MAJOR-GENERAL WILLIAM JACOB

Born 14th December 1837 - Died 9th March 1917

 

 

A son of Lieutenant-Colonel William Jacob, he was born on 14th December 1837 and baptized at Bycollah, Bombay Presidency on 14th January 1838. He married his cousin, Eliza, a daughter of the Reverend George Andrew Jacob DD. Eliza was born 9th February 1836, and was buried 13th December 1913 at East Farleigh, Kent, aged 81 years. They had children:

An Obituary (almost certainly from a Tavistock paper)

DEATH OF MAJOR-GENERAL JACOB
MILITARY FUNERAL

We regret to have to record the death of Major-General William Jacob, of Brooklands, Tavistock, who had been ill in failing health for some time, was taken seriously ill on Wednesday week, and died on Friday morning, in his 80th year. He had a genial manner and a kindly disposition, and was widely esteemed during his 24 years' residence at Brooklands. Sympathy is felt for Mrs Jacob and her family in their bereavement. A son of the late Lieutenant-Colonel William Jacob, HEIS's Bombay Rifles, the deceased officer belonged to the 19th Bombay Infantry, and saw over 40 years service in the Indian forces. In the Indian Mutiny he served as interpreter to the 72nd Highlanders at the siege and capture of Kotah, and for services in the Afghan War of 1880 and 1881 he was mentioned in dispatches and received the medal. He had the medal struuck as the Mutiny decoration. In 1861 he married a cousin, daughter of the late Rev G A Jacob DD of Teignmouth. There are two sons and two daughters. The elder son, Lieutenant-General Sir Claud Jacob, KCB, is commanding an army corps in France. The younger son, Lieutenant-Colonel Le Grand Jacob CIE, DSO is serving in India. The daughters are Mrs Ashe King of London, wife of Mr R Ashe King MA, the well known University Staff Extension Lecturer on English Literature; and Mrs Cockburn, who is in Canada.

The deceased's mother was a Miss Swinton, who belonged to a Berwickshire family who could trace their ancestors back without a break to Egbert, first King of all England. The Swinton family is mentioned in Sir Walter Scott's poems and prose writings, and Robert Bruce was a member of it. The late General's great great grandfather was an officer in the French Guards and was shot down on the steps of the palace of Versailles while defending the King and Queen of France, Louis XVI and Marie Anthoinette, in the French Revolution. Mrs Jacob's Dutch ancestors descended from the great Dutch admiral Ruyter. Her mother was a Miss Pidsley, The Pidsley family setteld in Devon about 300 years ago, Sir Simon Piddesleigh, as the name was then spellt, being the first member to do so. General John Jacob CB, a uncle of Mrs Jacob, was a great military man as well as a great administrator in Scinde. The Government of India gave a town, which he entirely founded, the name of Jacobabad, in honour of him, and the natives to this day go and worship at his tomb. He raised the Jacob Horse and the Jacob Rifles (armed with rifles which he invented). Sir George Legrand Jacob KCSI, the late General's uncle, was in political employ in India at the time of the mutiny. General John Jacob had a brother in the Bombay engineers, who afterwards was made head astronomer of the Madras Observatory.

The funeral took place, with military honours, on Wednesday. The cortege went direct from Brooklands to the New Cemetery, was headed by a firing party from a battalion of the Devon Regiment, and the band of the same Regiment, under Mr Cox, with muffled drums. The coffin, covered with the Union Jack, was borne on a gun carriage. Six men of the Royal Defense Corps acted as bearers.

The chief mourners were Lieutenant-General Sir Claud Jacob KCB, son; Mrs Ashe King, daughter; Colonel Sir Swinton Jacob KCIE, brother; Lady Jacob, daughter-in-law.

The second carriage contained the servants from Brooklands, gardener and nurse. In the third carriage were the Rev H G Le Neveu (Vicar of Tavistock) and the Rev A Lancaster (minister of the Abbey Chapel which the deceased attended, and of which he was a liberal supporter), Brigadier-General Bayard DSO, represented the GOC, Plymouth Garrison. Mr Ashe King was unable to be present, as he is delivering a course of lectures in the North of England.

After the carriages came a detachment of the Royal Defence Corps, under Captain Waterfield, then members of DVR, wearing their armlets, and other residents. Major C Samuda, Somersets, was in command of the military, and Captain H J A Porter was present to represent the Devon Regiment. The Kelly College Officers' Training Corps was represented by Captain A O V Penny and Lieutenant H Plum in uniform.

As the funeral procession passed through the streets, to the solemn strain of the Dead March in 'Saul', it was witnessed by hundreds of people. From West Bridge to the cemetery the band played Chopin's Funeral Marche. The service in the cemetery chapel and by the graveyard was conducted by the Rev A Lancaster, after which three volleys were fired, and buglers sounded 'Last Post'. In time of peace four major-generals would act as pall bearers and the firing party would be a whole brigade for an officer of the deceased's rank, but owing to the war, the firing party was a small one.

Among those present were Mr T Benson, Dr Hillyar, Dr Cecil Drake, Staff-Surgeon, RN, Messrs J G Dunne, R Richardson, J J Alexander, A Spiller, C M Bond, T Truscott, G Spear, E W Chilcott, D Ward, R R Ward, E J Wilkins, A E Wilkins, T Kerslake, A K Johnstone, A Hooper, W W Mathews, G H Gibbings, J Williams, F F Southby, W Hill, W E Tarner, W A Wills, W C Northcott, Williams & Co. The funeral arrangements were carried out by Mr J Pearce. The Rev A Lancaster will conduct a memorial service in the Abbey chapel next Sunday evening.

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