James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres (14 November 1691 – 20 February 1768) was a Scottish peer, the son of

Colin Lindsay, 3rd Earl of Balcarres Colin Lindsay, 3rd Earl of Balcarres (1652–1722) was a Scottish aristocrat and politician, one of the most important supporters of James II of England. Biography Early life Colin Lindsay was baptized at Kilconquhar on 23 August 1652, the sec ...

and Lady Margaret Campbell, daughter of the

Earl of Loudoun Earl of Loudoun (pronounced "loud-on" ), named after Loudoun in Ayrshire, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Campbell, 2nd Lord Campbell of Loudoun, along with the subsidiary title Lord Tarrinzean and Mauchlin ...

. He became the 5th Earl of Balcarres on 25 July 1736 on the death of his brother Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Balcarres.

Military career

Lindsay joined 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 Fr ...

at the age of 13 and served in it for 12 years. On 17 October 1705 he joined the 70-gun

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

HMS ''Ipswich'' as a volunteer. He transferred in that rank to the 70-gun ship of the line HMS ''Bedford'' on 11 November 1706, and served in her until 6 May of the following year. On 18 June he joined the 64-gun ship of the line HMS ''Defiance'', rated as an

able seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination o ...

, and he was promoted to

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 Af ...

on her on 19 December. Lindsay transferred to the 70-gun ship of the line HMS ''Burford'' on 27 September 1708 and passed his examination for promotion to the rank of

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 ...

on 14 April 1710. He was promoted to that rank on 17 May 1711 and sent to serve on the 24-gun

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed an ...

HMS ''Lizard''. He transferred to serve as second lieutenant on board the 54-gun

fourth-rate In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...

HMS ''Portland'' on 30 June, which he did until 31 October 1712. This was his final service in the navy. On his return to Scotland he was persuaded to join his father in the

1715 Jacobite rising The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, lo ...

and took part in the inconclusive Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the suppression of the uprising he was forced to hide for some time in a secret chamber at the nearby castle of Newark until his aunt secured him a pardon, although in 1716 he was dismissed from the navy. He then joined the army of George I and fought in the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George ...

, being present at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, and the

Battle of Fontenoy The Battle of Fontenoy was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought on 11 May 1745 near Tournai in modern Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of roughly the same size, led by ...

in 1745. After he left the army, his prospects limited by his past allegiances, he concentrated on improving the house and estate farms at Balcarres.

Marriage and family

On 24 October 1749, at the age of 58, he married in Edinburgh the 22-year-old Anne Dalrymple (1727—1820), daughter of Sir Robert Dalrymple, with whom he had eight sons and three daughters: * Lady Anne Lindsay (1750–1825), poet and songwriter, married Andrew Barnard, without issue. *

Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres and ''de jure'' 23rd Earl of Crawford (18 January 175227 March 1825) was the son of James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres. He was a general in the British Army. Early life He entered the army at the age ...

(1752–1825), married Elizabeth Dalrymple, and had issue. *Lady Margaret Lindsay (1753–1814), married firstly Alexander Fordyce, without issue. Married secondly Sir James Lamb, 1st Baronet, without issue. *Hon. Robert Lindsay (1754–1836), married Elizabeth Dick, and had issue. *Hon. Colin Lindsay (1755–1795), an Army Officer, died in action in Grenada. *Hon. James Stair Lindsay (1758–1783), an Army officer, killed at Cuddalore. Unmarried. *Hon. William Lindsay (1759–1785), drowned in St Helena. *Rt. Rev. Hon. Charles Dalrymple Lindsay (1760–1846), married firstly Elizabeth Fudell, and had issue. Married secondly Catherine Coussmaker, and had issue. *Lt-Col. Hon. John Lindsay (1762–1826), married Lady Charlotte North, daughter of

Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was 12th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most o ...

, without issue. *Lady Elizabeth Lindsay (1763–1858), married Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke, and had issue. *Hon. Hugh Lindsay (1765–1844), married Jane Duff-Gordon, daughter of Hon. Alexander Gordon, Lord Rockville,and had issue. Lady Balcarres was a famously severe mother. Her descendant Lady Waterford told how:

"...when one of her little boys disobeyed her, heordered the servants to fling him into the pond in front of the house. He managed to scramble out again; she bade them throw him in a second time, and a second time he got out, and when she ordered it a third time, he exclaimed in his broad Scotch accent, 'Woman, wad ye droun yer ain son?'" Augustus Hare, ''The Story of My Life'', Volume IV (George Allen, London, 1900), at page 137

Death

He died on 20 February 1768 at age 76 at Balcarres, Fife, Scotland, where he was buried. His title was inherited by his eldest son Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres.

References

Sources

* *
thepeerage.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balcarres, James Lindsay, 5th Earl Of 1691 births 1768 deaths James Governors of Jamaica James