Thomas Handasyd
Thomas Handasyd | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Jamaica | |
| In office 1702–1711 | |
| Commander, St. John's, Newfoundland | |
| In office 1697–1698 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | ca 1645 |
| Died | 26 March 1729 (aged 83) |
| Resting place | St Andrews' Church, Great Staughton |
| Relations | Roger Handasyd (son) |
| Military service | |
| Years of service | 1674–1711 |
| Rank | Major-general |
| Battles/wars | Franco-Dutch War Siege of Maastricht (1676); Battle of Cassel (1677); Battle of Saint-Denis (1678) Williamite War in Ireland Battle of the Boyne Nine Years War War of the Spanish Succession |
Major general Thomas Handasyd was a professional soldier and colonial administrator from Elsdon, Northumberland, who served as the governor of Jamaica from 1702 until 1711.
Handasyd first saw action during the Franco-Dutch War, before accompanying William to England in the 1688 Glorious Revolution. He also fought in the Williamite War in Ireland and Nine Years War; when the latter war ended with the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Handasyd had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1702, his regiment was sent to the English colony of Jamaica; when William Selwyn died soon after his arrival, Handasyd replaced him as regimental colonel and governor, a position he retained until 1710.
After returning to England in 1711, he purchased Gaynes Hall near Great Staughton, Cambridgeshire where he lived quietly in retirement until his death on 26 March 1729.