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.