Lt.-Gen. Hay MacDowall (died March 1809) was a Scottish officer in 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 ...

who was the sixth General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. He was appointed on 19 July 1799. He was succeeded by

David Douglas Wemyss Major general David Douglas Wemyss (1760–1839) was a British Army officer. Born Douglas, he changed his name to Wemyss circa 1790. He was the seventh General Officer Commanding, Ceylon, appointed in 1804. He was succeeded by Thomas Maitland. ...

. Fort MacDowall in

Matale Matale ( Sinhala: මාතලේ, ta, மாத்தளை, translit=Māttaḷai) is the administrative capital city of the Matale District. It is the most urbanised and populated centre in the district. Matale is also the second largest muni ...

was named due to his involvement during

Kandyan Wars The Kandyan Wars (or the Kandian Wars) refers generally to the period of warfare between the British colonial forces and the Kingdom of Kandy, on the island of what is now Sri Lanka, between 1796 and 1818. More specifically it is used to descri ...

. Only the remnants of gateway and portion of the ramparts are exist today.

Biography

MacDowall hailed from Garthland Mains, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, where the family seat was Garthland Castle. He was the fourth son of William MacDowell (c.1719–84), M.P. for

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...

, and Elizabeth Graham, granddaughter of Alexander Livingstone, 3rd Earl of Callendar. His brothers

William MacDowall William MacDowall (died 1580) was a Scottish priest and Master of Works to Mary, Queen of Scots, her mother Mary of Guise, and James VI of Scotland. The title 'sir' was used in Scotland by a priest without a master's degree. The name appears var ...

(c.1749–1810) and Captain

David McDowall-Grant David McDowall Grant (20 July 1761 – 27 June 1841), of Arndilly, Banff and Barr House, Lochwinnoch, was a Scottish naval officer, collector of customs and, briefly, Member of Parliament. He was the 5th surviving son of William McDowall, Memb ...

(1761–1841) were Members of Parliament. His nephew was Lt. Gen.

Day Hort MacDowall Day Hort MacDowall (March 6, 1850 – October 28, 1927) was a politician from old Northwest Territories, Canada. Born in Carruth House, Renfrewshire, Scotland, MacDowall immigrated to Canada in 1879. He was elected as a member of the Legisla ...

(1795–1870) and great-nephew was Canadian politician

(1850–1927). In August 1782, he was the commanding officer of the fort of

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...

when the French lay siege to it in the run-up to the

Battle of Trincomalee A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. He surrendered to Suffren on 30 August in exchange for safe passage to Madras for his 1,000-man garrison.

Later life and disappearance

MacDowall was appointed

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 colo ...

of the

57th Regiment of Foot The 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of line infantry in the British Army, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Middlesex Regiment in 1881. His ...

in 1791 and served in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

in 1793 and after serving as Commander-in-Chief in Ceylon from 1798 to 1804. In 1802, as a Major-General, he was appointed Colonel commandant of a Battalion of the 40th Regiment of Foot in place of Lord Hutchinson. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army in 1807. He was made Colonel of the

41st Regiment of Foot The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1719. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881. History Early hist ...

in 1808. Following a period of dispute with the civil government of Madras over his exclusion from its council, and the affair of the arrest of Quartermaster-General John Munro, he resigned his commission in January 1809 and took ship for England on the East Indiaman ''Lady Jane Dundas''.Taylor, S. Storm and Conquest: The Battle for the Indian Ocean, 1808-10. Faber & Faber, London. The ship was lost with all hands near the Cape of Good Hope in March 1809.Napoleonic Series
/ref>

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * 1800s missing person cases 1809 deaths 40th Regiment of Foot officers 41st Regiment of Foot officers 57th Regiment of Foot officers British Army generals British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War General Officers Commanding, Ceylon Missing person cases in Africa People from Dumfries and Galloway People lost at sea Year of birth missing {{UK-army-bio-stub

Biography

Later life and disappearance

See also

Sources and references