Sir David Lindsay, 4th Baronet (c. 17326 March 1797) was a Scottish-born soldier 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 ...

. One of the

Lindsay of Evelix The Lindsays of Evelix or Evelick were a family of Scottish baronets from Evelix in Perthshire, a sub-family of the Clan Lindsay. Heads of the family include: # John Lindsay of Evelix, the founder of the family, third in descent from William L ...

family, he succeeded to the baronetcy upon the death of his father, Sir Alexander Lindsay, in 1762. He began his career in the

3rd Foot Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...

; in 1776, he became colonel of the 59th Foot, then

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in 1778. Promoted

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 1779, during the

Anglo-French War (1778–1783) The Anglo-French War, also known as the War of 1778 or the Bourbon War in Britain, was a military conflict fought between France and Great Britain, sometimes with their respective allies, between 1778 and 1783. As a consequence, Great Britain wa ...

, he commanded the defences of

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

at the time of the Franco-Spanish Armada. He resigned his position in early 1780, which ended his active service, his promotion to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

in 1796 being a function of time served. He died in

Cavendish Square, London Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much lar ...

, on 6 March 1797.

Early life

David Lindsay was born circa 1732 to Sir Alexander Lindsay, the third of the Lindsay of Evelix baronets of Scotland, and Amelia née Murray. In 1752 he cut off ties with his sister,

Margaret Lindsay Margaret Lindsay (born Margaret Kies; September 19, 1910 – May 9, 1981) was an American film actress. Her time as a Warner Bros. contract player during the 1930s was particularly productive. She was noted for her supporting work in successf ...

after she eloped with the painter Allan Ramsay, whom the Lindsays considered socially inferior. Because of the feud David Lindsay deliberately patronised Ramsay's rival

Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

. Lindsay was only reconciled with Margaret after the death of their father on 6 May 1762, after which David became the fourth baronet Evelick.

Military career

Lindsay served as

Custos Brevium The Custos Brevium was an official in the English court system: in the Court of Common Pleas and Court of King's Bench. The post was abolished by Act of Parliament in 1830. In the Court of Common Pleas the Custos Brevium served as Chief Clerk, in ...

of the

Court of King's Bench The King's Bench (), or, during the reign of a female monarch, the Queen's Bench ('), refers to several contemporary and historical courts in some Commonwealth jurisdictions. * Court of King's Bench (England), a historic court court of common ...

and from 1758 to 1776 was captain of a company of the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards, a traditionally Scottish unit. As was the tradition, he continued to receive advancement in army rank, though he remained nominally a guards captain, and on 30 January 1776, he was appointed

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the 59th Foot. Previously stationed in Boston, Massachusetts, the 59th suffered heavy losses when the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

began. The survivors were posted to other units, and its officers returned to England in 1776 to reform the regiment. On 6 September 1777, Lindsay was promoted

, shortly before the

Anglo-French War The Anglo-French Wars were a series of conflicts between England (and after 1707, Britain) and France, including: Middle Ages High Middle Ages * Anglo-French War (1109–1113) – first conflict between the Capetian Dynasty and the House of Norma ...

began in June 1778. In October 1778, he was commanding troops based at Warley, established as a safeguard against French invasion, when the camp was inspected 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 ...

. Appointed

on 27 February 1779, on 29 May he was given command of

during a possible invasion associated with the

Armada of 1779 The Armada of 1779 was a combined Franco-Spanish naval enterprise intended to divert British military assets, primarily of the Royal Navy, from other war theatres by invading the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. ...

. He seems to have viewed the appointment with some despair and remained in London for a month, attempting to secure a meeting with

Lord Amherst Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaig ...

, commander-in-chief of the forces. Upon arriving in Plymouth, Lindsay lamented his lack of troops and lack of co-operation from the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

; although Amherst sympathised, he noted troops were thinly stretched across the entire coastline. Lindsay sought to find volunteers for the defence of the city and, following a

public subscription Subscription refers to the process of investors signing up and committing to invest in a financial instrument, before the actual closing of the purchase. The term comes from the Latin word ''subscribere''. Historical Praenumeration An early form ...

that raised £1,000 for the purpose, issued 2,520 stands of arms to volunteers by 25 August – and noted that he had 20,000 men standing by. Lindsay feared being made a scapegoat for the chaotic defensive measures, and frequently requested more men, while claiming the efforts he expended made him ill with fatigue. Later in the year Lindsay wrote that he believed he had brought about a significant improvement in defences and had the support of the distinguished general Charles Grey in the matter, but by 2 September had offered his resignation. The Armada was badly affected by sickness, and returned to port in September, ending the possibility of invasion that year. In November John Robinson, the secretary to the Treasury, feared a parliamentary enquiry into defensive preparations against the Armada would call Lindsay to testify, who would reveal the unpreparedness of Plymouth for defence, and possibly cause the downfall of Lord North's government. The administration successfully blocked demands for an enquiry in November, and again the following April; during the debates, it was noted Lindsay had since resigned his appointment. This seems to have ended his active service, although he remained colonel of the 59th until his death; he was promoted

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

on 14 May 1796, a function of time served.

Personal life

Lindsay was married to Susannah-Charlotte Long. They had six children, of which two, John and Susan, died in infancy. Their son

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

became ambassador to Venice and

governor of Tobago This article lists governors of Tobago. Governors of Tobago have been referred to by the formal titles of "Governor" and "Lieutenant-Governor". For governors of the united Trinidad and Tobago after 1889 see List of Governors of Trinidad and Tobago ...

but died before his father; another son,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

became a naval officer. One daughter, Charlotte-Amelia, married the politician Thomas Steele and the other, Elizabeth, married Augustus Schultz. Lindsay died on 6 March 1797 and the baronetcy was inherited by Charles but, being childless, it became extinct upon his death by drowning in 1799. The Evelick estate was inherited by Charlotte-Amelia.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindsay, Sir David, 4th Baronet 1730s births 1797 deaths British Army generals Lindsay family of Evelix Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia