Thomas Fowke
Lieutenant General Thomas Fowke | |
|---|---|
Fowke family home, Gunstone Hall | |
| Born | c. 1690 Gunstone, South Staffordshire |
| Died | 29 March 1765 Bath, Somerset |
| Years of service | 1702–1756 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Governor of Gibraltar 1753–1756 |
| Battles / wars | |
Lieutenant General Thomas Fowke c. 1690 to 29 March 1765, was a professional soldier from South Staffordshire. He was court-martialled twice, first in 1745 after Prestonpans, then as Governor of Gibraltar for his part in the 1756 Battle of Minorca, a defeat that led to the execution of Admiral John Byng.
Despite limited responsibility, Fowke was originally sentenced to nine months suspension, but George II insisted on his dismissal from the army. He was reinstated as Lieutenant General following the accession of George III in 1761 and died in Bath, Somerset in March 1765.
Fowke's great-uncle emigrated to Virginia in 1651, and was closely related to George Mason, 1725 to 1792, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Mason built Gunston Hall, named after the family home in Gunstone, which is now an historic monument.