William Duke of Cumberland
Person Male Born 15/4/1721 Died 31/10/1765
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. He was the third son and the sixth of the eight children of King George II and Queen Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach and was born on 15 April 1721 in Leicester House, Leicester Fields (now Leicester Square).
Known, in Scotland, as the Butcher of Cumberland for his role in putting down the Scottish rebels led by Prince Charles Stuart, at the Battle of Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil, 16 April 1746. Handel's oratorio chorus "See the Conquering Hero Comes" was written that year in his honour.
Another nickname was 'Stinking Billy' prompted by the Sweet William flower emblem used by his English supporters. He also took part in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and the Seven Years War (1756-1763).
He died from a brain-clot, aged 44 years, on 31 October 1765, at his home on Upper Grosvenor Street, Westminster and was buried beneath the floor of the nave of the Henry VII Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey.
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