George Hanger, 4th Baron Coleraine (13 October 1751–31 March 1824) was a British solidier, author and eccentric.
He was born into a prosperous family in Gloucestershire, being the third son of seven children. His father, was Gabriel Hanger, a Parliamentarian, who in 1762 was created Baron Coleraine.
Colonel George Hanger was a member of Prince George’s inner circle. A gambler and a rake, Hanger gained true notoriety by marrying a beautiful gypsy girl, who unfortunately ran off with a bandy-legged tinker. His wife was christened “the lovely Aegypta of Norwood” by Hanger’s fellow officers.
George Hanger’s education was geared towards entering the army. He was sent to Reading School and then Eton before going to the University of Gottingen. After joining the army of Frederick the Great, he returned to England and purchased an Ensigncy in the 1st Regiment of Footguards in 1771. About this time, he married his first wife, a gypsy, who soon ran off with a tinker.
In the army he gained the reputation of being a womaniser, to the detriment of his military duties. He purchased a lieutenantcy in 1776, but retired in disgust after a more junior officer purchased promotion over him. He then purchased a captaincy in the Hessian Jagers. He served throughout the American Revolutionary War, transferring to Sir Banastre Tarleton’s British Legion as a major and commander of its light dragoons, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1793. In the 1780 Battle of Charlotte, Hanger commanded the legion due to Tarleton’s illness, ordering it to ride into Charlotte, North Carolina without taking precautions to guard against surprise attacks. As a consequence, the legion’s cavalry was badly mauled by Patriot militia that had set up an ambush in the town centre. Hanger was wounded in the battle, which he termed a “trifling insignificant skirmish”. He shortly thereafter fell ill, likely with yellow fever, and was shipped to the Bahamas to recuperate.
He also became involved in a minor literary feud, in 1789, publishing An Address to the Army; In Reply To ‘Strictures’, by Roderick M’Kenzie (Late Lieutenant in the 71st Regiment) On Tarleton’s History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781. The full title of M’Kenzie’s book was Strictures on Colonel Banaster Tarleton’s History of the Southern Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 and was itself critical of Tarleton’s 1787 account of the southern campaigns called A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America. Discussion of this apparently continues to this day.
After returning to England, he became a companion of the Prince Regent (later King George IV). They became great friends, the prince apparently loving both his humour and his exploits in both the army and with women, and appointing him Equerry in 1791. The only surviving painting of Hanger comes from this period. Commissioned by the prince, it remains in the Royal Collection. Hanger was also the butt of caricaturists and many prints of him survive. The National Portrait Gallery in London has a collection of twenty prints by James Gillray satirising him. In 1795 he purchased the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the 125th Foot. Six months later he exchanged into the 1st Battalion of the 82nd Foot.
In 1814, he declined a seat in the House of Commons (even though his father and two of his brothers had done so before him). Instead, he took a place in the House of Lords when he succeeded to the family title. In need of money, he sold his lieutenant-colonel’s commission in 1796 and purchased an ensigncy in the 70th Foot and was appointed captain-commissary in the Royal Artillery in 1806. He died in London in 1824, at the age of 74.
Every Woman Dreams... 
Thanks for a chance to win, Happy Valentine’s Day!
MonjaBlue(at)gmail(dot)com
I am pleased you could join me today. Thanks for stopping by.
Sounds so intriguing! I would enjoy having
a copy and autographed too! Thank you for
the giveaway. — Susan S.
ladysusan46(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thank you, Lady Susan, for joining me today. I am pleased you enjoyed reading a bit about Colonel Hanger.
Regina,
Lovely to read about your new novellas. Can’t wait to read them. And, as you know, I love learning about Regency Personalities. suzi(at)suzilove(dot)com
Suzi, I appreciate your stopping by today. I have a whole series of Regency eccentrics over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy them.
Great post about Hanger. I tweeted.
Thank you for joining me, Ella, and thanks for the “shares.”
I am really enjoying reading about the eccentrics of the regency. Your blog is so informative and entertaining. Looking forward to future installments. Thanks.
Hello, Rachel, and welcome to my little corner of the world. I appreciate your kind words.
Man, George IV had quite the group of ‘friends’ didn’t he? Colonel Hanger doesn’t seem as insane as John Lade though. He definitely fit in with the depraved moral set though. Isn’t it nice he could make the prince laugh telling stories of all his womanizing. How sweet. 🙂 LOL! Thanks again Regina. Off to read post 3.
-Lisa (slapshinyhappy at yahoo dot com)
Small minds are easily amused, Lisa. At least, that is what my late mother always said. I am pleased you enjoyed this little Regency tidbit. Such stories explain why the daughter of a minister would not wish to dedicate her book to the Prince Regent, does it not?
I’m always sort of intrigued by the idea of a soldier purchasing his promotions. And I think I read somewhere (maybe at AuAu) that it was illegal to consort with gypsies in any way at that time. Not that having a bit of money can’t make laws bend, of course.
monicaperry00 at gmail.com
There are gypsies in “The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy,” Monica.
Darcy purchased a commission for Mr. Wickham. Most experts seem to think it would have cost him 400 pounds to do so.
Hanger’s story is less outlandish compared to Lade but it is still interesting. I wonder what made him marry a gypsy.
Gypsies play a part in “The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy.” This post came from another tangent of my research. I wanted to know about real-life connections between members of the aristocracy and gypsies.