Editing George Wade

{{short description|British Army officer and politician (1673–1748)}}
{{other people}}
{{redirect|General Wade}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = George Wade
| birth_date    = 1673
| death_date    = {{death date|df=y|1748|3|14}}
| image         = Attributed to Johan van Diest - Field-Marshal George Wade, 1673 - 1748. Commander-in-chief in Scotland - Google Art Project.jpg
| caption       = Field Marshal George Wade
| nickname      = 
| birth_place   = Killavally, [[County Westmeath]], Ireland
| death_place   = 
| allegiance    = {{plainlist|
*{{Flag|Kingdom of England}}
*{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}}}
| branch        = {{plainlist|
*{{army|Kingdom of England}} (1690–1707)
*{{army|Kingdom of Great Britain}} (1707–1748)}}
| serviceyears  = 1690–1748
| rank          = [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]]
| battles       = {{plainlist|
*[[Nine Years' War]]
*[[War of the Spanish Succession]]
*[[Jacobite rising of 1715]]
*[[War of the Quadruple Alliance]]
*[[War of the Austrian Succession]]
*[[Jacobite rising of 1745]]
}}
| signature     = File:George Wade signature.jpg
}}

[[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] '''George Wade''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|PC}} (1673 – 14 March 1748) was a [[British Army]] officer and politician who served in the [[Nine Years' War]], [[War of the Spanish Succession]], [[Jacobite rising of 1715]] and [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]]. He went on to be a military commander during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] and [[Commander-in-Chief of the Forces]] during the [[Jacobite rising of 1745]].

While commanding the British Crown forces in Scotland, Wade was responsible for constructing hundreds of miles of [[Military roads of Scotland|military roads]], many of which remain in use.

==Early career==
Born the son of Jerome Wade in [[Killavally]], [[County Westmeath]], Ireland, he spent his early years in [[English Tangier]], where his father was a member of the [[Tangier Garrison]].<ref>Salmond, James Bell. ''Wade in Scotland''. Moray Press, 1938 p.29</ref> Wade was [[commissioned officer|commissioned]] into the [[10th (North Lincoln) Regiment of Foot|Earl of Bath's Regiment]] on 26 December 1690<ref name=heath>Heathcote, p. 285</ref> and served in [[Flanders]] in 1692, fighting at the [[Battle of Steenkerque]] in August 1692 during the [[Nine Years' War]] and earning a promotion to [[lieutenant]] on 10 February 1693.<ref name=heath/> He transferred to Sir [[Bevil Granville]]'s Regiment on 19 April 1694<ref name=odnb>{{cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/28377?docPos=2|title=George Wade|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/28377|access-date=5 May 2012}}</ref> and was promoted to [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 13 June 1695.<ref name=heath/>

During the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], he first served under [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Marlborough]], seeing action in Flanders at the Battle of Kaiserwerth in April 1702, the Battle of Venlo in September 1702, the Battle of Roermond in October 1702 and the Battle of Liège also in October 1702. He was promoted to [[Major (rank)|major]] on 20 March 1703 and to [[lieutenant colonel]] in October 1703.<ref name=heath/> In 1704 he joined the staff of [[Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway]] as [[adjutant-general]] in Portugal,<ref name=heath/> and distinguished himself as colonel of the [[Duke of Wellington's Regiment|Huntingdon's Regiment]] during the [[Battle of Alcantara (1706)|Battle of Alcántara]], where he was wounded in April 1706.<ref name=heath/> He repelled a large force of cavalry at Vila Nova and then commanded the [[3rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|3rd infantry brigade]] during the [[Battle of Almansa]] in April 1707.<ref name=heath/> He was promoted to [[brigadier general]] on 1 January 1708.<ref name=odnb/>

He served as second in command to [[James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope|James Stanhope]] in [[Menorca]] in 1708,<ref name=heath/> leading one of the storming parties on [[St. Philip's Castle|Fort St. Philip]], before returning to Spain in 1710, where he fought at the [[Battle of Saragossa]] in August 1710.<ref name=heath/> He was promoted to [[major-general]] on 3 October 1714<ref name=heath1>Heathcote, p. 286</ref> and became commander of the British forces in Ireland in November 1714.<ref name=odnb/>

Wade returned home to join in the suppression of the [[Jacobite rising of 1715]] and undertook security duties in [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], where he unearthed a haul of Jacobite weapons.<ref name=odnb/> He entered politics as [[Member of parliament|MP]] for [[Hindon (UK Parliament constituency)|Hindon]] in 1715.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=5360|page=2|date=30 August 1715}}</ref> On 19 March 1717, he became colonel of the [[3rd Dragoon Guards|Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse]].<ref name=odnb/>

In 1719, he served as second-in-command to [[Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham|Viscount Cobham]]<ref name=heath1/> during the [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]] when Cobham led a force of 4,000 troops on a raid on the Spanish coastline which captured [[Vigo]] and [[Capture of Vigo|occupied it for ten days]] before withdrawing.<ref>Rodger p. 229</ref> The same year he was one of the original backers of the [[Royal Academy of Music (company)|Royal Academy of Music]], establishing a London opera company that commissioned numerous works from [[Handel]] and others.<ref>Thomas McGeary. ''The Politics of Opera in Handel's Britain''. Cambridge University Press, 2013. p. 254</ref>

He became MP for [[Bath (UK Parliament constituency)|Bath]] in 1722,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=6045|page=4|date=24 March 1722}}</ref> retaining the seat for 25 years.<ref name=heath1/> [[Marshal Wade's House|His house]], built around 1700, is situated next to [[Bath Abbey]] and is now a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442123|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017221556/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442123|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 October 2012|title=Marshal Wade's House|work=Images of England|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=25 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Dargan |first=Pat |title=Bath in 50 Buildings |publisher=Amberley Publishing |year=2018 |isbn=9781445659640}}</ref>

==Scotland==
[[File:Ruthven Barracks (1983).JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Ruthven Barracks]], Kingussie]]
The government of [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] sent Wade to inspect Scotland in 1724.<ref name=heath1/> He recommended the construction of barracks, bridges and proper roads to assist in the control of the country. On 10 May 1725, he was appointed ''[[Commander-in-Chief, Scotland|Commander in Chief of His Majesty's forces, castles, forts and barracks in North Britain]]'' and was tasked with carrying out his own recommendations.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=6371|page=1|date=8 May 1725}}</ref> Over the next twelve years Wade directed the construction of some {{convert|240|mi|km}} of roads and 30 bridges (including the [[Wade's Bridge]] at [[Aberfeldy, Scotland|Aberfeldy]]).<ref name=odnb/> [[Old military roads of Scotland|General Wade's military roads]] linked the garrisons at [[Ruthven Barracks|Ruthven]], [[Fort George, Scotland|Fort George]], [[Fort Augustus]], and [[Fort William, Scotland|Fort William]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Mackenzie |first=Sir Kenneth |title=Paper entitled General Wade & his Roads |publisher=Inverness Scientific Society |date=13 April 1897}}</ref>

[[File:Wade Road, south of Inverness (1983).JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Section of Wade's military road between Inverness and Kingussie, built in the wake of the 1715 Jacobite rebellion]]

A reference in verse is said to be inscribed on a stone at the start of one of his military roads in Scotland:
{{poemquote|If you had seen this road before it was made,
You would lift up your hands and bless General Wade.<ref name=heath1/>}}

Wade also organised a [[militia]], "Highland Watches", and called on members of the landed [[gentry]] to sign up<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcmh.org.uk/archive/reviews/NewarkHighlanderMessenger.pdf |title=Highlander: The History of the Legendary Highland Soldier |publisher=British Commission for Military History |date=Autumn 2009 |access-date=5 May 2012}}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> and raised the first six companies in 1725 (three of [[Clan Campbell|Campbell]]s and one each of [[Clan Fraser|Fraser]]s, [[Clan Grant|Grant]]s, and [[Clan Munro|Munro]]s).<ref name=watch>{{cite web |title=The Black Watch Regiment (1739-2006) |url=http://www.reocities.com/Bohemiabhoy/black.html |url-status=dead |access-date=5 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052059/http://www.reocities.com/Bohemiabhoy/black.html |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> Also in 1725, Wade put down an insurrection after the government attempted to extend the "malt tax" to Scotland, and enraged citizens in [[Glasgow]] drove out the military and destroyed the home of their representative in Parliament.<ref>Chalmers, p.871</ref> He was promoted to [[lieutenant general]] on 15 April 1727.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=6572|page=3|date=11 April 1727}}</ref>

On 1 June 1732, he became [[List of Governors of Berwick-upon-Tweed|Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=7097|page=1|date=3 June 1732}}</ref> and on 19 June 1733, he became Governor of Fort William, Fort George and Fort Augustus.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=7205|page=1|date=16 June 1733}}</ref> He was promoted to [[General|general of horse]] on 17 July 1739.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=7823|page=1|date=14 July 1739}}</ref>

He raised four more "Highland Watch" companies in 1739, which were subsequently reorganized as the [[42nd Regiment of Foot|Black Watch]] regiment.<ref name=watch/> He still had the time to sign his support to the [[Foundling Hospital]], which was established in 1739 in London.<ref>Royal Charter, p.10</ref> On 22 June 1742, he was appointed [[Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=8129|page=2|date=19 June 1742}}</ref> and on 24 June 1742, he was appointed a member of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=8130|page=1|date=22 June 1742}}</ref>

==War of the Austrian Succession==
On 17 December 1743 he became a [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=8284|page=5|date=13 December 1743}}</ref> with his appointment to the joint command of the Anglo-Austrian force in Flanders against the French in the [[War of the Austrian Succession]].<ref name=heath1/> Wade organised an advance towards [[Lille]] in July 1744, but the action became stalled in the face of logistical problems.<ref name=odnb/> He resigned from his command in March 1745 and returned home to become [[Commander-in-Chief of the Forces]].<ref name=heath1/>

==Jacobite rising==
[[File:2003-06-06 - Aberfeldy 01.jpg|thumb|[[Wade's Bridge]] over the Tay at [[Aberfeldy, Scotland|Aberfeldy]]]]
[[File:George Wade monument, Westminster Abbey.jpg|thumb|Wade's memorial in Westminster Abbey]]
In October 1745, during the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|Jacobite rising]], Wade concentrated his troops in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], on the east coast of England; however, the Jacobite forces advanced from Scotland down the west coast of England via [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]] into [[Lancashire]] and the speed of their advance left Wade scrambling.<ref name=heath1/> In freezing conditions and with his men starving, he failed to counter their march into England or their subsequent retreat back from [[Derby]] to Scotland. Wade was replaced as Commander-in-Chief by [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]], who led the army to success at the [[Battle of Culloden]] in April 1746.<ref>Pollard p. 41–42</ref>

It was because of the difficulties Wade encountered marching his troops cross-country from Newcastle to Carlisle that he built his [[Military Road (Northumberland)|Military Road]] west of Newcastle in 1746, entailing such destruction of [[Hadrian's Wall]]. Wade helped plan the road but had died before construction began in 1751.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Spain|first=GRB|title=The original survey for the Newcastle-Carlisle military road.|journal=Archaelogica Aeliana|volume=Series 4 xiv|page=17}}</ref> His Military Road is still in use today as the B6318; it should not be confused with the [[Military Way (Hadrian's Wall)|Military Way]] built by the Romans immediately south of Hadrian's Wall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://heddonhistory.weebly.com/hadrians-wall.html|title=Hadrian's Wall|publisher=Heddon on the Wall Local History Society|access-date=17 August 2015}}</ref>

Wade received mention in a verse sung as part of [[God Save the King]] around 1745:<ref name=heath1/>

{{poemquote|Lord, grant that Marshal Wade
May, by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush
And, like a torrent, rush
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the King.}}

== Family life ==
Wade died unmarried on 14 March 1748 and is buried at [[Westminster Abbey]], where his life is recognised by a monument created by [[Louis-François Roubiliac]].<ref>Hiatt, p.4</ref>

Wade left two natural ([[legitimacy (family law)|illegitimate]]) sons, Captains William and John Wade, and two natural daughters, Jane Erle and Emilia. Wade left most of his estate to his natural children although he provided generously for the widow and children of his brother William, Canon of Windsor, Berkshire. Wade had a second natural daughter named Emilia, who was married first in 1728 to a Mr John Mason and then to a Mr Jebb.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|last=Chalmers|first=George|title=Caledonia, or, A historical and topographical account of North Britain, vol. 2|year=1887}}
* {{cite book|last=Heathcote|first=Tony|title=The British Field Marshals 1736-1997|publisher=Pen & Sword Books Ltd|year=1999|isbn= 0-85052-696-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Hiatt|first=Charles|title=Westminster Abbey : a short history and description of the church and conventual buildings with notes on the monuments|publisher=Forgotten Books|year=2009|isbn=978-1-4400-3478-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Pollard|first=Tony|title=Culloden: The History and Archaeology of the last Clan Battle|publisher=Pen & Sword Military |year=2009|isbn=978-1-84884-020-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Rodger|first=Nicholas|title=Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649-1815|publisher=Penguin Books|year=2006|isbn=978-0-14-102690-9}}
* {{cite book|title=A copy of the Royal Charter establishing a hospital for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted children|year=1739}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{cite DNB|wstitle=Wade, George}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|gb}}
{{s-bef
 | before  = [[Reynolds Calthorpe (1689-1714)|Reynolds Calthorpe, the younger]]
 | before2 = [[Richard Lockwood (politician)|Richard Lockwood]]
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{{s-aft
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{{s-end}}

{{Chief of the General Staff}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, George}}
[[Category:1673 births]]
[[Category:1748 deaths]]
[[Category:3rd Dragoon Guards officers]]
[[Category:People from County Westmeath]]
[[Category:British field marshals]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies]]
[[Category:British MPs 1715–1722]]
[[Category:British MPs 1722–1727]]
[[Category:British MPs 1727–1734]]
[[Category:British MPs 1734–1741]]
[[Category:British MPs 1741–1747]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the War of the Quadruple Alliance]]