Lieut.-Col. Thomas Wildman

1787 - 20th Sep 1859

Claimant or beneficiary

Biography

Eldest son of Thomas Wildman I of Bedford Sq. and Bacton Hall, Suffolk (q.v.), lawyer and consigliere to the Beckfords, and Sarah Hardinge. Educated Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford. In 1796 he inherited his father's estates in Britain and Jamaica, including Quebec estate of which Thomas Wildman I had obtained possession in 1790. He entered the 7th Light Dragoons, afterwards Hussars, as a cornet in 1808. During the Peninsular and Napoleonic Wars he fought at the retreat to Corunna and at Waterloo, where he was aide de camp to the Earl of Uxbridge at Quatre Bras and to the Marquess of Anglesey. Slightly wounded at Waterloo he transferred to the 2nd West India Regiment and then to the Regiment of Light Dragoons with the rank of Major in 1816. In the same year he married 15 year old Louisa Preisig (1801-1877), daughter of F. Preizig of Appenzal in Switzerland.

In 1817 or 1818 he bought Newstead Abbey Nottinghamshire from his friend Lord Byron (other sources suggest from Thomas Clawton) for £94,500 and spent a further £100,000 restoring the house. Retiring from the Army in 1832, he became Colonel of the Sherwood Rangers, Equerry to the Duke of Sussex, and provincial Grandmaster of the Freemasons for 35 years. In the 1851 census he was listed as living at Newstead Abbey with his wife, sister-in-law and 14 servants. There were no children born from the marriage. He left personalty of £12,000 (resworn from £14,000) on his death at Newstead Abbey in 1859.
 


Sources

The family background of involvement in the Beckford family's estates in Jamaica is given in Twickenham museum: Thomas Wildman [accessed 15/10/2014; revised 13 May 2024]; National Probate Calendar 1859; http://www.newsteadabbey.org.uk/ [accessed 15/10/2014].

Thomas Wildman, British Armorial Bindings, University of Toronto https://armorial.library.utoronto.ca/stamp-owners/WIL003

The Morning Post, 26/11/1816.

Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 23/9/1859.

We are grateful to William Norton for his help compiling this entry.


Further Information

Absentee?
British/Irish
Name in compensation records
Lieut.-Col. Thos. Wildman
Spouse
Louisa Preisig (1816)
Wealth at death
£12,000
School
Harrow School [1799-1807 ]
University
Christ Church, Oxford [1807-08 ]
Military Education
Entered Army 1808
Occupation
Soldier
Religion
Anglican

Associated Claims (1)

£4,588 15s 11d
Awardee (Owner-in-fee)

Associated Estates (3)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

  • SD - Association Start Date
  • SY - Association Start Year
  • EA - Earliest Known Association
  • ED - Association End Date
  • EY - Association End Year
  • LA - Latest Known Association
1817 [EA] - 1829 [LA] → Owner
1820 [EA] - → Trustee
1796 [SY] - 1839 [LA] → Owner

Legacies Summary

Physical (1)

Estate
Newstead Abbey [Purchased] 
description →
Purchased by Thomas Wildman reportedly from Lord Byron in 1818 and extensively restored by Wildman....
notes →
http://www.newsteadabbey.org.uk/explore/a-brief-history-of-newstead-abbey...

Relationships (6)

Nephew → Uncle
Son → Father
Nephew → Uncle
First Cousins
First Cousins
First Cousins

Addresses (1)

Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England