George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan
| The Earl of Lucan | |
|---|---|
The 3rd Earl of Lucan. Engraving by D. J. Pound, c. 1860
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|
| Born |
16 April 1800 London, England |
| Died | 10 November 1888 (aged 88) London, England |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
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| Service/branch |
 British Army
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| Years of service | 1816–1877 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands held | Cavalry Division |
| Battles/wars | Crimean War |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Order of St. Anna, 2nd Class (Russia) Order of the Medjidie, First Class (Ottoman Empire) Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) |
Field Marshal George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, GCB (16 April 1800 – 10 November 1888), styled Lord Bingham before 1839, was an Anglo-Irish and British Army officer. He was hated by the Irish because of his intolerant behaviour as a land owner during the Great Famine in the late 1840s. He was one of three men, along with Captain Nolan and Lord Raglan, responsible for the fateful order during the Battle of Balaclava in October 1854 that led to the Light Brigade commander, The Earl of Cardigan, leading the fateful Charge of the Light Brigade. Lord Lucan also made an important contribution in Parliament when he came up with a solution that allowed Jews to sit there. He was subsequently promoted to field marshal despite the debacle at Balaclava.
Born the first son of Richard Bingham, 2nd Earl of Lucan, an Anglo-Irish peer, and Elizabeth Bingham (née Belasyse), Lord Bingham (as he was styled up until late June 1839) attended Westminster School but left formal education to be commissioned as an ensign in the 6th Regiment of Foot on 29 August 1816. He transferred to the 11th Light Dragoons on 24 December 1818.
Lord Bingham became a lieutenant in the 8th Regiment of Foot on 20 January 1820, a captain in the 74th Regiment of Foot on 16 May 1822 and was promoted to major, unattached, on 23 June 1825. He transferred to the 17th Lancers on 1 December 1825 and became commanding officer of the regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 9 November 1826; he lavished such expense on his officers' uniforms and horses that the officers became known as "Bingham's Dandies". He was also elected as MP for County Mayo in 1826 and held that seat until 1830. During the Russo-Turkish War, which began in 1828, he acted observer with the Imperial Russian Army.
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