" No.375, 7-Mar-1908] with a portrait photo in the accompanying Art and Literary Supplement No.375. Obituaries also appeared in ["Cheltenham Looker-on" 7-March-1908, pp.17-18], "Gloucestershire Echo" 6-Mar-1908, p.4] and [St.Stephen's Parish Magazine, April 1908].