Borton family.

John Drew Borton was the son of a furrier from Diss, Norfolk. Borton was ordained in 1803. In 1805, he was installed as the Rector of Blofield, near Norwich. He remained at Blofield for 42 years and is commemorated by a plaque in the church there. He had five children with his wife Louisa Carthew: sons John, William, Edward, Sir Arthur Borton and daughter Harriet.

General Sir Arthur Borton was the youngest son of John Drew Borton, Rector of Blofield, and his wife, Louisa Carthew. Born in 1814 at Blofield, he bought a commission as an ensign in the 9th (East Norfolk) regiment in 1832. Initially posted to Ireland, Mauritius and India, in 1842 he served in Afghanistan where he helped to force the Khyber Pass, took part in the victory over Muhammad Akbar Khan at the Tezini Pass and the Haft Kotal, and assisted at the capture of the fortified town of Istalif. In 1845, Borton took part in the First Anglo-Sikh war and served in the Sutlej campaign. In 1853, he took command of his regiment and led it at the Siege of Sevastopol in the Crimea and in the assault on the Redan in 1855. In 1870, after postings in Canada, England and Ireland, Borton was appointed to the command of the Mysore division of the Madras army. From 1878-1884, he was governor and commander-in-chief at Malta. Borton married Caroline Mary Georgina in 1850. She was the daughter of Rev. John Forbes Close, Rector of Mourne, co. Down. They had two sons and two daughters.

General Sir Henry Drummond was the father of Adelaide Drummond, who was the wife of Sir Arthur Borton's eldest son, Arthur Close Borton. Henry Drummond was in the Bengal Cavalry and served in the Anglo-Afghan War of 1838-1842.

Colonel Arthur Close Borton was the elder son of General Sir Arthur Borton and the brother of Colonel Charles Edward Borton. He became a Lieutenant Colonel in the 13th Somerset (Prince Albert's) light infantry. In 1888, he was called to the Bar, and from 1899 he farmed at Cheveney, Kent. He married Adelaide Drummond, daughter of General Henry Drummond. Together they had two sons, Arthur Drummond Borton and Amyas Eden Borton, as well as a daughter Dorothea. After his first wife's death, he married Laura Devas in 1912.

Colonel Charles Edward Borton was the younger son of General Sir Arthur Borton. Joining the 9th Norfolk regiment, he served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, taking part in the advance on Kabul. He also served in Burma from 1887-1889, South Africa from 1900-1902 and France from 1917-1918. In 1893, he married Amy Parson, nee Lewin, and had one son: Charles Victor.

Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Drummond Borton VC, CMG, DSO was the elder son of Arthur Close Borton. Nicknamed "Bosky" by the family, he served in the Boer War and in India with the King's Royal Rifle Corps. He was invalided from the army in 1907. At the outbreak of the First World War, he rejoined and became an observer with the Royal Flying Corps in France, where he broke his neck and was again invalided. Borton won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) at Gallipoli as a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. After serving in France and Salonika with the 2nd/22nd London Regiment (The Queen’s), he was given command of the battalion and moved to Palestine. On 7 November 1917 at Tel-el-sheria, he led his battallion against a strongly held enemy position and won the Victoria Cross (VC) for his bravery.

Air Vice-Marshal Amyas Eden Borton CB CMG DSO AFC was Arthur "Bosky" Borton's younger brother. Nicknamed "Biffy" by the family, he joined the Black Watch in 1906 and in 1911 learned to fly while on leave from his regiment. He was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps in 1914 and served in France until he was injured in aerial combat in 1915, winning the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for bravery. In 1917, Borton took command of the Fifth Wing in Palestine, playing an important role in the Battles of Gaza and the capture of Jerusalem. He later took command of the entire RFC Palestine Brigade. In 1918, Borton made the longest flight undertaken up to that time, a flight to Cairo in a Handley Page bomber. He followed this with the first flight from England to India and then a trip to reconnoitre the aerial route to Australia. After the war, he commanded the RAF in Iraq until 1923, when he married Muriel Slater and became Commandant of the RAF college, Cranwell. In 1933 he retired as an Air Vice-Marshal in command of the inland area of the RAF.

From the guide to the Borton family papers, 1804-1973, (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library)