Lt. Col.

Robert Smith-Dorrien

JP
Born
Robert Algernon Smith

2 October 1814
Died8 October 1879 (aged 65)
SpouseMary Anne Drever (married 1845)
Children15 (including Thomas Smith-Dorrien and Horace Smith-Dorrien)
Parents
  • James Smith (father)
  • Mary Isabella Pechell (mother)
RelativesAugustus Smith (brother)

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Algernon Smith-Dorrien JP (né Robert Algernon Smith; 2 October 1814 – 8 October 1879)[1] was a British churchwarden and soldier.[2]

Biography

The plaque at St Peter's Church commemorating Robert Smith-Dorrien

Robert Smith was born on 2 October 1814 to James Smith and Mary Isabella Pechell. He married Mary Anne Drever, a member of the Dorrien family, in 1845. He adopted his wife's maiden name and changed his surname by Royal Licence to Smith-Dorrien. Together they had 15 children, including Thomas Smith-Dorrien and Horace Smith-Dorrien.

He served as a Justice of the Peace. He was a lieutenant colonel, serving in the Hertfordshire Militia and also a captain in both the 3rd Light Dragoons and the 16th Lancers.

Smith-Dorrien was heavily involved in the restoration of the now Grade II* listed St Peter's Church in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, serving as the Churchwarden from 1868 until his death on 8 October 1879. Due to his work for the church building, a stained glass window by Charles Eamer Kempe was installed and dedicated in his honour, along with a plaque.[2]

Family

Smith-Dorrien's elder brother was Augustus Smith, Lord Proprietor of the Isles of Scilly from 1834 to 1872. Augustus Smith was succeeded as Lord Proprietor by Robert Smith-Dorrien's eldest son, Thomas Algernon Smith-Dorrien.[1][2]

References

  1. 1 2 Barber, Richard (2002). Tresco Times: the last piece of England (1st ed.). Halsgrove. p. 35. ISBN 1-84114-163-1. OCLC 862619901.
  2. 1 2 3 "Robert Algernon Smith-Dorrien". Rectory Lane Cemetery, Berkhamsted. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  3. "Obituary for R. A. SMITH-DORRIEN". Hertfordshire Mercury. 18 October 1879. p. 5. Retrieved 4 June 2023. Open access icon
  4. "Memorial to the Late Col. Smith-Dorrien". Hertfordshire Mercury. 1 November 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 4 June 2023. Open access icon
  5. "The County. Death of Col. Smith-Dorrien". The Cornishman. 11 October 1879. p. 4. Retrieved 4 June 2023. Open access icon


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