Francis Slater Rebow | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by an unknown artist | |
| Birth name | Francis Slater |
| Born | 1770 Derbyshire, England |
| Died | (aged 75) Wivenhoe Park, Essex, England |
| Buried | St Mary's, Colchester |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1787–1845 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | |
| Commands | Household Cavalry Brigade |
| Known for | Patron of John Constable |
| Battles / wars | |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Hester Rebow
(m. 1796; died 1834) |
| Children | 3 |
General Francis Slater Rebow JP DL (born Francis Slater; 1770 – 7 October 1845) was a British Army officer and patron of the artist John Constable. Having joined the army in 1787, he served with the 60th Regiment of Foot in the West Indies, fighting at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars in the Battle of Martinique and Invasion of Guadeloupe, being severely wounded in the latter. In 1796 he returned home, marrying the daughter of Isaac Martin Rebow and taking the Rebow surname as his own.
Rebow transferred to the 2nd Life Guards in 1797 and continued to serve in England until promoted to major-general in 1812. At the end of the year he was given command of the Household Cavalry Brigade going out to fight in the Peninsular War. Rebow spent some time at Lisbon before returning home in January 1813; he received no further military commands but by seniority was promoted to general in 1841.
Rebow first commissioned Constable, whose father he was a friend of, to paint a portrait of his daughter Mary Martin Rebow in 1812. Rebow stayed in contact with Constable and in 1816 had him return to his estate at Wivenhoe Park to paint two works including Wivenhoe Park, Essex, which helped pay for Constable's subsequent marriage.