Colonel Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean, 10th Baronet of Morvern, KCB, DL (18 May 1835 – 22 November 1936) was a Scottish officer who served as the 26th

Clan Chief The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard c ...

of Clan Maclean from 1883 to 1936, for fifty-three years. He lived to be 101 years old. He bought and restored

Duart Castle Duart Castle, or ''Caisteal Dhubhairt'' in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and is ...

in 1911 as the seat of the Maclean clan.

Biography

He was born on 18 May 1835 near Shorne, County Kent, the only son of

Sir Charles Fitzroy Maclean, 9th Baronet Sir Charles Fitzroy Maclean, 9th Baronet of Morvern (14 October 1798 – 27 January 1883) was the 25th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean from 1847 to 1883. He was a Colonel of the 81st regiment from 1831 to 1839, afterwards he was the Military Secr ...

, the 25th Chief of Clan Maclean. He started his military career as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

at the

7th Dragoon Guards The 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1688 as Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards for Princess Charlotte in 1788. ...

. On 12 October 1852, he was promoted to lieutenant of the

13th Light Dragoons The 13th Hussars (previously the 13th Light Dragoons) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War and the First World War but then amalgamated w ...

. In 1854, he was promoted to captain and in 1856 was promoted to major. In 1861, he was promoted to

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

. By 1871, he was commanding the

13th Hussars The 13th Hussars (previously the 13th Light Dragoons) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War and the First World War but then amalgamated wi ...

. He was promoted to colonel and commanded the

Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry The Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry was a British Army regiment formed in 1794. It served in the Second Boer War and the First World War. It amalgamated with the Royal East Kent (The Duke of Connaught's Own) Yeomanry (Mounted Rifles) to form the ...

Cavalry in 1880. In 1854–1855, he served in

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

and the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, and was with his regiment at the landing at

Yevpatoria Yevpatoria ( uk, Євпаторія, Yevpatoriia; russian: Евпатория, Yevpatoriya; crh, , , gr, Ευπατορία) is a city of regional significance in Western Crimea, north of Kalamita Bay. Yevpatoria serves as the administrative ...

. He also fought at the

Battle of the Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septemb ...

and the Siege of Sevastopol. He was not able to participate in the

Charge of the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. Lord Raglan had intended to se ...

due to becoming sick shortly before the engagement. Sir Fitzroy married Constance Marianne Ackers (c. 1840–1920) on 17 January 1872. She was the younger daughter of George Holland Ackers, the

High Sheriff of Cheshire This is a list of Sheriffs (and after 1 April 1974, High Sheriffs) of Cheshire. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most ...

. Their children were: *Major Hector Fitzroy Maclean (17 Feb 1873 – 25 July 1932), the father of

Sir Charles Hector Fitzroy Maclean, 11th Baronet Charles Hector Fitzroy Maclean, Baron Maclean, (5 May 1916 – 8 February 1990) was Lord Chamberlain to Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom from 1971 to 1984. He became the 27th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean of Duart in 1936 at the death of hi ...

. He married Winifred Joan Wilding, the daughter of J. H. Wilding, on 3 September 1907. Died at the age of 59. *Charles Lachlan Maclean (20 September 1874 – 27 August 1958) *Fitzroy Holland Maclean (10 May 1876 – 13 April 1881) *John Marsham Maclean (24 October 1879 – 4 November 1901), killed in action in the Boer War at the age of 22. *Finovola Marianne Eleanor Maclean (14 February 1887 – 1985), married Captain Roger Cordy-Simpson on 7 April 1908. After he died in 1911, she married secondly Brigadier Francis William Bullock-Marsham (1883–1971) on 19 April 1922. He became the 10th

Baronet of Morvern A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

and 26th Clan Chief in 1883 on the death of his father,

, who was the 25th Chief of Clan Maclean. He was invested as a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB) on 22 June 1897. On 24 June 1904, he was knighted in the same order (KCB), and in December 1910, was appointed a deputy lieutenant of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He bought

in September 1911 and restored it. On his 100th birthday he planted a

rowan tree The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...

in the castle grounds to ward off evil spirits. He lived to be 101 years old. On his death on 22 November 1936 his title went to his grandson,

, who became the 27th Clan Chief. He was Grand President of the Clan Gillean Association, honorary president of the Mull and Iona Association, vice-president and formerly president of the

Highland Society of London The Highland Society of London is a charity registered in England and Wales, with "the view of establishing and supporting schools in the Highlands and in the Northern parts of Great Britain, for relieving distressed Highlanders at a distance from ...

. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant for

Argyllshire 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 ...

in 1932.

Heraldry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclean, Fitzroy Donald 1835 births 1936 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia British Army personnel of the Crimean War Fitzroy Donald Deputy Lieutenants of Argyllshire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Scottish centenarians Men centenarians Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry officers Deputy Lieutenants of Kent Maclean, Fitzroy, 6th Lord People from Shorne Military personnel from Kent