Hector Maclean (May 24, 1751 – 20 April 1812 at Halifax) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-born soldier, farmer and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. He represented Hants County in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

from 1793 to 1799. He was born at

Golden Square Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and sou ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Maclean served as a lieutenant in the

84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) The 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) was a British regiment in the American Revolutionary War that was raised to defend present day Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada from the constant land and sea attacks by American Revolutiona ...

in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, fighting in the

Battle of Eutaw Springs The Battle of Eutaw Springs was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, and was the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. Both sides claimed victory. Background In early 1781, Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the ...

(at which he kept a journal). He later settled in Nova Scotia after the regiment was disbanded. In 1789, he married Elinor Margaret Mowet. He received a grant of land in Douglas township in

Hants County Hants County is an historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants. History Formation The county of Hants ...

.A collection of Hector Maclean's letters, addressed to Murdoch Maclean or Maclaine (later Maclaine of Lochbuy)is held in the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Reference GD174/2154. These show the writer to be gifted in what he calls 'the scribbling business' and detail his life between 1779 and 1785. This is also a valuable resource for students of the history of Nova Scotia, but because the collection is a deposit, and remains uncatalogued, it has never been reported. The letters are humorous and poignant. There are family details, including references to his sister in Edinburgh. Hector Maclean had eight daughters and one son from his marriage to Eleanor Margaret Mowatt (16 December 1788).He died 20 April 1812 at Halifax NS.

References

1751 births 1812 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Politicians from London {{NovaScotia-MLA-stub