William Beckett MP

William Beckett was born in 1784 and joined the regiment as captain of two Troops that he raised himself in Leeds, in Sept 1817. He became a major on 27th Oct 1837 and a Lieutenant-Colonel on 8th Oct 1839. He commanded the Yorkshire Hussars from 1841 to 1843 during which period Lord Grantham carried out his duties as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He retired from the regiment in 1859, the same year that Lord Grantham died. It is thought that he was the actual commanding officer for many years while his lordship acted more as Colonel of the regiment. He was also a Conservative politician, serving as MP for Leeds (1841-52) and Ripon (1852-57). He died on 26th Jan 1863.