Ernest Missett
Ernest Missett | |
|---|---|
| Born | ca. 1764 |
| Died | 22 September 1820 (aged 55–56) Florence, Italy |
| Resting place | Livorno |
| Nationality | Irish[1] |
| Known for | Consul-general in Egypt |
Lt. Col. Ernest Missett (ca.1764 – 22 September 1820)[2] was the British consul-general in Egypt[3] from 1803 to 1816.[4] He was instrumental in consulting with the Mamelukes during the Battle of Rosetta.[5][6]
Military Career
[edit]The earliest known information regarding his military career begins in France as a Second Lieutenant but was promoted to Captain in 1796.[7] In 1799 he was appointed Captain in Stuart's Minorca Regiment. Missett was promoted to Brigade Major in 1801[8], the same year he took part in the Battle of Alexandria, where he was wounded by a saber.[9] He would later be promoted to Lt. Colonel in 1811[10][11].
Consul General
[edit]In 1803, Charles Stuart appointed Missett, who had been his Military Secretary, to be the British Agent in Egypt[12]. This was later changed to Consul General. During his time in Egypt, Missett hosted many travelers, such as James Silk Buckingham[13], Lady Hester Stanhope[14], Giovanni Belzoni[15] & J.L. Burkhardt[16].
Personal Life
[edit]Little is known of Missett's personal life, other than what is recorded by guests of his home in Alexandria. Sometime around 1804, he lost the use of his limbs and was confined to a wheelchair[17]. He had a wife named Giuseppa[18], who is only ever mentioned in his will. He kept a pet Chameleon[19].
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ A List of the Officers of the Army and of the Royal Marine Forces on Full and Half Pay. United States War Office. 1817.
- ^ "Obituary". The Gentleman's Magazine, Volume 91, Part 1; Volume 129. 1821. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
- ^ "Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ Bosworth, C.E. "Henry Salt, Consul in Egypt 1816-1827 and Pioneer Egyptologist" (PDF). University of Manchester 1974.
- ^ "Story Behind the Stamp Rosetta". Egypt Study Circle. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Ozavci, Ozan". Dangerous Gifts: Imperialism, Security, and Civil Wars in the Levant, 1798-1864 Dangerous Gifts: Imperialism, Security, and Civil Wars in the Levant, 1798-1864. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Elliott-Wright, Philipp J. C. (1997). The Officers of the Irish Brigade and the British Army 1789-98 (PDF). PHD Thesis, University of Leeds.
- ^ Wilson, Sir Robert T. (1803). History of the British Expedition to Egypt; to which is subjoined, a sketch of the present state of that country and its means of defence. C. Roworth.
- ^ "The Bury & Norwich Post". The Bury & Norwich Post (986). 20 May 1801.
- ^ Morkot, Robert G. (2021). "Ernest Missett, Britain's Irish (Roman Catholic?) Consul-General in Egypt, 1803-1816". The Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East. 85: 22.
- ^ Public Record Office, Great Britain (1963). List of War Office Records. p. 5.
- ^ Fortescue, Hon. Sir John William (2014). A History Of The British Army – Vol. VI – (1807-1809). Normanby Press. ISBN 9781782891338.
- ^ Buckingham, James Silk (1855). Autobiography of James Silk Buckingham. Longman.
- ^ Stanhope, Lady Hester (1846). Travels of Lady Hester Stanhope: Forming the Completion of Her Memoirs. H. Colburn.
- ^ Mayes, Stanley (1959). The Great Belzoni. Bloomsbury Publishing.
- ^ Burkhardt, Johann Ludwig (1819). Travels of M. Burckhardt in Egypt and Nubia. From the Calcutta Journal. Sir Richard Phillips and Company.
- ^ Stanhope 1846, p. 218.
- ^ "Will of Ernest Missett, Lieut. Col. in the Army of Pisa , Tuscany". UK National Archives.
- ^ Usick, Patricia (2002). Adventures in Egypt and Nubia The Travels of William John Bankes (1786-1855). British Museum Press. p. 23. ISBN 9780714118031.