William Augustus Hannover (1721 - 1765)

Born 26 Apr 1721 in Leicester House, St. Martin's, London, England

Ancestors

Died 31 Oct 1765 at age 44 in Upper Grosvenor Street, London, England

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He had several mistresses but never married. Please do not connect children without evidence.

Biography

William Hannover is a member of the House of Hanover.

Prince William Augustus was the third and youngest son of George II and Queen Caroline. He was born 26 April 1721 at Leicester House in London. His father was Prince of Wales at the time.

Aged 5, on July 26 1726, he was created Duke of Cumberland, Marquess of Berkhamstead, Earl of Kennington, Viscount Tremation and Baron of Alderney^[1].

He spent much of his childhood at Hampton Court Palace, where a special suite of rooms was designed for him^[2]. He was his parents' favourite helped by the complete falling out George II had with his eldest son, Frederick. He was tall, strong and vigorous and was destined for a career in the navy. However he did not take to it and in 1740, aged 19, he was made Colonel of the Second Regiment of Foot Guards^[3][2].

In 1742 the War of the Austrian Succession erupted and consumed Europe (plus North America and India) for the next six years. It was mainly fought by an alliance of France and Prussia against an alliance of Austria, Hanover, Great Britain and the Netherlands. George II moved British forces to support Austria and protect Hanover. Prince William was promoted to major-general and accompanied his father. In 1743 he took part in the Battle of Dettingen, a close fought Allied victory. Physically brave, William led one of the British charges and was shot in his right thigh with a musket ball. He was given the nickname 'Martial Boy' in England^[2].

Prince William at Culloden

In 1745, he was sent as commander to the Low Countries and lost the important Battle of Fontenoy to the French under Marshal de Saxe. The battle revealed William's weaknesses: a failure to scout the enemy properly, a refusal to listen to more experienced subordinates and an unwillingness to react to events. He insisted on leading one of the charges at a crucial point, taking himself out of the overall strategic view of the battle^[2].

In 1746 he was recalled to England as the Jacobite rebellion had got as far south as Derby, just 125 miles from London. Cumberland marched north into Scotland, hugging the coast where he could be supplied by sea and gradually forcing the Jacobites back. Finally on April 16, 1746, they turned and gave battle just outside Inverness. The Battle of Culloden was the last battle fought on British soil and was a decisive victory for Prince William, two weeks before his 25th birthday^[2].

However Cumberland is today best known for his role in the aftermath to the battle. After the defeat of the highlanders in the battle, William ordered his troops to "give no quarter" to the Highland troops. They hunted down and killed survivors, burned their homes, and stole their cattle. He was given the nickname 'Sweet William' for ending the rebellion and the nickname 'Butcher Cumberland' for his behaviour afterwards^[2].

In 1747 Cumberland returned to command in the Low Countries where he suffered another major defeat by Marshall de Saxe at the Battle of Lauffeld. Once again it showcased all of Prince William's shortcomings as a general. This defeat gave the French complete control of the continental stage. However the British naval blockade had reduced France to starvation and in 1748 peace was signed and the borders returned to pre-war positions^[2]. Nothing had been resolved.

In 1756, the Seven Years' War began to settle the outstanding disputes. This time an alliance of Great Britain, Hanover and Prussia took on France, Austria and Spain in the world's first completely global conflict. Cumberland was sent to command the Hanoverian forces in the face of a French invasion. In 1757 he lost the Battle of Hastenbeck and soon after signed the Convention of Klosterzeven which took Hanover out of the war. This caused outrage in Prussia and Britain; soon after George II repudiated the treaty. Cumberland was recalled to England in disgrace and never held command again^[2]. He was still only 36 years old.

Cartoon of Prince William and his mistresses

When his father died in 1760 he became a close advisor to his nephew, George III. He lived at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park or at his house in London on Upper Grosvenor Street^[2].

Prince William never married but carried on a number of dalliances with various women, none of them noble; this became a subject of public ridicule. This has led to speculation that there may have been children. However, none were acknowledged at the time and no firm evidence has been found for any. Cumberland had always been heavy-set but soon became exceptionally obese. He passed away at his London home on the last day of October in 1765, aged just 44^[2].

William was buried in the Henry VII chapel in Westminster Abbey^[4].

Legacy

• Prince William County, Virginia is named in his honour, as are Cumberland Counties in Maine, New Jersey and North Carolina.
• The natural features in Appalachia, the Cumberland Gap, the Cumberland Mountains and the Cumberland River are all named after him.
• In North America, a noxious weed, Senecio jacobaea, a member of the ragweed family, gets its common name "Stinking Willie" from him.
• In Cavendish Square in London stands an empty plinth which once held an equestrian statue of the prince. It was removed in 1850 by which time the 'Butcher of Culloden' nickname was the one he was remembered by.

Sources

1. ↑ London Gazette, 26 July 1726, page 1, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/6494/page/1
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9} Speck, W.A. (2004). "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.
3. ↑ London Gazette 22 April 1740, page 1 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/7904/page/1
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 April 2021), memorial page for Prince William Augustus (15 Apr 1721–31 Oct 1765), Find a Grave Memorial no. 31455853, citing Westminster Abbey, Westminster, City of Westminster, Greater London, England ; Maintained by Plantagenet Princess (contributor 49922906) .

See also:

• Wikipedia:Prince William, Duke of Cumberland
• http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/cumberland.html