Sir Henry Belasyse | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Brancepeth_Castle.jpg) Brancepeth Castle, purchased by Belasyse in 1701 | |
| Member of Parliament for Mitchell | |
| In office November 1713 – January 1715 | |
| Member of Parliament for City of Durham | |
| In office November 1710 – February 1712 | |
| Member of Parliament for City of Durham | |
| In office December 1701 – 1708 | |
| Member of Parliament for Morpeth | |
| In office 1695 – November 1701 | |
| Member of Parliament for Galway, Ireland | |
| In office 1693–1695 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henry Belasyse 1648 Biddick Hall, County Durham |
| Died | 14 December 1717 (aged 69) London |
| Resting place | Westminster Abbey |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Dorothy Benson 1680-1696 (2) Fleetwood Shuttleworth 1709 |
| Residence | Brancepeth Castle |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Soldier and politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Dutch Republic 1674–1688  England 1688–1702 |
| Years of service | 1674–1702 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-general |
| Unit | 6th Foot 1674–1688; 22nd Foot, 1689–1701; 2nd Foot 1701–1703 |
| Commands | Governor of Galway 1691–1692 Governor of Berwick 1713–1715 |
| Battles/wars | Franco-Dutch War Cassel; Saint-Denis Williamite War in Ireland The Boyne; Aughrim Nine Years' War Landen Namur 1695 War of the Spanish Succession Battle of Cádiz (1702) |
Sir Henry Belasyse (1648 – 14 December 1717), also spelt Bellasis, was an English military officer from County Durham, who also sat as MP for a number of constituencies between 1695 and 1715.
Beginning his military career in 1674 under William of Orange, he proved an effective soldier who was trusted with a variety of senior commands, but was unpopular with his contemporaries. In the Glorious Revolution of November 1688, he helped secure the north of England for William, before fighting in Ireland and Flanders in the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years War.
During the War of the Spanish Succession in 1702, he was held responsible for the looting that followed the Battle of Cádiz, an event seen as having badly damaged the House of Habsburg cause. As a result, he was dismissed from the army in 1703; he never held active command again, although he was appointed Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed from 1713 to 1715.
First returned to Parliament for Morpeth in 1693, he began his political life as a Whig, but was elected for Durham in 1701 with Tory support. He was MP for Durham from 1701 to 1708, and from 1710 to 1712, then for Mitchell, in Cornwall from 1713 to 1715; he did not stand in the 1715 election. He died in London on 14 December 1717 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.