Colonel Charles Cathcart, 8th Baron Cathcart, of the 7th Horse

Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart (1686 – 20 December 1740) was a British Army officer. Before 1732 he was known as The Honourable Charles Cathcart.

Family

He was the second son of Alan Cathcart, 7th Lord Cathcart by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of

James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount Stair (May 1619 – 29 November 1695), Scottish lawyer and statesman, and a key influence on the Scottish Enlightenment. He was a leading figure of Scottish law, “and also one of the greatest thinkers on law ...

. His elder brother Alan died at sea in 1699.

Career

Military career

Cathcart joined the Army at the age of seventeen, and in 1704 he commanded a company in Colonel Macartney's regiment (later disbanded) serving against the French on the frontiers of Holland. In 1706 he commanded a troop in the

Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The regiment's history began in 167 ...

, which corps distinguished itself at the decisive

Battle of Ramillies The Battle of Ramillies (), fought on 23 May 1706, was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon a ...

in the same year; and in 1707 he was

brigade-major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of Major (United Kingdom), major, although the appointment was also held by Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), captains, and was head ...

to the Earl of Stair. Continuing in active service, Captain Cathcart was at most of the general actions fought by the army commanded by

the Duke of Marlborough Duke of Marlborough (pronounced ) is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne in 1702 for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, 1st Earl of Marlborough (1650–1722), the n ...

, acquiring the reputation of a brave and zealous officer. In 1709 he was appointed major of the Scots Greys and shortly afterwards obtained the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment. In autumn 1715, on the breaking out of the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, Cathcart joined the forces under the Duke of Argyll at Stirling. On 23 October he detached with a party of dragoons against a body of rebels consisting of one hundred horse and two hundred foot, with whom he came up at five o'clock on the following morning and attacked and defeated them, killing many and capturing seventeen prisoners. He was also at the Battle of Sheriffmuir on 13 November, in the same year, and by a prompt attack on the enemy's flank with the Scots Greys under his command, contributed materially to the overthrow of the left wing of the rebel army. He was rewarded with the colonelcy of the

9th Foot The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

on 15 February 1717, but he only retained the appointment eleven months. On 13 August 1728 Cathcart obtained the colonelcy of the 31st Regiment, and was removed to the 8th Dragoons on 1 January 1731. On 7 August 1733 he was made colonel of the 7th Horse (later 6th Dragoon Guards); in 1735 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and in 1739 to that of major-general. In 1740, when it was resolved to attack the Spanish possessions in America, Lord Cathcart was selected to command the expedition and was appointed commander-in-chief in America, but he died on his passage on 20 December 1740Maj.-Gen. Charles Cathcart
/ref> and was buried on the beach at Portsmouth, Dominica, where a monument was erected to his memory.

At court

On the accession of King George II in 1727 he was appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber in the royal household. In 1732 he succeeded to the title of Lord Cathcart, and he was appointed

lord of the bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...

to King George II in 1733. Lord Cathcart was chosen one of the representatives of the Scottish peerage in several parliaments, and was governor of Duncannon Fort and of Londonderry. Prince Rupert's Head and Bay in the Island of Dominique from near the Tomb 003KTOP00000123U09700000(SVC2)

Prince Rupert's Head and Bay in the Island of Dominique from near the Tomb 003KTOP00000123U09700000(SVC2)

References

This article incorporates text from publications now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

: * Sir James Balfour Paul, ''The Scots Peerage'', volume II (Edinburgh, 1905) pp. 518–520 *

Richard Cannon Richard Cannon (1779–1865) was a compiler of regimental records for the British Army. Career On 1 January 1802 Cannon was appointed to a clerkship at the Horse Guards, and attained the grade of first-clerk in 1803. Under a Horse Guards order ...

, ''Historical Record of the Ninth, or the East Norfolk Regiment of Foot'' (London, 1848) pp. 118–119 * Richard Cannon, ''Historical Record of the Sixth Regiment of Dragoon Guards, or the Carabineers'' (London, 1839) pp. 97–99 * Richard Cannon, ''Historical Record of the Thirty-First, or the Huntingdonshire Regiment of Foot'' (London, 1850) pp. 216–217 *

George Edward Cokayne George Edward Cokayne, (29 April 1825 – 6 August 1911), was an English genealogist and long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London, who eventually rose to the rank of Clarenceux King of Arms. He wrote such authoritative and standa ...

, ed. Vicary Gibbs with H. Arthur Doubleday, ''The Complete Peerage'', new edition, volume III (London, 1913) pp. 105–106 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cathcart, Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord 1686 births 1740 deaths Lords of Parliament Scottish representative peers British Army major generals Royal Scots Greys officers Royal Norfolk Regiment officers East Surrey Regiment officers 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars officers Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) officers British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 British Army personnel of the War of Jenkins' Ear