Henry Hawley

Henry Hawley
Governor of Portsmouth
In office 8 July 1752 – 24 March 1759
Governor of Inverness
In office 1748–1752
Commander-in-chief, Scotland
In office December 1745 – July 1746
Personal details
Born	(1685-01-12)12 January 1685 Westminster, London
Died	24 March 1759(1759-03-24) (aged 74) West Green House, Hampshire
Resting place	St Mary's Church, Hartley Wintney
Relations	Thomas Erle (uncle) Francis Hawley, 2nd Baron Hawley (cousin)
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain
Branch	British Army
Years of service	1702–1748
Rank	Lieutenant general
Unit	4th Dragoons
Battles/wars	War of the Spanish Succession Battle of Almansa Jacobite rising of 1715 Battle of Sheriffmuir War of the Quadruple Alliance Capture of Vigo War of the Austrian Succession Battle of Dettingen Battle of Fontenoy Battle of Lauffeld Jacobite rising of 1745 Clifton Moor Skirmish Battle of Falkirk Muir Battle of Culloden

Henry Hawley (12 January 1685 – 24 March 1759) was a British army officer who served in the wars of the first half of the 18th century. He fought in a number of significant battles, including the Capture of Vigo in 1719, Dettingen, Fontenoy and Culloden.

During the Jacobite rising of 1745, he was recalled to Britain and appointed commander in Scotland in December, replacing Sir John Cope. In January 1746, he was defeated at the Battle of Falkirk Muir, although it did not damage his career in the same way. The Duke of Cumberland took over and Hawley led the cavalry at Culloden in April, a victory that ended the Rising.

Although a courageous and capable commander of cavalry, Hawley was also a strict disciplinarian, referred to by contemporaries as 'Hangman Hawley' or 'Lord Chief Justice.'^[1] While this referred to his disciplinary methods, there is evidence he bears some responsibility for the killing of Jacobite wounded after Culloden. He returned to Flanders in July 1746, and when the War of the Austrian Succession ended in 1748, he was appointed Governor of Inverness; in 1752, he became Governor of Portsmouth, near his home in Hartley Wintney, where he died in March 1759.