Nicholas Nepean (1757 – 18 December 1823) was a

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 ...

officer and colonial official in Nova Scotia in the early 19th century. Born in Saltash,

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, in 1757, he joined the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

in 1776 Nepean served with the

after 1789 with the New South Wales Corps and then with the 93rd Regiment in 1794 where he was deployed to Ireland (1795-96), Gibraltar (1802-03) and Canada (1807-1812). Nepean was appointed acting civil administrator of

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

in 1807 to replace the unpopular John Despard, in what was his only major non-military appointment. He and Depard were a line of acting administrators as

William Macarmick William Macarmick (baptised 15 September 1742 – 20 August 1815) was Lieutenant-Governor of Cape Breton and an MP. Early life and military service Macarmick was born in Truro, Cornwall, Great Britain, into a family active in local politi ...

had left the colony since 1794 but remained in title only until 1815. After his time in Cape Breton, Nepean remained in the army until retiring as

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in 1814 and returned to England and died at Newton Abbot in 1823. Nepean's other claims to fame were being brother of Sir

Evan Nepean Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet, PC FRS (9 July 1752 – 2 October 1822)Sparrow (n.d.) was a British politician and colonial administrator. He was the first of the Nepean Baronets. Family Nepean was born at St. Stephens near Saltash, Cornwall, ...

and in the dismissal of an equally mediocre official Sir William Campbell as Attorney General and Executive Councilor. Campbell appealed his dismissal and later became

Chief Justice of Upper Canada The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law Societ ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nepean, Nicholas 1757 births 1823 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Cape Breton Island