Hugh Lyle Carmichael

Sir Hugh Lyle Carmichael
Sir Hugh Lyle Carmichael
	Siege of Santo Domingo (1808)
Other work	Lieutenant Governor of Demerara Essequibo

Siege of Santo Domingo. He was Lieutenant Governor of Demerara Essequibo from 1812 until his death the following year. He was a strong proponent of giving native Caribbean

troops the same rights as ordinary British soldiers.

Biography

Born at Dublin, Ireland, in 1764, he was the son of Hugh Carmichael (1720–1776) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Hugh Lyle, of Coleraine, County Londonderry; formerly the captain of a regiment of dragoons.^[1] His grandfather, Andrew Carmichael (1675–1759), was the grandson of Samuel, brother of the 2nd Lord Carmichael. Andrew came from Scotland to Northern Ireland where he was Provost of Dungannon and married at Killyleagh his cousin, Anne Montgomery, niece of Hugh Montgomery, 1st Earl of Mount Alexander.^[2] Carmichael's sister, Eleanor, married the son and heir of Theaker Wilder, nephew of James Steuart, Admiral of the Fleet.

Carmichael is noted for recognising the value and usefulness of incorporating native

West India Regiment, Carmichael instead demoted native offenders to a position resembling that of a common field slave – deprived of weapons and appointments and employed only on fatigue duties.^[4]

Carmichael had started his military career as an

West India Regiment.^[7]

In 1801, with Arthur Whetham, he was appointed full

2nd West Indian, 54th, 55th, and Royal Irish regiments, Carmichael embarked from Polingue Bay, and persuaded General Juan Sánchez Ramírez to capture San Carlos Church on the outskirts of the capital, cutting off communication between Santo Domingo and Fort Jeronimo. Carmichael installed heavy siege batteries around the capital and massed his forces ready for an assault until the French surrendered, 9 July 1809.^[11]

In 1812, he was appointed

George III. Dutch had been the official language of the courts but Carmichael ordered all legal documents to be written in both Dutch and English. His administration encountered stiff opposition from the Dutch planters who held influence at the Court of Policy, and particularly the College of Kiezers, which was held to be their exclusive domain. Without even first receiving approval from Britain, Carmichael took decisive action and abolished the College of Kiezers, handing over its duties to the Financial Representatives in the Court of Policy.^[13] Towards the end of 1812, the United States of America went to war with Britain. In September, American warships formed a blockade around Georgetown. Under Carmichael, a British force stationed in Georgetown launched a successful attack on the Americans and drove them from Guyana's shores.^[13]

Carmichael had married Catherine, the only surviving daughter and sole heiress of John Ferrall of Jervis Street, Dublin. In compliance with her father's will she became known as Lady Catherine Carmichael-Ferrall.^[14] They were survived by one son, Colonel John Carmichael, father of Captain John Jervis O'Ferrall Carmichael-Ferrall (d.1904) RN, of Augher Castle, County Tyrone.^[15]

References

^ The ancestry of Rosalie Morris Johnson, published privately by Ferris & Leach, 1905
^ Debrett, John (1823). Debrett's Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Oxford University. pp. xciv.
^ National Army Museum
^ The British Army in the West Indies, by Roger Buckley, 1998
^ Remenbrancer, 1783
^ The Scots Magazine, 1794
^ A List of All the Officers of Army and Royal Marines on Full and Half-pay – C. Roworth, 1805
^ Gentleman's Magazine, March 1801, volume 90
^ "Tobago". Rulers. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
^ Gentleman's Magazine, January 1803, Volume 73
^ Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present. David Marley, 1998.
^ "PROCLAMATIONS". Essequebo and Demerary Gazette. 10 May 1806. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
^ ^a ^b The Beginning of British Guiana
^ The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time. Bernard Burke, 2009
^ "Landed Estates Database". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2013.

Government offices
Preceded by Richard Master	Governor of British Tobago (acting) 1801–1802	Succeeded by Jean Sahuguet Damarzit de Laroche
Preceded by Henry William Bentinck	Lieutenant Governor of Demerara Essequibo 1806–1812	Succeeded by John Murray

[1] The ancestry of Rosalie Morris Johnson, published privately by Ferris & Leach, 1905

[Debrett's-2] Debrett, John (1823). Debrett's Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Oxford University. pp. xciv.

[3] National Army Museum

[4] The British Army in the West Indies, by Roger Buckley, 1998

[5] Remenbrancer, 1783

[6] The Scots Magazine, 1794

[7] A List of All the Officers of Army and Royal Marines on Full and Half-pay – C. Roworth, 1805

[8] Gentleman's Magazine, March 1801, volume 90

[9] "Tobago". Rulers. Retrieved 6 February 2022.

[10] Gentleman's Magazine, January 1803, Volume 73

[11] Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present. David Marley, 1998.

[12] "PROCLAMATIONS". Essequebo and Demerary Gazette. 10 May 1806. Retrieved 6 February 2022.

[guyana_story-13] The Beginning of British Guiana

[14] The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time. Bernard Burke, 2009

[15] "Landed Estates Database". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2013.

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