Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Farrington, Anthony
FARRINGTON, Sir ANTHONY (1742–1823), baronet, general, colonel-commandant first battalion royal artillery, was son of Charles Farrington, who entered the artillery as a matross in 1733, was wounded at the battle of Val in 1747, and died at Woolwich as lieutenant-colonel commandant of the royal invalid artillery 23 Feb. 1782. Anthony was born 6 Feb. 1742, entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, as a cadet 3 March 1754, was appointed a lieutenant fireworker 29 Oct. 1755, and became second lieutenant 1756, first lieutenant 1757, captain-lieutenant 1759, captain 1764, major March 1782, lieutenant-colonel December 1782, colonel 1791, major-general 1795, lieutenant-general 1802, general 1812. He served at Gibraltar in 1759–63, and at New York and elsewhere in America 1764–8. Returning to New York in 1773, he continued to serve in America until May 1783. He was at Boston in 1774–1776, and was present at Bunker's Hill, Brooklyn, Long Island, White Plains, Brandywine, and other early engagements during the war of Independence. He commanded the artillery at Plymouth in 1788–9, at Gibraltar in 1790–1, was commandant at Woolwich from 3 April 1794 to 27 May 1797, and commanded the artillery of the expedition to North Holland, under the Duke of York, in September 1799. Some curious details of the latter are given in Duncan's ‘Hist. Roy. Artillery,’ ii. 90–101. Farrington was appointed commandant of the field-train department in 1802, and in 1805 president of a select committee of artillery officers. In 1805 he was appointed inspector-general of artillery with the rank and style of director of the field-train department of the ordnance. On 3 Oct. 1818 Farrington was created a baronet in recognition of his long and meritorious services. On 14 June 1820 the university of Oxford conferred on him the honorary degree of D.C.L. After sixty-eight years of military service, retaining his mental vigour to the last, Farrington died on 3 Nov. 1823, at his residence at Blackheath.
He married on 9 March 1766 Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander Colden of New York, by whom he had two sons and three daughters. His eldest child, Charles Colden Farrington, born in 1770, died a captain in the 33rd foot in 1796. He was married, and left issue a son, Charles Henry Farrington, who became a captain in the 31st foot, and succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his grandfather.
[Foster's Baronetage; Kane's List of Officers Roy. Art. (rev. ed., Woolwich, 1869); Duncan's Hist. Roy Art.; Minutes Roy. Art. Institution, xiv. 303; Gent. Mag. xciii. (ii.) 639.]
Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.121
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
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