22nd October 1772

Henry Seymour Conway is appointed Governor of Jersey

Henry Seymour Conway was a British politician and general. He was Chief Secretary for Ireland, Leader of the House of Commons, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces and, from 1772 until 1795, Governor of Jersey.

Conway was born in Chelsea in 1721 and joined the army when he turned 16, initially with Molesworth’s Regiment of Dragoons. He had been promoted to captain by the time he was 20, and captain-lieutenant the following year. He first saw action in the War of Austrian Succession in 1743 and was involved in suppressing the Jacobite Rebellion at Culloden.

Promotions in Jersey and beyond

He was active in politics throughout his time in the army and, while being promoted to captain, was elected to represent both Antrim County in the Irish Parliament and Northamptonshire in the British Parliament. In all, he spent 60 years in various political roles in Jersey, mainland UK and the island of Ireland.

Conway’s term as Governor of Jersey coincided with the Battle of Jersey, as a result of which he planned a series of towers to be built across the Channel Islands to defend against further invasions. One of these was Seymour Tower, constructed on Jersey’s south east coast in 1782.