Sir William Henry Clinton was the eldest son of General Sir Henry Clinton (1730-1795), who commanded the British forces in North America during the Revolutionary War. William Henry joined the British Army in 1784 and was swiftly promoted, eventually reaching the rank of General in 1830. He served on several secret missions during the Napoleonic Wars and was wounded in Corsica; in 1826-1828 he commanded the British forces in Portugal. In addition to his military career, William Henry Clinton served in the House of Commons and made extensive improvements to his manor of Cokenach. He sought several colonial governorships unsuccessfully during his career, but was forced to decline the governorship of Malta in 1830 due to ill-health. William Henry Clinton married Lady Dorothea Holroyd in 1797; the couple had two sons and four daughters. He died at Cokenach, Hertfordshire, England, on February 16, 1846.
Sir Henry Clinton was the younger son of General Sir Henry Clinton (1730-1795). He joined the British Army in 1787 and took part in the Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to command the Sixth Division in Spain in 1811. Clinton journeyed to England briefly in 1813 to convalesce from an unidentified illness, but returned to Spain to lead his forces in the battles of the Nive, Orthez, and Toulouse. He took command of the Third Division at the battle of Waterloo, and led a division during the occupation of France. In addition to his military career, Clinton was a member of Parliament from 1808 until 1818, working in the interests of his cousin the Duke of Newcastle. Sir Henry Clinton's health deteriorated rapidly after the death of his wife Susan (Charteris) in 1817, and he is said to have become a recluse. He died at Ashley Clinton, Hampshire, England, in 1829.
From the guide to the Clinton papers, 1754-1879, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)
