Henry William Paget Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Field Marshal Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (1768-1854), styled Lord Paget between 1784 and 1812 and known as The Earl of Uxbridge between 1812 and 1815, was a British Army officer and politician. After serving as a Member of Parliament for Carnarvon and later for Milborne Port, he participated in the Flanders Campaign and then commanded the cavalry for Sir John Moore's army in Spain during the Peninsular War; his cavalry showed distinct superiority over their French counterparts at the Battle of Sahagun, where his men captured two French lieutenant colonels and so mauled the French chasseurs that they ceased to exist as a viable regiment. He also commanded the cavalry at the Battle of Benavente, where he defeated the elite chasseurs of the French Imperial Guard. During the Hundred Days Henry led the charge of the heavy cavalry against Comte d'Erlon's column at the Battle of Waterloo and at the end of the battle he lost part of one of his legs to a cannonball, leading to a famous brief exchange of words with Wellington. Later in life, he not only served twice as Master-General of the Ordnance and twice as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, but also as honorary colonel of the 7th Light Dragoons and later of the Royal Horse Guards. Henry William Paget died of a stroke at Uxbridge House in Burlington Gardens on April 29, 1854 and was buried at Lichfield Cathedral, where a monument is erected to his honor.