William Augustus Johnson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General William Augustus Johnson (15 October 1777, Kenilworth – 26 October 1863, Witham on the Hill, Lincolnshire) was an English soldier and Member of Parliament.
He was the eldest son of The Rev. Robert Augustus Johnson, who was a descendant of Robert Johnson, Archdeacon of Leicester, and Anna Rebecca, the youngest sister of Lord Craven. He was educated at Rugby School.[1]
He inherited the Georgian manor-house,[2] Witham Hall, in Lincolnshire, from an uncle in 1814, whereupon he left active military duty on half-pay to manage its estate. His relation The Rev. Woolsey Johnson had built Witham Hall, which is mentioned by Nikolaus Pevsner in Buildings of England,[3] as a private residence in 1752.[4] His ancestor Archdeacon Johnson's family had resided in the adjacent village of Witham-on-the-Hill.[5]
He married Lucy Foster (1815–1890) on 17 February 1835.
He was commissioned as an ensign of foot in 1793, and promoted to captain in 1794.[6] He served in the Peninsular War in 1808 and 1809, as a major in the 32nd Regiment, and was present at the battles of Roliça, Vimiero, and Corunna. He then served in the Walcheren expedition in 1809. In 1810 he became lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Ceylon Regiment.[1] He was promoted to colonel in 1819,[7] and to major-general in 1830, and to lieutenant-general in 1841.[1] He retired from the army in 1842.
