Lt. Gen. George BURRELL C.B. ¹

  General Notes:

Lt. General, C.B.

BIOGRAPHY:
Second son of John Burrell Esq. of Littlehoughton, Northumberland, England. Born at Longhoughton in Northumberland and entered the army as an ensign in the 15th Regiment in 1797. He was promoted to lieutenant in the same year and to captain in 1805. On his passage to the West Indies in 1805, the transport in which he had embarked was attacked by a large French schooner privateer, which was beaten off with great loss. He became a major in the 90th Light Infantry in 1807, was at the capture of Guadaloupe in 1810 and served during the war in Canada in 1814 and 1815. He returned to Europe in 1815 but arrived too late for the Battle of Waterloo. Having marched with his regiment to Paris, he remained there until the Army of Occupation was formed in December and then returned to England in July 1816.
In 1820 he went to the Mediterranean where he held the civil and military command of Paxo, one of the Ionian islands, for more than 5 years. He received high commendation from the Regent and civil authorities of that island. He attained the rank of colonel in 1830 and returned to England in 1832 with the 18th Royal Irish. In 1836 he was ordered with that regiment to Ceylon where he remained until 1840. In 1837 he received the local rank of major-general and acted as commandant at Colombo and also at Trincomalee. In May 1840, he went to China and commanded the troops at the first capture of Chusan. He was appointed Governor of that island and with his troops held command until February 1841 when the island was restored by the Commissioner of the Government after a treaty with Chinese authorities. Since the treaty was not ratified, hostilities resumed and Burrell commanded a brigade at the attack on the heights above Canton and destroyed the Tartar camp under the walls of the city. Burrell continued to command a brigade in China until peace was made in July 1842.
He received thanks from both Houses of Parliament for his services in China and in 1844, Her Majesty Queen Victoria graciously included him in the list of officers receiving awards for distinguished services. In 1851 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and in February of 1852 was appointed Colonel of the 39th Regiment.
He first married Miss Scott, daughter of Sir John Scott, Knight of ireland, and secondly, Marianne Theresa Thomas, daughter of Reverend Dr Thomas of Clodagh, Co Carlow, Ireland. This marriage linked him to the Irish house of Lisle, while he was the lineal descendent of one of the oldest families in the north of England.

George married Ann SCOTT, daughter of Sir John SCOTT and Unknown, on 1 Sep 1803 in St. George, Dublin, Co. Dublin, Eire. (Ann SCOTT was born about 1783 and died before 1817.)

George next married Marianne Theresa THOMAS, daughter of Rev. Dr. William Bartolomew THOMAS and Anna Jocelyn DAVIDSON, on 27 Jun 1817 in Broad Clyst, Devon, England. (Marianne Theresa THOMAS was born in 1781 in Northamptonshire, England,² died on 31 Mar 1831 and was buried in Stonehouse, Devonport, Plymouth, Devon, England.)