Felix Sutcliffe

Felix Sutcliffe

Portrayed by Jamie Parker
Full Name	Major Sir Felix Josiah Sutcliffe
Associated Noble House(s)	None
Date of Birth	14 February, 1781
Father	Josiah Sutcliffe, Simon Bradbury (stepfather)
Father's Rank	Gentry (Sutcliffe), Vicar (Bradbury)
Mother	Sarah Bradbury, née Richards, previously Sutcliffe
Mother's Rank	None
Town Residence	27 Harley Street
Branch of the Military	Army
Ship or Regiment	Royal Fusileers (1799-1806), Coldstream Guards (1806-1811)
Currently Enlisted?	Yes
Enlistment Date	1799
Current or Final Rank (if retired)	Major
Major Engagements	Douro (1809), Talavera (1809), Bussaco (1810), Barossa (1811)

Sir Felix Sutcliffe is a Major in the Coldstream Guards. After being wounded during the Battle of Barossa in March 1811, he has returned to London to recuperate.

Felix is played by Ellie

Family

• Father: Mr. Josiah Sutcliffe (deceased)
• Step-father: Mr. Simon Bradbury, 52
  • Step-brother: Mr. Simon Bradbury, 29
• Mother: Mrs. Sarah Bradbury, née Richards, previously Sutcliffe, 49
  • Half-sister: Mrs. Catherine Wright, née Bradbury, 27
  • Half-brother: Mr. Nigel Bradbury, 24
  • Half-sister: Mrs. Edwina Richardson, née Bradbury, 22
  • Half-sister: Miss Clara Bradbury, 18
• Uncle: Sir Cornelius Sutcliffe (deceased)

Background

Childhood

Felix was born on the 14th of February, 1781. His early life was a relatively comfortable one, his grandfather having been a baronet of some means, though his father was the younger son. Josiah Sutcliffe passed away after an illness whilst Felix was an infant, leaving him with a modest inheritance and no particular memories of his father. His mother remarried two years later to Simon Bradbury, the vicar at their church, St. Mary-le-Bow, and a widower who also had a young son. He is a man whom she and Felix love very much, but one who does not have a great deal of capital. Thus Felix grew up in London in a slightly unfashionable neighbourhood in the City Proper where his parents and youngest sister still live, whilst his uncle Sir Cornelius Sutcliffe, a reclusive medical man, lived alone in Marylebone. Sir Cornelius, who had not yet married, was fond of his young nephew and funded his schooling at Eton, insisting it was important for a young man (particularly a Sutcliffe) to have a decent education to back him up in future life.

Army Career

Having completed his education, and having the money he inherited from his father mostly untouched thanks to his uncle's generosity, Felix decided to purchase a commission in the Army in 1799 as a member of the Royal Fuzileers, the City of London Regiment. He would later purchase a promotion to Captain in the Coldstream Guards in 1807, the same regiment his grandfather had fought in some years before - it was more expensive than a commission in the 7th Foot, but Felix is a man of tradition.

A brief timeline of his army career including some, but not all, military engagements:

• 1799: Purchased commission as Ensign in the 7th Foot
• 1799 - 1802: Stationed in Canada
• 1802: Purchased promotion to Lieutenant
• 1803 - 1806: Stationed in the West Indies
• 1806: Purchased promotion to Captain, transferred to the 2nd Foot Guards
• 1807 - 1808: Stationed in Copenhagen
• 1808 - 1811: Stationed in the Peninsula
• 1809: Battle of Douro
• 1809: Battle of Talavera
• 1809: Promoted Major after Battle of Talavera
• 1810: Battle of Bussaco
• 1811: Battle of Barrosa
• 1811: Invalided home after Battle of Barrosa

As a soldier with some experience of the land, as well as being an officer well respected by his comrades, Felix was stationed with the light company of the second battalion of the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards upon their arrival in Portugal, with whom he fought in the Battle of Barrossa in March 1811. It was during this battle that he was wounded, taking a bayonet to the abdomen and breaking his ankle in the fall.

Current Season

Felix has returned to London after being invalided back to England, and has taken this opportunity to finally set about settling his uncle's estate - Sir Cornelius and his wife died in December 1810, leaving everything they owned to their nephew, including their London home on Harley Street and the Sutcliffe family estate in Cornwall, Merry Meeting. Having had enough of the four walls of his room in his parents’ house during his recovery, he has taken up residence in the house on Harley Street where he has begun the onerous task of clearing out nearly twenty years' worth of flotsam and jetsam with the help of his youngest sister Clara, his only sibling still in London, and his uncle's butler Mr. Barnett.

He has also finally begun looking at his newfound assets, and realised that his is now in fact a man of not inconsiderable means. He has assured Clara that he will use some of this inheritance to help finance a proper debut for her next year - thankfully both of his other sisters are happily married with little interest in the London season, or this might have caused some consternation.