Hector Maclaine – Die Hard in Spain!

New exhibition!   30 June to 19 Dec 2026

UWE student and museum volunteer Ben Mallett has delved into the archives and created a fascinating exhibition about the previously unexplored story of Hector Maclaine.

Grandfather of his better-known namesake (who is commemorated on the drinking fountain at the top of Castle Street), Hector Maclaine Snr was a Scottish soldier who married Thornbury heiress Martha Osborne in 1816 and lived for many years at Kyneton House, Kington. A large wall monument in St Mary’s Church is dedicated to the couple’s memory and lists the many battles Hector took part in.

Maclaine served as far away as Canada and the Caribbean during the Napoleonic Wars. Throughout the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal he fought primarily as a captain and then as a major in the 57th Regiment of Foot, a light infantry company nicknamed the ‘Die Hards’.

Led by Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington), Maclaine and his men grappled with the greater forces of Britain’s relentless foe Napoleon Bonaparte. Maclaine eventually achieved the rank of colonel.

He might be regarded as Thornbury’s ‘Captain Sharpe’, the fictional character whose military career has many parallels.

The Poster

Ben’s advertising poster is based on the original Die Hard film poster. The film’s main character coincidentally is John McClane!

The information at the bottom of the poster reads:

‘An exhibition based on the life of Hector Maclaine of the 57th Foot in the Napoleonic Wars. With tales of firefights, adventure, bravery and romance, see the life of Thornbury’s very own Captain Sharpe. A true international adventure as our hero sees the Caribbean, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France, Canada and Belgium. Buried in St Mary’s Church and a previous resident of Kyneton House, Maclaine is a local legend whose story you do not want to miss. With appearances from Wellington, Soult, Hills, D’Erlon, The Die Hards, William Brooke Jnr and William Brooke Snr.’

William Brooke Snr and Jnr were both army officers, closely connected with the Thurston family of Thornbury.

Lydia Brooke (daughter of William Brooke Jnr) wrote to the Duke of Wellington and his letters of reply are on display in the exhibition.

The silhouette on the poster is Hector Maclaine Snr, the only known image of him.