Philip Honywood

General Sir Philip Honywood KB (also spelt Honeywood; 1677 – 17 June 1752) was a British Army officer.

Biography He was born the second son of Charles Ludovic Honywood of Charing, Kent and Mary Clement. Sir Robert Honywood was his grandfather: Sir Robert married Frances Vane, daughter of Sir Henry Vane the Elder.

His father died when Philip was about ten. He entered the Army as an ensign in James Stanley's regiment of foot on 12 June 1694, and served under King William III in the Netherlands.

In 1719 Honywood commanded a brigade in the expedition against Spain, under Lieutenant-General Lord Cobham. He took possession of the town of Vigo with eight hundred men, and was afterwards engaged in the siege of the citadel, which surrendered in a few days. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1726, and in 1727 he was placed on the staff of the army held in readiness to embark for Holland. and in 1735 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general.

In 1742 a British force was sent to Flanders under Honywood, who held the chief command of the troops until the arrival of the Earl of Stair. In the following year he was promoted to the rank of general, and on 18 April 1743 he was appointed colonel of the King's Horse, later 1st Dragoon Guards. At the battle of Dettingen one division of the army was commanded by Honywood, and he led the Royal Horse Guards and the King's Horse to the charge with great gallantry. He served in the subsequent campaigns on the Continent with distinction, and with the approbation of his Sovereign, by whom he was advanced to the dignity of Knight of the Order of the Bath. He died in 1752, and was interred with military honours at Portsmouth, of which place he was Governor at the time of his decease.