Edward Harvey

Edward Harvey was born in 1718, the youngest son of William Harvey and Mary Williamson. He was educated at Westminster School and studied Law at Lincoln’s Inn. He was commissioned as a cornet into the 10th Dragoons on 19 Mar 1740 and purchased his promotion to lieutenant on 31 Aug 1744. He bought a captaincy in the 7th Dragoons on 6 Feb 1746. His commission was signed by the Duke of Cumberland for whom Harvey had worked as ADC during the 1745 Jacobite uprising. He was promoted to major on 8 Mar 1751 and transferred to the 1st Foot Guards on 5 July 1754 to be a captain of a company. He was appointed Adjutant-General to the Forces in 1763 and reached the rank of lieutenant-general. He was MP for Gatton from 1761 to 1768 and Harwich from 1768 to 1778, the year of his death. He was Colonel of three regiments:
1763 The 12th Dragoons (later Lancers) 17 Mar
1764 The 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers) 28 Sep
1775 The 6th Inniskilling Dragoons 18 Oct
He was married and had a son. The portrait shows him in dragoon uniform c1745. This could well be a 10th Dragoon coat that he wears as he was in that regiment from 1740 to 1746, but there is little similarity with the coat worn by Lt-General Charles Churchill who was colonel of the regiment from 1723 to 1745.

Regimental Details | Soldiers