Paul Sanford Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen

British military officer
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Quick Facts
Born:
September 1, 1845, Corsham Court, Wiltshire, England
Died:
October 30, 1932, Corsham Court (aged 87)

Paul Sanford Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen (born September 1, 1845, Corsham Court, Wiltshire, England—died October 30, 1932, Corsham Court) was a British military commander who was defeated by the Boers (December 11, 1899) in the Battle of Magersfontein during the South African War.

After serving in the Gold Coast (now Ghana; 1873–74) and in Bechuanaland (now Botswana; 1884–85), Methuen was made a lieutenant general in 1898. In 1899, as commander of the British 1st Division in South Africa, he directed part of a three-pronged operation aimed at relieving the Boer siege of Kimberley and was defeated in the Magersfontein Hills by the Boer generals J.H. De la Rey and P.A. Cronje. In March 1902 he was captured by De la Rey at Tweebosch. Methuen was later commander in chief in South Africa (1907–12) and governor of Malta (1915–19). He was made a field marshal in 1911.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.