William Harding

Lieutenant-Colonel William Harding (16 August 1792 – 13 January 1886) of Upcott in the parish of Pilton in Devon, was a British antiquary, geologist and army officer. He was a Fellow of the Geological Society and after his retirement from the Army was an active member of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society. He is known for his History of Tiverton (2 volumes) published in 1845 and 1847. Origins He was born on 16 August 1792 at Upcott, the 3rd son of Robert Harding (1750–1804) of Upcott, (son of Thomas Harding (1708–1772) of Upcott by his wife Mary Bryan daughter of Richard Bryan of South Molton) by his wife Dyonisia Wrey (1759–1836) 2nd daughter of Sir Bourchier Wrey, 6th Baronet (c.1715–1784) of Tawstock Court, Devon (about 3 miles south of Upcott), a Member of Parliament for Barnstaple, Devon (1 mile south-east of Upcott), one of the most prominent noblemen and largest landowners in the county, being the heir of the Bourchier Earls of Bath of Tawstock. His younger brother, the fourth son, was Rev. John Harding (1800–1880), Rector of Goodleigh from 1831 until his death. His family was related to the Harding family of Buzzacott in the parish of Combe Martin in North Devon, of whom an early member was Thomas Harding (1516–1572) a Roman Catholic priest and controversialist and one of the Worthies of Devon of the biographer John Prince (d.1723). In the early 1790s Richard Harding of the Buzzacott family was a founding partner of the surviving Devonshire law firm Brewer Harding & Rowe, whose early work involved the management of the Harding estates. After World War II it was acquired by Geoffrey Stallard, a London solicitor, and in 1988 the firm donated a large collection of Harding family papers to the North Devon Records Office. Career Harding attended Blundell's School in Tiverton (1801–7), about 28 miles south-east of his home at Upcott, during which time his father died. In July 1811, aged 18, his military career commenced when he received a commission as ensign and served with the 5th Regiment of Foot (later renamed 5th Northumberland Fusiliers) during the Peninsular War, during which he was present at the Siege of Burgos (1812), the capture of Madrid (1812), and fought in the Battle of Vitoria (1813), Battle of the Pyrenees (July 1813), and the battles of Nivelle, Nive, Orthes and Toulouse, having been promoted Lieutenant in 1813. He was awarded the Military General Service Medal with six clasps.