William Hope VC (1834 - 1909)

Born 12 Apr 1834 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret Jane (Cunninghame-Graham) Hope — married 29 Apr 1857 in St George Hanover Square, London, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 17 Dec 1909 at age 75 in Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

William Hope VC was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Colonel William Hope VC (12 April 1834 - 17 December 1909) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

William Hope was the son of the Right Honourable John Hope, Lord Chief Justice Clerk of Scotland, and his wife Jessie Irving, and was born in Edinburgh on 12 April 1834.^[1][2] He was educated privately in Hatfield, Hertfordshire^[3] and entered Trinity College, Cambridge on 10 March 1852.^[4]

William Hope married Margaret Jane, daughter of Robert Cunningham Cunninghame Graham of Gartmore by licence in St George, Hanover Square, Westminster on 29 April 1857.^[5]

The following month, on 8 May 1857, the award of William's Victoria Cross was announced in the London Gazette:

After the troops had retreated on the morning of the 18th June 1855, Lieutenant W. Hope, being informed by the late Serjeant-Major Willoiam Bacon, who was himself wounded, that Lieutenant and Adjutant Hobson was lying outside the trenches badly wounded, went out to look for him, and found him lying in the old agricultural ditch running towards the left flank of the Redan. He then returned and got four men to bring him in. Finding however that Lieutenant Hobson could not be removed without a stretcher, he then ran back across the open to Egerton's Pit, where he procured one, and carried it to where Lieutenant Hobson was lying. All this was done under a very heavy fire from the Russian Batteries.''^[6]

William was presented with his Victoria Cross by Queen Victoria at the first investiture held at Hyde Park, London on 26 June 1857.^[7]

William and Margaret had six children:^[8][9]

1. Adrian C F Hope (b ~1858, USA)
2. Laura C Hope (b ~1860, Holland)
3. John A G Hope (b ~1865, Middlesex)
4. Charles D Hope (b ~1868, Middlesex)
5. Jessie M Hope (b ~1870, Essex)
6. Margaret E H Hope (b ~1874, Essex)

William died on 17 December 1909 at 211 New King's Road, Fulham, London and was buried at Brompton Cemetery on 22 December 1909.^[10][11]

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Fusiliers Museum in the Tower of London, England.

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950"
   Ancestry uk Record 60143 #15971724 (accessed 2 January 2022)
   William Hope baptism on 25 Jun 1834 (born 12 Apr 1834), son of John & J._ S., in Edinburgh Parish, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.
2. ↑ Baptism: "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950"
   FamilySearch (accessed 2 January 2022)
   William Hope baptism on 25 Jun 1834 in Edinburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.
3. ↑ 1841 Census: "1841 England Census"
   Class: HO107; Piece: 436; Book: 9; Civil Parish: Bishops Hatfield; County: Hertfordshire; Enumeration District: 10; Folio: 37; Page: 15; Line: 12; GSU roll: 288826
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 8978 #2665986 (accessed 2 January 2022)
   Wm Hope (7) in Hatfield registration district.
4. ↑ A Cambridge Alumni Database; Hope, William. Adm. pens. (age 18) at TRINITY HALL, Mar. 10, 1852. [Elder] s. of John, Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland [and Jessie Scott Irving]. B. [Apr. 12, 1834], in Edinburgh. School, private. Matric. Michs. 1852. Entered the Army, Apr. 12, 1855, as Lieut., 7th Regt., Royal Fusiliers. Served in the Crimea, 1855-6; awarded the Victoria Cross for a very gallant action on June 18, 1855: 'After the troops had retreated on the morning of the 18th June, 1855, Lt. W. Hope, being informed ... that Lt. Hobson was lying outside the trenches badly wounded, went out to look for him, and found him lying in the old agricultural ditch running towards the left flank of the Redan. He then returned and got four men to bring him in. Finding, however, that Lt. Hobson could not be moved without a stretcher he then ran back across the open, to Egerton's Pit, where he procured one and carried it to where Lt. Hobson was lying. All this was done under a very heavy fire from the Russian batteries' (London Gazette, May 5, 1857). 'In Nov. 1855, there was a great explosion in the British lines, and a windmill which formed our main magazine was threatened by the resulting fire. Gen. Straubensee asked for volunteers to climb the walls of the mill and cover them with wet tarpaulins and blankets, an undertaking of very great danger. Lt. Hope and 25 men at once volunteered to do this, and succeeded in saving the magazine.' Received the Sardinian medal for military valour, conferred by King Victor Emmanuel. Retired, 1857. Colonel commandant, 1st City of London Art. Vols. for many years. Invented a shrapnel shell for rifled guns, etc. Author, military. Married, Apr. 1857, Margaret Jane, dau. of R. Cunninghame Cunningham-Graham, of Gartmore, and had issue. Died Dec. 17, 1909, in London. (The V.C. and D.S.O.; The Times, Dec. 18, 1909.); https://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=hope&suro=w&fir=william&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50; accessed2 Jan 2022
5. ↑ Marriage: "Westminster, London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935"
   City of Westminster Archives Centre; London, England; Westminster Church of England Parish Registers; Reference: STG/PR/7/46
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 61867 #1044699 (accessed 2 January 2022)
   William Hope (Full Age) marriage to Margaret Cunninghame Graham on 29 Apr 1857 in St George, Hanover Square, London, Westminster, England.
6. ↑ The London Gazette; 5 May 1857; Issue: 21997; Page 1578
7. ↑ London Evening Standard; 26 June 1857; page 3; cols d & e; image (£) via findmypast.co.uk
8. ↑ 1871 Census: "1871 England Census"
   The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 1646; Folio: 55; Page: 17; GSU roll: 829945
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 7619 #7534081 (accessed 2 January 2022)
   William Hope (36) head of household in Romford registration district. Born in Granton House Cramonds, Middlesex, England.
9. ↑ 1881 Census: "1881 England Census"
   Class: RG11; Piece: 647; Folio: 60; Page: 34; GSU roll: 1341149
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 7572 #20950995 (accessed 2 January 2022)
   William Hope (47), married, Lieut Colonel Late Royal Fusiliers Commanding 1st Surrey Art Volt, head of household at Albert Bridge Road Warwick House in Wandsworth registration district.
10. ↑ Clifton Society; 23 December 1909; page 12; col c; image (£) via findmypast.co.uk
11. ↑ Burial: "Brompton, London, England, Cemetery Registers, 1840-2012"
    The National Archives; Kew, London, England; Office of Works and successors: Royal Parks and Pleasure Gardens: Brompton Cemetery Records; Series Number: Work 97; Piece Number: 184
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 61801 #169938 (accessed 2 January 2022)
    Col William Hope burial on 22 Dec 1909 in London, London, England.

See also:

• William Hope VC on Wikipedia
• THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS
• Lieutenant William Hope by Louis William Desanges