John Munro, 4th of Newmore was an 18th-century Scottish soldier and politician from

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 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. He was seated at

Newmore Castle Newmore Castle is situated just north of the town of Alness in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands, Highland, Scotland. Architecture The castle is now a ruin. It was once a three-storey building; however, it has now been reduced to a single-st ...

, in

Easter Ross Easter Ross ( gd, Ros an Ear) is a loosely defined area in the east of Ross, Highland, Scotland. The name is used in the constituency name Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, which is the name of both a British House of Commons constituenc ...

Early life

John Munro, 4th of Newmore was a great-grandson of Sir

George Munro, 1st of Newmore Sir George Munro, 1st of Newmore (1602–1693) was a 17th-century Scottish soldier and member of parliament from the Clan Munro, Ross-shire, Scotland. He was seated at Newmore Castle. Between 1629 and 1634 Munro held command in the Swedish ar ...

. According to historian Alexander Mackenzie, John Munro, 4th of Newmore was the strongest man in

in his day and that tradition relates the most extraordinary feats of strength performed by him. One old tradition is that Munro of Newmore had succeeded in raising a piece of ordnance to his chest which Mackenzie of Fairburn could only raise to his knee.Mackenzie. p. 270.

Parliamentary career

John Munro, 4th of Newmore represented the county of

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

in parliament from 1733 to 1734.

Military career

John Munro joined the army and was appointed captain in the 42nd Royal Highlanders, otherwise known as the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

in May 1740.

Mutiny of the Black Watch

In 1743, 109 men of the Black Watch regiment

mutinied Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among members ...

while stationed in London, England and attempted to return to Scotland. However, Munro of Newmore was one of the officers who went after them and persuaded them to return.

Battle of Fontenoy

Munro of Newmore fought 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 culture, ...

at the

Battle of Fontenoy The Battle of Fontenoy was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought on 11 May 1745 near Tournai in modern Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of roughly the same size, led by th ...

on 11 May 1745, where he highly distinguished himself. He fought under the command of his distant cousin Colonel

Sir Robert Munro, 6th Baronet Sir Robert Munro of Foulis, 6th Baronet (24 August 1684 – 17 January 1746) was a soldier-politician whose life followed an 18th-century pattern. He fought in support of the Revolution Settlement and the House of Hanover, and their opposition t ...

, chief of the Highland

Clan Munro Clan Munro (; gd, Clann an Rothaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically the clan was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland and ...

. On account of John Munro's bravery, John was on 17 July 1745 promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. General Stewart of Garth referring to the Battle of Fontenoy and John Munro's promotion says:Mackenzie. p. 199. Quoting: General Stewart of Garth John Munro died in 1749.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, John 4th of Newmore 1749 deaths Year of birth unknown John Munro People from Ross and Cromarty 42nd Regiment of Foot officers British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1727–1734