English School, 19th Century

Portrait of Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (1768-1854), bust-length

Portrait of Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (1768-1854), bust-length and wearing the Order of Saint George and the Star of the Order of the Garter
oil on canvas
93.7 x 73cm

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 Caernarvon and then for Milborne Port, he took part in the Flanders Campaign and then commanded the cavalry for Sir John Moore's army in Spain during the Peninsular War. His cavalry showed greater superiority over their French counterparts at the Battle of Sahagún and at the Battle of Benavente, where he defeated the elite chasseurs of the French Imperial Guard. During the Hundred Days he led the charge of the heavy cavalry against Comte d'Erlon's column at the Battle of Waterloo. At the end of the battle he famously lost part of one leg to a cannonball. According to anecdote, he was close to Wellington when his leg was hit, and exclaimed, "By God, sir, I've lost my leg!" — to which Wellington replied, "By God, sir, so you have!". According to his aide-de-camp, Thomas Wildman, during the amputation Paget smiled and said, "I have had a pretty long run. I have been a beau these 47 years and it would not be fair to cut the young men out any longer." In later life he served twice as Master-General of the Ordnance and twice as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.