Gomersall Family History, Gomersall genealogy and Gomersall family trees

Preface

This article attempts to describe the army career of John Gomersall during the Peninsular War between 1809 and 1814. There is limited information about him personally. There exists a 'Statement of Service' which had been deposited with a firm of solicitors which gives a very brief summary of his life in the army.

Statement of Service of Major Lt. Colonel John Gomersall C.B.
of the 58th or Rutlandshire Regiment of Foot and Beresford's 16th Portugal Infantry

*Copied from the original parchment now in the possession of Charlesworth & Charlesworth, solicitors, Settle, Yorkshire

John Gomersall, Gentleman, Ensign in the 58th or Rutlandshire Regiment of Foot, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Brigadier Major, Lt. Colonel.

1811

Marshal Beresford's invitation to Lieutenant Colonel Gomersall requesting Colonel Gomersall's company.

1815

Order of the Bath conferred by the Prince Regent, 19th September, 1815

1815

The Duke of Wellington requests the pleasure of Major Gomersall's company on thursday evening the 24th November 1815

STATEMENT OF SERVICE

1800
31st Jan.

Cornet of Ensign

Minorca, Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt (wounded 8th March 1801),

1801
8th March

Lieutenant

Rosetta, Rhomania, Siege of Grand Cairo, Alexandria, Gibraltar & Ireland

1804
25th Dec.

Captain

Portugal and Spain

Major

Santa Combadao, Mortagua, Busaco, Senjat (?), Lisbon, Santarem, Redinha, Almeida, Ciudad Rodrigo (stormed & wounded)

1811
11th May

Lieut. Colonel

Beresford's 16th Portugal Infantry, Commanded at Toro, Salamanca, Madrid, Esla, Ebro, Vitoria, Villa Franca, Tolosa, San Sebastian, Nivelle, Bayonne (wounded)

Ditto

Before San Sebastian

War Medals

Egypt, Salamanca, Vitoria, Nivelle, Companion of the most honourable Military Order of the Bath

Wounded

Egypt, Ciudad Rodrigo, Bayonne

However, his service record is more complicated and the following table describes the regiments he was in and the units to which those regiments were attached, enabling one to follow his career when reading the history of the war.

DATE	RANK	REGIMENT	BRIGADE	DIVISION	CORPS
3rd July1809 to 1st Jan 1810	Captain	58th Rutlandshire Infantry (2nd Battalion)	Lightburne’s Brigade	o	o
1st Jan 1810 to 23rd Feb 1810	Captain	58th Rutlandshire Infantry (2nd Battalion)	Lightburne’s Brigade	Cole’s 4th Division	o
23rd Feb 1810 to 7th May 1810	Captain	58th Rutlandshire Infantry (2nd Battalion)	Lightburne’s Brigade	Picton’s 3rd Division	o
7th May 1810 to April 1811	Major in the Portuguese Service (John Gomersall retained his Captaincy in the 58th throughout the period of his Portuguese Service)	16th Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by John Milley Doyle	Pack’s Independent Portuguese Brigade	Sometimes attached to the Light Division
April 1811 to April 1812	Major in the Portuguese Service	16th Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by Neil Campbell	Pack’s Independent Portuguese Brigade	Sometimes attached to the Light Division	o
April 1812 to July 1812	Lieut. Colonel in the Portuguese Service	16th Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by Neil Campbell	Pack’s Independent Portuguese Brigade	o	o
July 1812 to Sept. 1812	Lieut. Colonel in the Portuguese Service	21st Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by John Gomersall	Manley Power’s Portuguese Brigade	Edward Packenham’s 3rd Division	o
Sept 1812 to Jan 1813	Lieut. Colonel in the Portuguese Service	16th Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by Neil Campbell	Pack’s Independent Portuguese Brigade	o	o
Jan 1813 to 10 July 1813	Lieut. Colonel in the Portuguese Service	16th Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by John Gomersall	Pack’s Independent Portuguese Brigade
10 July 1813 to 5 Oct 1813	Lieut. Colonel in the Portuguese Service	2nd Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by John Gomersall	Da Costa’s Portuguese Brigade	Silveiras Portuguese Division	Hill’s Corps
5 Oct 1813 to Nov 10 1813	Lieut. Colonel in the Portuguese Service	2nd Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by John Gomersall	Buchan’s Portuguese Brigade	Hamilton’s Portuguese Division	Hill’s Corps
Nov 11 1813 to 13 Dec 1813	Lieut. Colonel in the Portuguese Service	2nd Portuguese Infantry Regiment Commanded by John Gomersall	Da Costa’s Portuguese Brigade	Le Cor’s Portuguese Division	Hill’s Corps
13 Dec 1813 to Oct 1814	Lieut. Colonel in the Portuguese Service	2nd Portuguese Infantry Regiment	o	o	o

[Note: John Gomersall was seriously wounded at the battle of Nive St. Pierre on the 13th December 1813, was taken to a hospital at Ustaritz and took no further part in the campaign. He was known to be in Lagos in southern Portugal (the home of the 2nd Regiment) when he retired from the Portuguese service in October 1814.]

In researching this, much reliance was placed on the definitive seven volume work by Sir Charles Oman, “The History of the Peninsular War” which is probably inaccessible to most general readers but has sufficient detail to cover Brigade and sometimes even Regiment activity. The most important primary sources used were the papers of Sir George Murray, Wellington’s Quartermaster General, deposited in the National Library of Scotland, in particular the ‘Distribution of the Army’ papers which record the detailed movement orders issued to each unit.
The people who were most significant in John Gomersall’s Portuguese service were Marshal Beresford who was commander of the Portuguese Army. Brigadier General Pack who commanded an Independent Portuguese Brigade that included John Gomersall’s Regiment, the 16th Portuguese Infantry Regiment between 1810 and 1813 and Brigadier General Robert Crauford, the celebrated commander of the Light Division to whom Pack’s Brigade often provided close support. Beresford and Pack had served together before and were involved in the expedition in 1805/6 to re-occupy Cape Colony to prevent France controlling this Strategic Naval Base, after France had invaded Holland. Beresford, Pack and Crauford had all been involved in the abortive invasion of Buenos Aires in 1806 when Spain was allied with France. Beresford and Pack were forced to surrender and taken prisoner but were later able to escape. Crauford was charged with a rescue mission and was also forced to surrender which resulted in Crauford being court martialled on his return
home although he was ultimately completely exonerated. Beresford and Pack remained very close. Pack married Beresfords half sister in 1816 and when he died in 1823 it was in Beresford’s house in London. Crauford was recognised as a brilliant commander of Light troops. He was killed in action leading his men from the front during the successful storming of Ciudad Rodrigo in 1812 and was buried beneath the breach in the wall they were attacking.
	John Gomersall was born in 1769 coincidentally the same year as both Napoleon and Wellington. He was the eldest son of Thomas and Rachel Gomersall of Rectory Farm Birstall, Yorkshire, where his father Thomas was a wealthy Dyer and land owner. John purchased a commission as Ensign in the 58th Rutlandshireshire Regiment in 1800 and found himself almost immediately part of the expedition commanded by Sir Ralph Abercromby to drive the French out of Egypt, following Nelson’s crushing victory over the French fleet at Aboukir Bay in 1798. The combined operation which culminated in the opposed landing of 350 craft at Aboukir Bay on March 6th 1801 was a complete success and the French were driven out of Egypt altogether. John Gomersall was wounded in the initial attack and was susequently made Lieutenant. Following the Egyptian campaign, John returned to England in 1802 and after some recruiting in Ireland, was stationed in Jersey. He was promoted to Captain in 1804 whilst in St. Helier, where the battalion remained until 1809
but he did manage to get home for lenghy periods and in fact for most of 1808 and the first half of 1809 he was based in Manchester, recruiting. He spent over 5 years in Portugal, Spain and France between July 1809 and October 1814, first in the 2nd Battalion the 58th Regiment of Foot up to April 1810 when he was one of 360 British officers who were selected to serve in the Portuguese Army. He was promoted to Major in the 16th Portuguese Infantry Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Milley Doyle, in May 1810. This Regiment together with the 1st Portuguese Infantry Regiment and the 4th Cacadores Battalion formed an Independent Portuguese Brigade under the command of Brigadier General Denis Pack. Therefore, in the following account it is Pack’s involvement in the campaign which is highlighted and focussed upon during the period that John Gomersall served in it, that is, from May 1810 to July 1813 with the exception of 3 months from July to October 1812 when he temporarily commanded the 21st Portuguese Infantry Regiment due to the illness of Lieutenant Colonel Walter Birmingham. After rejoining the 16th regiment and their retreat from Burgos back into Portugal, he was in command during the great march with General Graham from Penafiel near Oporto where they had their winter quarters, to Braganza in May 1813 and from there to Vitoria in June. In July 1813 John Gomersall was put in command of the 2nd Portuguese Infantry Regiment, which together with the 14th Regiment formed Da Costa's Portuguese Brigade (sometimes commanded by Buchan) which together with Campbell’s Portuguese Brigade formed Hamilton’s Portuguese Division (sometimes commanded by Silveira and sometimes Le Cor). This regiment was stationed high up in the Pyrennees and took part in the battles of Buenza and Nivelle (when John Gomersall was mentioned in dispatches).There followed the battle of Nive St Pierre in December 1813 which was a fierce and bloody battle in which John Gomersall was seriously wounded, never it appears, to fight again although he didn’t quit the Portuguese Army until October 1814. The 58th Regiment was sent to North America in 1814 but it appears that John did not join them. They were recalled in 1815 but were too late to fight at Waterloo. John Gomersall’s movements after October 1814, are unclear. He was transferred to the Second Royal Garrison Battalion (Veterans Battalion) in 1818 and appears to have been living in the parish of Lambeth when he died in 1820. Lambeth Parish Church was deconsecrated some time ago and there is no known gravestone. There is however a memorial in Birstall parish church.

c Maps

	1	Portugal, Spain and Southern France
	2	Central Portugal