Richard Onslow

Lieutenant-General Richard Onslow ( – 16 March 1760) was a British Army officer and politician. After the death of their parents, his older brother Arthur bought him a captain's commission in the British Army. He first saw action in the Anglo-Spanish War in 1727, after which he was returned to Parliament for the family borough of Guildford. His political contributions were negligible in comparison to his brother, and he continued to serve as a career officer, holding commands in the War of the Austrian Succession at Dettingen and Fontenoy. In 1759, he was appointed Governor of Plymouth and commander of the Western District, and died as a lieutenant-general the following year while presiding over two prominent courts-martial.

Early life He was the second son of Foot Onslow, Member of Parliament for Guildford. His older brother was Arthur Onslow, Speaker of the House of Commons from 1728 to 1761, and after the death of his father in 1710 and his mother in 1715, he and his four sisters were left in Arthur's care. As Richard had not been educated for the law or the church, Arthur thought, against the opinion of their friends, that Richard's courage and bodily stature suited him for the army. Accordingly, Arthur raised the money to allow Richard to purchase a commission as a captain in the 11th Regiment of Foot on 14 July 1716, a rank that allowed him to maintain his social standing among the rest of the family. Writing late in life, Arthur noted that Richard had "risen to be very high in the army...and with unblemished character in it", validating his choice. Onslow was promoted to captain lieutenant (and lieutenant-colonel in the Army) in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards on 7 July 1724.

Onslow was commissioned colonel of the 39th Regiment of Foot in 1731. In 1734, he became accountant to his brother after the latter was appointed Treasurer of the Navy, holding the post until Arthur resigned the office in 1742. Richard transferred to become Colonel of the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot in 1739 (until 1745).

On 20 February 1741, he was promoted to brigadier general, and sent to Germany with the British contingent in the War of the Austrian Succession. He fought at the Battle of Dettingen on 27 June 1743, and was afterwards promoted to major general on 13 July. On 30 April 1745, Onslow succeeded Viscount Cobham as colonel and captain of the 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards, while Edward Wolfe took over the King's Regiment. He and Henry Hawley commanded the second line of cavalry at the Battle of Fontenoy. He was one of the generals present in London in November after the British Army in Flanders was recalled to suppress the Jacobite rising of 1745.

Onslow's last promotion, to lieutenant general, occurred on 10 October 1747. On 15 February 1752, he was appointed Governor of Fort William, and in 1759, was removed to become Governor of Plymouth