Robert Dundas Haldane-Duncan, 1st Earl of Camperdown KT (21 March 1785 – 22 December 1859), styled Lord Duncan from 1797 to 1804 and known as Viscount Duncan from 1804 to 1831, was a British soldier and aristocrat.

Early life

Robert was born on 21 March 1785. He was the third, but eldest surviving, son and heir of Admiral

Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, KB (1 July 17314 August 1804) was a British admiral who defeated the Dutch fleet off Camperdown on 11 October 1797. This victory is considered one of the most significant actions in naval history. Li ...

of Camperdown, and the former Henrietta Dundas. His father was a well known British admiral who

defeated Defeated may refer to: *Defeated (Breaking Benjamin song), "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) *Defeated (Anastacia song), "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee, an unin ...

the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

fleet off Camperdown in what is considered one of the most significant actions in

naval history Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large lan ...

. His father had been created a peer of Great Britain by

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

in 1797.G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14'' (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Alan Sutton Publishing The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

, 2000), volume II, page 518. His paternal grandparents were Alexander Duncan, Baron of Lundie, who served as Provost of Dundee, and (his first cousin once removed) Helen Haldane (a daughter of John Haldane of Gleneagles). His paternal great-uncle,

Sir William Duncan, 1st Baronet Sir William Duncan, 1st Baronet (died 1774) was a Scottish physician. He was a fashionable society doctor in London, and physician in ordinary to George III of Great Britain. Life He was the brother of Alexander Duncan of Lundie, Forfarshire, an ...

, was physician-extraordinary to King

. His mother was the third daughter of Rt. Hon.

Robert Dundas of Arniston Robert Dundas of Arniston (6 June 1758 – 17 June 1819) was a Scottish judge. Dundas served as Solicitor General for Scotland between 1784 and 1789 and as Lord Advocate from 1789 to 1801. He sat as Member of Parliament for was M.P. for Edinbu ...

Lord President of the Court of Session The Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General is the most senior judge in Scotland, the head of the judiciary, and the presiding judge of the College of Justice, the Court of Session, and the High Court of Justiciary. The L ...

, and Anne Gordon (a daughter of

Sir William Gordon, 1st Baronet Sir William Gordon, 1st Baronet (died 1742) was a Scottish politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1708 and 1742. Gordon was the eldest son of Sir Adam Gordon of Dalpholly, Sutherland and his wife Anne Urquhart, daughter of Alexander ...

, of

Invergordon Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland (council area), Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen. History The town built up around the harbour which was establish ...

Career

Duncan was an Ensign in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

in 1797. He succeeded his father on 4 August 1804 as the 2nd Viscount Duncan of Camperdown and 20th Laird of Gleneagles. He was Grand Master of

Scottish Freemasons 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 ...

from 1812 to 1814. On 12 September 1831, he was created

Earl of Camperdown Earl of Camperdown, of Lundie in the County of Forfar and of Gleneagles in the County of Perth, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1831 for Robert Haldane-Duncan, 2nd Viscount Duncan. He was the son of the note ...

, of

Lundie Lundie is a parish and small settlement in Angus, Scotland, northwest of Dundee, situated at the head of the Dighty valley in the Sidlaws, off the A923 Dundee to Coupar Angus road. The name Lundie probably derives from the Gaelic "lunnd" or ...

in the

County of Forfar Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agri ...

and of Gleneagles in the

County of Perth Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

by King

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

in the

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

and assumed the additional surname of Haldane, that of his maternal grandmother. On 12 May 1848, he was appointed a

Knight of the Thistle A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

Camperdown House

In 1828, Lord Duncan had

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred t ...

build him

Camperdown House Camperdown may refer to: Places ;Australia * Camperdown, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Camperdown, Victoria, a town in Western Victoria ;Canada * Camperdown Signal Station, operated 1797–1925, located on Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia ;E ...

, a

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

villa near Dundee, using the state pension he obtained for the Duncan family to build the house. Lord Duncan renamed the house and estate Camperdown in memory of his father's victory. The parklands surrounding the house were laid out by Lord Camperdown, with the assistance of his forester David Taylor, who along with his son planted most of the estate's trees between 1805 and 1859. After the death of the 4th Earl in 1933, the earldom became extinct, and Camperdown was inherited by a cousin, Georgiana, widow of the 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire. On her death in 1937, the contents were sold, and the house followed, being bought by the Corporation of Dundee in 1946. Camperdown Country Park officially opened to the public in 1949.

Personal life

On 8 June 1805, he was married Janet Hamilton-Dalrymple (1783–1867) at

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

. She was the second daughter of

Sir Hew Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet Sir Hew Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet (26 October 1746 – 13 February 1800) was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Haddingtonshire 1780–1786. Early life He was the son of Sir Hew Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet. He succeeded his father to the baronetcy in 179 ...

and the former Janet Duff (a daughter of William Duff of Crombie). Together, they were the parents of: * Hon. William Haldane-Duncan (1805–1805), who died in infancy. *

Adam Haldane-Duncan, 2nd Earl of Camperdown Adam Haldane-Duncan, 2nd Earl of Camperdown (25 March 1812 – 30 January 1867), styled Viscount Duncan between 1831 and 1859, was a British nobleman and politician. Early life Hon. Adam Duncan was born in Edinburgh on 25 March 1812. He was the ...

(1812–1867), who married Juliana Cavendish Philips, eldest daughter and co-heiress of

Sir George Philips, 2nd Baronet Sir George Philips, 2nd Baronet (23 December 1789 – 22 February 1883) was a British Whig politician. He was the eldest son of Sir George Philips, 1st Baronet of Sedgley, near Manchester and Weston House, near Chipping Norton, Warwickshire and w ...

. * Hon. Alexina Haldane-Duncan (1807–1824), who died young. * Lady Henrietta Dundas Haldane-Duncan (1808–1893), who married John James Allen, of Errol Park, a Captain in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, in 1832. * Lady Elizabeth Baillie Haldane-Duncan (1810–1886), who died unmarried. * Hon. Mary Haldane-Duncan (1815–1820), who died young. * Hon. Hew Adam Dalrymple Hamilton Haldane-Duncan (1820–1900), who married Edith Isabella Henderson, a daughter of Lt.-Gen. Douglas Mercer Henderson of Fordell in 1866. Lord Camperdown died on 22 December 1859 and was succeeded in his titled by his eldest son,

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

, who had been an MP for

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, and

Forfarshire Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agri ...

. Lady Camperdown died on 17 May 1867.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

U.S.A. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great Br ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 1307.

Descendants

Through his son and heir Adam, he was a grandfather of

Robert Haldane-Duncan, 3rd Earl of Camperdown Robert Adam Philips Haldane Haldane-Duncan, 3rd Earl of Camperdown (28 May 1841 – 5 June 1918), styled Viscount Duncan from 1859 to 1867, was a British Liberal politician. Biography Camperdown was the eldest son of Adam Haldane-Duncan, 2nd Earl ...

(1841–1918),

George Haldane-Duncan, 4th Earl of Camperdown George Alexander Philips Haldane Haldane-Duncan (9 May 1845 − 5 December 1933) was the fourth and last Earl of Camperdown. Early life He was a younger son of MP Adam Haldane-Duncan, 2nd Earl of Camperdown and former Juliana Cavendish (née Phili ...

(1845–1933), and the courtier and notable artist, Julia Abercromby, Baroness Abercromby (wife of George Abercromby, 4th Baron Abercromby). Through his youngest son Hew, he was a grandfather of Georgiana Wilhelmina Mercer-Henderson (1867–1937), who married

Sidney Hobart-Hampden-Mercer-Henderson, 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire Sidney Carr Hobart-Hampden-Mercer-Henderson, 7th Earl of Buckinghamshire (14 March 1860 – 15 January 1930), styled Lord Hobart from 1875 to 1885, was a British Liberal politician. Life Buckinghamshire was the second but only surviving son of F ...

. Through his daughter Lady Henrietta, he was a grandfather of Wilhelmina Frederica Allen (d. 1931), who married

Thomas Graves Law Thomas Graves Law (1836–1904) was an English Oratorian priest, and later in life a historian and bibliographer. Life He was a grandson of Edward Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough. Born on 4 December 1836 at Yeovilton in Somerset, Law was third son a ...

(a grandson of

Edward Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough Edward Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough, (16 November 1750 – 13 December 1818), was an English judge. After serving as a member of parliament and Attorney General, he became Lord Chief Justice. Early life Law was born at Great Salkeld, in Cum ...

References

Works cited

External links

Robert Dundas Duncan-Haldane, 1st Earl of Camperdown
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

Robert Dundas Duncan-Haldane, 1st Earl of Camperdown
at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Duncan-Haldane, Robert Dundas, (1785-1859), 1st Earl of Camperdown
at the National Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Camperdown, Robert Duncan, 1st Earl 1731 births 1804 deaths Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Peers of the United Kingdom created by William IV