John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair
The Earl of Stair | |
---|---|
Royal Scots Army | |
Rank | Field marshal |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Knight of the Thistle |
Early military career
Born the son of John Dalrymple, 2nd Viscount Stair (and later 1st Earl of Stair) and Elizabeth Dalrymple (née Dundas), Dalrymple accidentally killed his brother in a shooting accident in April 1682 and thereafter spent most of his early life in the Netherlands where he studied at Leiden University.[1] He joined up as a volunteer for the Nine Years' War with the Earl of Angus's Regiment and fought at the Battle of Steenkerque in August 1692.[2] At Steenkerque he rallied his regiment several times when the ranks had been broken by cannon fire.[3] In 1695 he became Master of Stair when his father succeeded to the Viscountcy of Stair.[4]
He was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the 3rd Foot Guards on 12 May 1702 and fought with John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession at the Battle of Peer in August 1702 and the Battle of Venlo in September 1702.[4] At Venlo he also saved the life of the Prince of Hesse-Kassel.[3]
He became Viscount Dalrymple in 1703 when his father was created 1st Earl of Stair.[4] In January 1706 he was appointed colonel of the Earl of Angus's Regiment.[4] He commanded a brigade at the Battle of Ramillies in May 1706 and, having been promoted to brigadier general on 1 June 1706,[1] became colonel of the Grey Dragoons on 24 August 1706.[4] He became 2nd Earl of Stair in January 1707 when his father died and later that year he was elected as one of sixteen Scottish representative peers in the newly formed Parliament of Great Britain.[1]
He commanded a brigade at the
He was sent to Flanders to join the military campaign there in April 1712[5] and became colonel of the Black Dragoons on 9 April 1714.[6]
Diplomatic service
When King George I ascended to the throne in August 1714, Dalrymple was sent as an envoy to the Court of France at Versailles.[1] He was temporarily recalled on 20 November 1714 to take up the appointment of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in Scotland.[7]
According to the
From 1715 to 1720 Stair was based as ambassador at
Stair retired from his position as ambassador in France in June 1720.[12] On his return to Scotland, Stair planted extensively on the Versailles model at his estates at both Newliston House and Castle Kennedy.[13]
In 1729, he became
War of the Austrian Succession
On 20 March 1742, after Walpole had fallen from office, Dalrymple was promoted to
On 4 June 1745 he became colonel of the
He died on 9 May 1747 at Queensberry House in Edinburgh and was buried in the family vault at Kirkliston.[1]
Family
In March 1708 he married Lady Eleanor Primrose Campbell, daughter of James Campbell, 2nd Earl of Loudoun. She already had four children and they had no children.[4]
Sir Walter Scott's story My Aunt Margaret's Mirror is believed to have been based on efforts made by the Earl of Stair to get Lady Eleanor Primrose Campbell to marry him.[1][4][29] Stair wanted his earldom to pass to his nephew John Dalrymple; but on 4 May 1748 the House of Lords ruled that the right to nominate an heir had lapsed, and the earldom passed to the legal heir James Dalrymple, 3rd Earl of Stair.[3]
References
- ^ required.)
- ^ Heathcote, p.97
- ^ a b c d "Stair". Electric Scotland. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Heathcote, p.98
- ^ "No. 4988". The London Gazette. 5 April 1712. p. 1.
- ^ "No. 5319". The London Gazette. 9 April 1715. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 5279". The London Gazette. 20 November 1714. p. 2.
- ^ Duc de Saint-Simon, ch.35–37
- ^ "No. 5378". The London Gazette. 1 November 1715. p. 1.
- ISBN 9781848666085
- ^ Scottish Garden Buildings by Tim Buxbaum p.12
- ^ "No. 5860". The London Gazette. 14 June 1720. p. 1.
- ^ Scottish Garden Buildings by Tim Buxbaum p.12
- ^ "No. 7192". The London Gazette. 1 May 1733. p. 1.
- ^ Heathcote, p.99
- ^ "Castle Kennedy". Visit Stranraer and the Rhins. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ "No. 8102". The London Gazette. 16 March 1741. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 8110". The London Gazette. 13 April 1742. p. 3.
- ^ "No. 8112". The London Gazette. 20 April 1743. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 8305". The London Gazette. 25 February 1743. p. 8.
- ^ "No. 8218". The London Gazette. 26 April 1743. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 8240". The London Gazette. 12 July 1743. p. 1.
- ^ "No. 8257". The London Gazette. 10 September 1743. p. 1.
- ^ Heathcote, p. 286
- ^ "No. 8437". The London Gazette. 12 July 1743. p. 4.
- ^ "No. 8544". The London Gazette. 10 June 1746. p. 8.
- ^ "Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Newliston (F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882–4))". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Newliston (GDL00298)". Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Lady Eleanor Primrose and the Conjurer of Canongate". Mysterious Britain. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
Sources
- Heathcote, Tony (1999). The British Field Marshals 1736–1997. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-696-5.
- Memoirs of the Duc de Saint-Simon on the Times of Louis XIV and the Regency. Translated and abridged by Katharine Prescott Wormeley. Boston: Hardy, Pratt. 1902.
Further reading
- Graham, John (1875). Annals and correspondence of the viscount and the first and second earls of Stair. W. Blackwood and Sons.
External links
- "Archival material relating to John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair". UK National Archives.
- Stair Papers. James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.