Abraham Roberts

General

Sir Abraham Roberts

GCB
General; Sir Abraham Roberts; GCB
	Sir Abraham Roberts
Born	11 April 1784; Waterford, Ireland
Died	28 December 1873 (aged 89)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British East India Company
Rank	General
Unit	1st Bengal European Regiment
Commands	1st Bengal European Regiment; Lahore Division
Battles / wars	First Afghan War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Relations	Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (son); Frederick Roberts (grandson)

General Sir Abraham Roberts (11 April 1784 – 28 December 1873) was a British East India Company Army general who served nearly 50 years in India.

Roberts had two sons, who both obtained the highest ranks in the British Army. One son and a grandson would win the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for bravery in the face of the enemy in the British Army.

Early life

Abraham Roberts was a member of a famous Waterford family. He was the son of Anne (Sandys) and The Reverend John Roberts, a magistrate in County Waterford and a rector of Passage East.

Career

General Sir Abraham Roberts gained the rank of colonel in the service of the Honourable East India Company and was the commander of the 1st Bengal European Regiment and the Lahore Division.^[1] He fought in the First Afghan War.

Roberts was invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB). He left India in 1853 to live in Ireland with his second wife, who outlived him. He also had a home in Bristol, 25 Royal York Crescent, Bristol, Somerset BS8 – England.^[2]

From 1862 until his death, he was Colonel of the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers).^[3]

Family

He married Frances Isabella Ricketts, daughter of George Poyntz Ricketts, on 20 July 1820. On the death of his first wife, he married Isabella Bunbury, daughter of Abraham Bunbury, on 2 August 1830.

Children with Frances Isabella Ricketts

Frances Eliza Roberts
Maria Isabella Roberts
Major General George Ricketts Roberts

Children with Isabella Bunbury

Harriet Mercer Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts

Arms

Coat of arms of Abraham Roberts
	Notes Confirmed by John Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms, 27 June 1865.^[4] Crest A lion rampant Or armed and langued Gules charged on the shoulder with an Eastern crown of the last and holding in the dexter paw a sword the blade wavy Argent hilt and pommel Gold. Escutcheon Azure three estoiles Or on a chief wavy of the second an Eastern crown Gules. Motto Virtute Et Valore

Footnotes

^ "Lord Roberts - A Great Soldier's Story of his Own Career". The New York Times. 16 January 1897. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
^ "Will on Genealogy.com". Retrieved 8 January 2023. This is the last Will of me, General Sir Abraham Roberts KGB. of number 25 Royal York & Crescent Clifton Bristol. I bequeath unto and equally between my dearest Wife, Isabella Roberts and mu Daughter, Harriet Mercer Roberts […]
^ "101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 March 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "Grants and Confirmations of Arms Vol. G". National Library of Ireland. 1863. p. 111. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[1] "Lord Roberts - A Great Soldier's Story of his Own Career". The New York Times. 16 January 1897. Retrieved 23 April 2010.

[2] "Will on Genealogy.com". Retrieved 8 January 2023. This is the last Will of me, General Sir Abraham Roberts KGB. of number 25 Royal York & Crescent Clifton Bristol. I bequeath unto and equally between my dearest Wife, Isabella Roberts and mu Daughter, Harriet Mercer Roberts […]

[3] "101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 March 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[4] "Grants and Confirmations of Arms Vol. G". National Library of Ireland. 1863. p. 111. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

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