General Joshua Guest was born at Spout House, Hove Edge. His mother, Mary, may have been unmarried when she gave birth to Joshua.
He married Sarah [1687-1751].
They had no children.
It is said that he worked in several pubs, including the Angel, Halifax and in Boroughbridge.
In 1685, he enlisted in the Dragoons of Charles Seymour, Duke of Somerset, and served under William III in Ireland, and then fought in Flanders, and Spain. He came to prominence late in life.
In 1713, he became Brevet Colonel.
In 1741, he lived at Queensberry House, Edinburgh, which became the site of the Scottish Parliament in 1997.
In 1745, at the age of 85, he fought in the Jacobite rebellion when – as Lieutenant-General of the Dragoons – he defended Edinburgh Castle against the Young Pretender. He was so infirm that the Scots allowed him to receive deliveries of fresh dairy produce every day, until they discovered smuggled messages in the butter. He almost surrendered to the Jacobites, and some people believed he supported the Jacobite cause.
When the Jacobites were defeated at the Battle of Culloden [1746], he had the guns at Edinburgh Castle fired in celebration.
He returned to London in a horse-litter. He was thanked by George II for his service, and was promoted to General.
He died at his lodgings in Brook Street, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. There is a bust of him in Roman armour, unveiled in 1751, by Sir Robert Taylor in the Abbey.
His wife, Sarah, was buried near him in the Abbey.
After their deaths, Joshua and Sarah's estate passed their nephew Sammy Smith
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