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Sir John Sherbrooke was born at Oxton in 1764. He entered the British Army in
1780 as a junior lieutenant and later transferred to the 33rd Regiment of Foot
where he first Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington.
He served first in Flanders before serving in India, where he distinguished himself
at the Storming of the fortress of Seringapatam in 1799. Though slightly wounded,
Sir John's nerves and general health suffered terribly from the hot and humid
climate and in 1800 he was returned on sick-leave to England with the approbation
of the future Duke of Wellington.
In 1805 he became a Major-General and was sent to Sicily. From there he served
with General Wellesley's forces in Portugal and Spain at the battles at Oporto and
Talavera (1809) before once again being forced to return a very sick man to
England. Sir John married in 1811 and as a newly-promoted Lieutenant-General
was sent to Nova Scotia to act as Governor just in time for the declaration of war
against England by the United States of America, during which Sir John actively opposed the American attempt to capture Canada. In 1816 Sir John was awarded by the Prince Regent (later George IV) a Grand Commander of the Order of the Bath and appointed Governor-General of Canada. He suffered a stroke in 1818 requiring his recall to England where he retired and finally died in Calverton in 1830.
Sir John Sherbrooke had a lengthy military and public service reflected in the rewards given to him, and he featured in a well-publicized famous ghost story in 1784. Sir John's life and times in full detail complete with illustrations are planned to be the subject of a booklet published by the Sir John Sherbrooke School.
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The above notes are abbreviated from the display, lecture and feature article on THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SIR JOHN COAPE SHERBROOKE researched, written and presented by Richard Rutherford-Moore. The notes also feature details on THE WATERLOO BATTLEFIELD AT OXTON.
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