Colonel James Gardiner (11 January 168821 September 1745) was a Scottish soldier who fought 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 ...

, including during the 1745 Jacobite rising, in which he was killed at the

Battle of Prestonpans The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, was fought on 21 September 1745, near Prestonpans, in East Lothian, the first significant engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Jacobite forces, led by the Stuart exile C ...

Life

Gardiner was born at Carriden, educated in

Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...

, and joined the army at the age of fourteen. He served with distinction in several battles and was promoted through the ranks to Colonel in 1743. Known as a rake in his youth, Gardiner had a religious experience in 1719 and became devout. In 1726 he married Frances Erskine, daughter to

David Erskine, 9th Earl of Buchan David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

; five of their 13 children survived to adulthood. During the

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 ...

he was shot through the mouth and nearly killed by a French soldier who had returned to plunder the dead. However, Gardiner was spared after being mistaken for a French soldier. At the

he was mortally wounded by the Highlanders after his dragoons had fled the field and he was attempting to rally some foot soldiers. He received a mortal blow whilst wounded on the ground and was stripped to the waist as his possessions were looted by the Highlanders. After the battle Gardiner was carried from the field by a servant to nearby

Tranent Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. The town lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies beside the A1 road, the A1 runs through the paris ...

where he soon died. By a quirk of fate Gardiner lived close to the battlefield in

Bankton House Bankton House is a late 17th-century house situated south of Prestonpans in East Lothian, Scotland. The house is located between the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road and the East Coast Main Line railway at . Pre-Reformation In the 12th century, ...

Memorials

An influential biography was written by

Philip Doddridge Philip Doddridge D.D. (26 June 1702 – 26 October 1751) was an English Nonconformist (specifically, Congregationalist) minister, educator, and hymnwriter. Early life Philip Doddridge was born in London the last of the twenty children of ...

. He is commemorated locally with a memorial obelisk, erected by public subscription in 1853 in the grounds of Bankton House. A late twentieth century monument on the battlefield marks approximately where he fell. The play, ''Colonel Gardiner: Vice and Virtue'', written by playwright

Andrew Dallmeyer Andrew Dallmeyer (10 January 1945 – 21 May 2017) was a Scottish playwright, theatre director and actor. He wrote over 75 plays, including the ''Opium Eater'' and directed more than 50 productions. His plays have won a number of awards, includi ...

was performed as part of Prestonpans' 2009 Homecoming celebrations. He features as a character in

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

's novel ''

Waverley Waverley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott ** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel * Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...

'', in which Edward Waverley briefly serves as an officer in his dragoon regiment towards the start of the Jacobite uprising. In the novel he is described as "tall, handsome and active, though somewhat advanced in years".Sir Walter Scott: ''Waverley'' I, ch VII

References

External links

Gutenberg Project: The Life of Col. James Gardiner by Philip DoddridgeEvangelical Times: The surprising story of Colonel James Gardiner (1688–1745), by Faith Cook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, James Scottish soldiers 7th Queen's Own Hussars officers 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons officers 13th Hussars officers British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession British Army personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745 Scottish military personnel killed in action 1688 births 1745 deaths People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 People from Bo'ness 17th-century Scottish people 18th-century Scottish people 18th-century British Army personnel