Charles Ross (or Rosse; 8 February 1667 – 5 August 1732) was a Scottish

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

and Member of Parliament.

Military career

Ross was born the second son of

George Ross, 11th Lord Ross George Ross, 11th Lord Ross of Halkhead (died April 1682), was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. Origins Ross was the son and heir of William Ross, 10th Lord Ross, who died in 1656, by Margaret, daughter of Sir James Forrester of Torwoodhead. The R ...

. He joined the

British army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

in the King's Own Royal Regiment of Scottish Horse some time before 1688.Dalton, ''The Blenheim Roll'', p. 4. When Wynne's Regiment of Inniskilling Dragoons was raised in 1689, Ross joined as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, and served with the regiment in the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...

. He went to Flanders with the regiment as

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

in 1694, and was appointed brevet

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the regiment on 16 February; when Wynne died on 15 July 1695 his colonelcy was made permanent. In 1704 he secured the title of the Royal Dragoons of Ireland for his regiment. Ross was promoted

brigadier-general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on 9 March 1702, and

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 1 January 1704. He commanded a brigade of

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

s at the battles of Blenheim, Ramillies,

Oudenarde Oudenaarde (; french: Audenarde ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heu ...

and Malplaquet. He was further promoted to

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 1 January 1707, made Colonel-General of all the Dragoon Forces on 1 May 1711, and promoted to full general on 1 January 1712. He was removed from the colonelcy of the Royal Dragoons of Ireland by

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria ( fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George I of Antioch (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

on 8 October 1715, but reappointed on 1 February 1729, holding the post until his death. Balnagown Castle - geograph

Political career

General Ross was Member of Parliament for

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting of ...

from 1710 to 1722 and from 1727 to 1732. In September 1713 he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary to France, but did not take up the post.

Death

He died at

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

on 5 August 1732 and was buried at

Fearn Abbey Fearn Abbey – known as "The Lamp of the North" – has its origins in one of Scotland's oldest pre-Reformation church buildings. Part of the Church of Scotland and located to the southeast of Tain, Ross-shire, it continues as an acti ...

, leaving his estate of

Balnagown Balnagown Castle is beside the village of Kildary in Easter Ross, part of the Highland area of Scotland. There has been a castle on the site since the 14th century, although the present building was remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries. It i ...

, which he had inherited from David Ross, the 13th Laird of Balnagown, in 1711, to his great-nephew Charles Ross.

Citations

References

* Dalton, Charles (2006). ''The Blenheim Roll 1704.'' Naval & Military Press. * Hayton, D.W.
ROSSE (ROSS), Hon. Charles (1667-1732).
in ''

The History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

: the House of Commons 1690-1715'', 2002. * Simpson, J. M.
ROSS, Hon. Charles (d.1732), of Balnagowan, Ross.
in ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754'', 1970. * Willcox, Walter Temple,
The Historical Records of the Fifth (Royal Irish) Lancers
', 1908. pages iii-iv 1667 births 1732 deaths 5th Royal Irish Lancers officers British Army generals Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1727–1734 Williamite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Younger sons of barons {{Scotland-GreatBritain-MP-stub