Sir Francis Carr Clerke, 7th Baronet (1748 – 15 October 1777) was the 7th baronet of the Clerke baronets, of Hitcham and was killed at the

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

Education

Clerke of North Weston,

Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...

was educated at

John Roysse John Roysse (1500 or 1501–1571) was an English mercer and benefactor of Abingdon School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Personal life John Roysse was probably connected with the Roysse family of East Hagbourne but there are few records appertaining ...

's Free School in Abingdon, (now

Abingdon School Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...

) From August 1769 he studied belles lettres at

Göttingen University Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The orig ...

Career

After studying at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

he joined the military and as Lieutenant in the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards and was Aide-de-camp for General

John Burgoyne General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several batt ...

Peerage

He succeeded to the title on 12 February 1769.

Death

He was killed on the 15 October 1777 (aged 28) at the second battle of Saratoga. He is reputed to have been shot by Timothy Murphy, a rifleman in

Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (1735–1736July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...

's newly formed

Morgan's Riflemen Morgan's Riflemen or Morgan's Rifles, previously Morgan's Sharpshooters, and the one named Provisional Rifle Corps, were an elite light infantry unit commanded by General Daniel Morgan in the American Revolutionary War, which served a vital role e ...

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

rode up to General Morgan and ordered Morgan to fire upon General Fraser, Murphy scaled a nearby tree and fired four times. The first shot was a close miss, the second grazed the General's horse, and with the third, Fraser tumbled from his horse, shot through the stomach. As Sir Francis Clerke galloped onto the field with a message. Murphy's fourth shot killed him instantly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clerke, Francis 1748 births 1777 deaths People educated at Abingdon School Baronets in the Baronetage of England British military personnel killed in the American Revolutionary War British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War Scots Guards officers

Education

Career

Peerage

Death

See also

References