Henry Hawley (12 January 1685 – 24 March 1759) was a British army officer who served in the wars of the first half of the 18th century. He fought in a number of significant battles, including the Capture of Vigo in 1719, Dettingen, Fontenoy and Culloden. During the Jacobite rising of 1745, he was recalled to Britain and appointed commander in Scotland in December, replacing Sir John Cope. In January 1746, he was defeated at the Battle of Falkirk Muir, although it did not damage his career in the same way. The Duke of Cumberland took over and Hawley led the cavalry at Culloden in April, a victory that ended the Rising. Although a courageous and capable commander of cavalry, Hawley was also a strict disciplinarian, referred to by contemporaries as 'Hangman Hawley' or 'Lord Chief Justice.' While this referred to his disciplinary methods, there is evidence he bears some responsibility for the killing of Jacobite wounded after Culloden. He returned to Flanders in July 1746, and when the War of the Austrian Succession ended in 1748, he was appointed Governor of Inverness; in 1752, he became Governor of Portsmouth, near his home in Hartley Wintney, where he died in March 1759. Personal details Henry Hawley (1685-1759) was born in Westminster, London and baptised on 12 January 1685 at St Martin-in-the-Fields. His father Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Hawley (1653-1692) was related to the Hawley baronets and married Judith Hughes (1659-1735) in 1684. They had four children, Henry, Edward (ca 1686-after 1724), Anne (ca 1690-after 1762) and an unknown son who died young. Like many of his 'historical anecdotes', Walter Scott's suggestion Hawley was an illegitimate son of George II (1683-1760) has been dismissed by historians. If true, George would have fathered him at the age of two, thirty years before his first visit to England. Francis was killed at the August 1692 Battle of Steenkerque, leaving his family penniless. In 1694, his half-brother Thomas Erle (1650-1720) made Henry an ensign in the 19th Foot, despite being only nine years old. Commissions were then considered private assets, that could be used as an investment or to provide an income; their award to children was later discouraged, but drawing pay and delegating duties to a substitute remained a common practice. His brother Edward also received a commission and his mother was given a pension. Hawley never married but had a long-term relationship with Elizabeth