The governor of Gravesend and Tilbury was a position in the English and British armies. The officeholder was responsible for overseeing fortifications and blockhouses protecting the River Thames: on the south side of the river at Gravesend, Kent and on the north side at Tilbury Fort and West Tilbury, Essex. The fortifications here date from the time of Henry VIII; Tilbury Fort remained in military use until 1950, but the office of Governor was discontinued upon the death of Sir Lowry Cole in 1842.
Governors in 1651: Col. Crompton 1662–1669: Sir John Griffith 1669–1681: Sir Francis Leke, 1st Baronet (died 1679) 1681–1684: Richard Tufton, 5th Earl of Thanet 1684–1689: Sackville Tufton 1690–1702: William Selwyn 1702–1725: George Cholmondeley, 2nd Earl of Cholmondeley 1725–1736: William Tatton 1736–1737: Sir Multon Lambard 1737–1742: James Tyrrell 1742–1747: Adam Williamson 1747–1752: John West, 1st Baron De La Warr 1752–1776: Charles Cadogan, 2nd Baron Cadogan 1776–1796: William Fawcett 1796–1812: Sir Thomas Musgrave, 7th Baronet 1812–1818: Sir John Floyd, 1st Baronet 1818–1842: Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole
Lieutenant-Governors 1702–1715: John Boteler c.1727: Sir Multon Lambard 1758–1778: Sir Charles Whitworth 1778–1824: Hon. James de Courcy 1824–1827: James Hawker Oct–Dec 1827: William Guard 1827–1832: Paul Anderson 1832–1848: Peter Dumas
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