Rear Admiral William Duddingston (1740–1817) was an 18th-century Scottish commander 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 ...

, of fame for the ''Gaspee'' Affair, one of the precursors to 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 ...

Life

He was born in November 1740 in the parish of

Kilconquhar Kilconquhar ( or ; sco, also Kinneuchar, from the gd, Cill Dhúnchadha or gd, Cill Chonchaidh, Church of (St) Duncan or Conchad) is a village and parish in Fife in Scotland. It includes the small hamlet of Barnyards. It is bounded by the paris ...

in the

East Neuk The East Neuk () or East Neuk of Fife is an area of the coast of Fife, Scotland. "Neuk" is the Scots word for nook or corner, and the East Neuk is generally accepted to comprise the fishing villages of the most northerly part of the Firth of ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, the third son of 14 children to James Duddingston (1695-1768) and his wife Margaret Gillespie. The family lived at St Ford (or Sandford) just south-west of Kilconquhar. From 1752 to 1755 he served as a merchant seaman on the Fife coast. He appears as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in 1759 but was possibly a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

from 1755 to 1759. In September 1768 he was given command of . In March 1772 the ship was ordered to go to

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

to patrol the waters to prevent smuggling of contraband goods in evasion of taxation. In these seizures the crew were awarded a percentage of the value of the goods seized, which was a strong incentive. Seizures were therefore often a little overenthusiastic and included some ships where the correct duty had been paid. On 9 June 1772 the ''Gaspee'' gave chase to the American sloop ''Hannah'', and Lindsey, her captain, lured the ''Gaspee'' into the shallows, where she ran aground on a sandbar. Lindsey continued to

Providence, Rhode island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, where he organised a party to attack the ''Gaspee''. The next day they rowed to the stranded ''Gaspee'' and took Duddingston and his crew prisoner before setting fire to the ship. The captured men were held at

Pawtuxet Village Pawtuxet Village is a section of the New England cities of Warwick and Cranston, Rhode Island. It is located at the point where the Pawtuxet River flows into the Providence River and Narragansett Bay. History Pawtuxet means "Little Falls" in ...

. Details of his release are unclear, but he reappears as commander of the in August 1772. In February 1773 he received a pension of £91 per annum for his wounds received in the ''Gaspee'' Affair. In January 1775 he was placed in charge of . From 2 to 4 July 1776 he was involved in the

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

Landings along with 140 other British ships. In March 1777 he was given command of the newly complete . Only in September 1777 was he promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and given charge of the provocatively-named . When Duddingston retired around 1805, he was wealthy enough to buy two substantial houses: Earlsferry House in

and 4

Heriot Row Heriot Row is a highly prestigious street in central Edinburgh, virtually unchanged since its original construction in 1802. From its inception to the present day in remained a top address in the city and has housed the rich and famous of the cit ...

, a huge newly completed townhouse in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. Earlsferry House was specially commissioned by Duddingston. He retired in November 1794. He died on 27 October 1817 in

Earlsferry Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked v ...

in Fife. He is thought to be buried nearby in Elie Churchyard. Earlsferry House was demolished around 1958, mainly due to the burdens of inheritance tax, but Heriot Row survives in its entirety.

Family

On 17 November 1802 he married Antonia Steuart in

Elie Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked v ...

Parish Church, just south of Kilconquhar. They had two sons and two daughters: Elizabeth Hay Duddingston (1803–1866) died in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

; one son who died unnamed within hours of birth in 1804; William Montague Duddingston (1806–1824); and Susan Stirling Duddingston (1807–1890) died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. His wife died in 1839 at their Edinburgh home, 4

. He was uncle to

Robert Heriot Barclay Robert Heriot Barclay (18 September 1786 – 8 May 1837) was a British naval officer who was engaged in the Napoleonic Wars, and its North American counterpart, the War of 1812. Life He was born in Cupar, Fife, Scotland, the son of the Rev. Pe ...

and encouraged and aided his naval career.

Recognition

Gaspee Street in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, is named after Duddingston's ship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duddingston, William 1740 births 1817 deaths Military personnel from Fife Royal Navy rear admirals Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War