Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, 1st Duke of Greenwich, (10 October 1680 – 4 October 1743), styled Lord Lorne from 1680 to 1703, was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

nobleman and senior commander 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 Gur ...

. He served on the continent in the Nine Years' War and fought at the Battle of Kaiserwerth during the War of the Spanish Succession. He went on to serve as a brigade commander during the later battles of the War of the Spanish Succession. Next he was given command of all British forces in Spain at the instigation of the Harley Ministry; after conducting a successful evacuation of the troops from Spain, he became Commander-in-Chief, Scotland. During the Jacobite Rebellion, he led the government army against the

Jacobites Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

led by the Earl of Mar at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. He went on to serve as Lord Steward and then Master-General of the Ordnance under the

Walpole–Townshend Ministry The government of Great Britain was under the joint leadership of Prime Minister Robert Walpole (in the House of Commons) and Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (in the House of Lords), from 1721 until Townshend's departure from the gove ...

Early life

Born at

Ham House Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, south of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The original house was completed in 1610 by Thomas Vavasour, an Elizabethan cou ...

, he was the son of

Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll, 10th Earl of Argyll (25 July 1658 – September 1703) was a Scottish peer. Biography The eldest son of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll and Mary Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 4th Earl of Mora ...

and Elizabeth Campbell (née Tollemache, daughter of

Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet (1624–1669) of Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, was the head of a prominent East Anglian family. He was the son of Sir Lionel Tollemache, 2nd Baronet and Elizabeth Stanhope, daughter and heiress of John Stanhope, ...

). His mother was a stepdaughter of

John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale John Maitland, 1st Duke and 2nd Earl of Lauderdale, 3rd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane KG PC (24 May 1616, Lethington, East Lothian – 24 August 1682), was a Scottish politician, and leader within the Cabal Ministry. Background Maitland ...

, a dominant figure in Scotland during Charles II's reign. Five years after his birth, Campbell's grandfather Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll led Argyll's Rising against the rule of

James II of England and VII of Scotland James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

for which he was executed in Edinburgh in June 1685. Campbell was privately tutored first by Walter Campbell of Dunloskin, then by John Anderson of Dumbarton and, finally, by Alexander Cunningham.

Early military career

He was commissioned, after his father had given William III some encouragement, as colonel of Lord Lorne's Regiment of Foot, a regiment entirely raised by the Argyll family, on 7 April 1694. Campbell served briefly on the European continent in the Nine Years' War before the regiment was disbanded in 1698.Heathcote, p. 71 He also served under the Duke of Marlborough at the Battle of Kaiserwerth in April 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession. He was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Thistle later that year. Campbell succeeded his father as Duke of Argyll and Chief of

Clan Campbell Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan be ...

in 1703, and also became colonel of the 4th Troop of Horse Guards and a privy councillor. For the help he gave the Queen persuading the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council of ...

to support the Act of Union, he was created Earl of Greenwich and Baron Chatham in 1705.Heathcote, p. 72 He then returned to the continent and, having been promoted to major-general early in 1706, served as a brigade commander under Marlborough at 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 ...

in May 1706 and at the Siege of Ostend in June 1706. After being appointed colonel of

Prince George of Denmark's Regiment The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

in 1707, he went on to command a brigade at the

Battle of Oudenarde The Battle of Oudenarde, also known as the Battle of Oudenaarde, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession, pitting a Grand Alliance force consisting of eighty thousand men under the command of the Duke of Marlborough and Prin ...

in July 1708 and at the Siege of Lille in Autumn 1708. Promoted to lieutenant general in April 1709, he also took part in the Siege of Tournai in June 1709 and the

Battle of Malplaquet The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession and was fought between a French army commanded by the Duke of Villars and a Grand Alliance force under the Duke of Marlborough. In one of the blo ...

in September 1709. Appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter in December 1710, Campbell was promoted to full general and given command of all British forces in Spain at the instigation of the Harley Ministry in January 1711. He replaced James Stanhope who had been forced to surrender at Brihuega the previous December. The Harley government was negotiating an agreement with France which would see Britain recognise

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mona ...

, in exchange for being allowed to retain

Gibraltar ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibra ...

and Minorca. After conducting a successful evacuation of the troops from Spain he became Commander-in-Chief, Scotland in 1712. By 1713, however, Campbell had become critical of the ministry, and he joined the Whig opposition in making speeches against the government's policy on the

Malt Tax A malt tax is a tax upon the making or sale of Malted grain, which has been prepared using a process of steeping and drying to encourage germination and the conversion of its starch into sugars. Used in the production of beer and whisky for centuri ...

. In July 1714, during Queen Anne's last illness, Campbell gave his full support to the Hanoverian succession. He was rewarded with the colonelcy of the Royal Horse Guards in June 1715.

Jacobite uprising

During the Jacobite Rebellion, Campbell led the government army against the

led by the Earl of Mar at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in November 1715. The battle was indecisive but favoured the government strategically. He led the advance against the Jacobite capital of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, capturing it in December with little bloodshed, but was then replaced as commander by William Cadogan.

Later career

He arrived back in London early in March 1716, and at first stood high in the king's favour, but in a few months was stripped of his offices. This, however, did not deter him from the discharge of his parliamentary duties; he supported the bill for the impeachment of Bishop Atterbury, and lent his aid to his countrymen by opposing the bill for punishing the city of Edinburgh for the Porteous Riots. In the beginning of the year 1719 he was again admitted into favour, and in April was created Duke of Greenwich. He went on to become Lord Steward of the Household in 1721 and then Master-General of the Ordnance in June 1725 under the

. He also became colonel of the Queen's Regiment of Horse in August 1726 and, having been appointed Governor of Portsmouth in November 1730, he was restored to the colonelcy of the Royal Horse Guards in August 1733. In the 1720s he commissioned the architect James Gibbs to design a Palladian house at

Sudbrook Park Sudbrook Park is a historic neighborhood near Pikesville, Maryland located just northwest of the Baltimore City limits in Baltimore County. The community dates to 1889 when it was designed by American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted ...

close to his birthplace at Ham House. Promoted to field marshal on 31 January 1735, Campbell was stripped of his post as Master-General of the Ordnance and the colonelcy of the Royal Horse Guards for opposing the Government of Robert Walpole in 1740.Heathcote, p. 73 However he was restored to his post as Master-General of the Ordnance in February 1741 and restored to his colonelcy a few days later. However, disapproving the measures of the new administration, and apparently disappointed at not being given the command of the army, he shortly resigned all his posts, and spent the rest of his life in privacy and retirement. Battle of Sheriffmuir

Campbell died at Sudbrook Park, Petersham on 4 October 1743 and was buried in Westminster Abbey; his grave is marked by a small lozenge stone to the north east of Henry VII's tomb. A large monument, designed by the French sculptor, Louis-François Roubiliac, was erected for him in the south transept and unveiled in 1749. Argyll Street in London's West End is named after him.

Family

Jane Campbell, Duchess of Argyll by Joseph Wigmore, 1743

Campbell married first, Mary Brown, daughter of John Brown and Ursula Duncombe, in 1701: they separated soon after the marriage and she died in 1717 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He married in 1717 secondly, Jane Warburton, daughter of Thomas Warburton and Anne Williams, sister of Hugh Warburton and maid of honour to Queen Anne; Jane died in 1767 and was buried with him in Westminster Abbey. He had four daughters who reached maturity:

Caroline Townshend, 1st Baroness Greenwich Caroline Townshend, 1st Baroness Greenwich (''née'' Campbell, 17 November 1717 – 11 January 1794) was a British peeress, the daughter and eldest child of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, and his wife, the former Jane Warburton.G.E. Cokayne; ...

, Lady Elizabeth Campbell, Lady Anne Campbell and

Lady Mary Coke Lady Mary Coke (6 February 1727 – 30 September 1811) was an English noblewoman known for her letters and private journal. She made pointed observations of people in her circle and political figures. Although not intended for publication, an edi ...

In popular culture

Campbell is played by James Robertson Justice in the 1953 film ''

Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue ''Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue'' is a 1953 adventure film produced by RKO-Walt Disney British Productions which is about Rob Roy MacGregor. It was the last Disney film released through RKO Radio Pictures. Plot The film begins in the early 18t ...

''. He is played by Andrew Keir in Michael Caton-Jones's '' Rob Roy''.

References

Sources

* Hugill, J.A.C. ''No Peace Without Spain''. Kensal Press, 1991. * * *

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Argyll, John Campbell, 2nd Duke of 1680 births 1743 deaths 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) officers British field marshals British Life Guards officers Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) officers Diplomatic peers 2 Garter Knights appointed by Anne Knights of the Thistle Lord-Lieutenants of Surrey Royal Horse Guards officers British army commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession People from Richmond, London Burials at Westminster Abbey People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 Ambassadors of Great Britain to Spain Lords High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1702–1707 18th-century Scottish landowners

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

Greenwich Peers of England created by Queen Anne