Alan Frederick Cathcart, 3rd Earl Cathcart (1828–1905) was a wealthy landowner and writer on agriculture. Cathcart introduced the term "economic ornithology" at a time when there was a public debate over whether the English sparrow was a pest or a friend of the farmer.

Early life

Cathcart was the second, but eldest surviving, son of

Charles Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart General Charles Murray Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart (21 December 1783 – 16 July 1859), styled Lord Greenock between 1814 and 1843, was a British Army general who became Governor General of the Province of Canada (26 November 1845 – ...

and the former Henrietta Mather (second daughter of Thomas Mather). His father was the Commander-in-Chief, Scotland and of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and served as the

Governor-General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the advice of his or her Ca ...

. He was educated in Edinburgh at the

Scottish Naval and Military Academy The Scottish Naval and Military Academy in Edinburgh was a school which opened on 8 November 1825. It catered for boys intending to have a career with the Army, Navy or the East India Company. It closed in July 1858. It was re-formed as the Scottis ...

, which was founded in 1825 and closed in 1869.

Career

He was commissioned into the 23rd Foot as a Second lieutenant in 1845 and was promoted to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1848. He served as Aide-de-camp to his father in Canada 1849–50, but resigned from the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

on his marriage in 1850. When the part-time

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

was reformed in 1852 he was one of the younger officers appointed to the

North York Rifle Militia The North York Militia, later the North York Rifles, was an auxiliary military force raised in the North Riding of Yorkshire in Northern England. From their formal organisation as Trained Bands in 1558 the Militia regiments of the riding served ...

as a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, and was enthusiastic in procuring recruits. He was rapidly promoted to

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

(1853) and Lieutenant-Colonel (1854). However, he resigned in 1855 in protest at what he saw as a lack of support from the

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

. When the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...

was formed he was appointed on 7 July 1860 as Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st Administrative Battalion of Yorkshire North Riding Rifle Volunteers (later the 1st Volunteer Battalion,

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under variou ...

), and became its Honorary Colonel on 17 June 1871; he was awarded the

Volunteer Officers' Decoration The Volunteer Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was instituted in 1892 as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force (Great Britain), Volunteer Force. Award of the decoration was di ...

. After he left the Regular Army he devoted himself to agriculture and county business in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. Cathcart was president of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1872–1873. He owned 5554 acres.

Personal life

On 2 April 1850 Cathcart married Elizabeth Mary Crompton, the eldest daughter and heiress of

Sir Samuel Crompton, 1st Baronet Sir Samuel Crompton, 1st Baronet (8 July 1785 – 27 December 1848) was a politician in the United Kingdom. He served as a Member for Parliament for East Retford, Derby and Thirsk (UK Parliament constituency), Thirsk. He also served as Deputy Li ...

and the former Isabella Sophia Cathcart (second daughter of the Rev. Hon. Archibald Hamilton Cathcart, third son of

Charles Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart Lieutenant-General Charles Schaw Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart, KT (21 March 1721 – 14 August 1776) was a British Army officer and diplomat. He was also chief of the Clan Cathcart. Biography The son of Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart, a ...

). Together, they were the parents of five sons and six daughters, including: * Hon. Isabel Cathcart (1851–1856), who died young. *

Alan Cathcart, 4th Earl Cathcart Earl Cathcart is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History The title was created in 1814 for the soldier and diplomat William Cathcart, 1st Viscount Cathcart. The Cathcart family descends from Sir Alan Cathcart, who sometime bet ...

(1856–1911), who died unmarried. * Lady Cecilia Cathcart (1857–1932), who married Capt. Edward Temple Rose, third son of

Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet (2 August 1820 – 24 August 1888) was a Scots-Quebecer politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and the Executive Council of the Province of Canada. After Confederation, ...

, in 1883. * Hon. Charles Cathcart (1858–1880), a Lieutenant who died unmarried. *

George Cathcart, 5th Earl Cathcart George Cathcart, 5th Earl Cathcart (26 June 1862 – 19 November 1927), styled Lord Greenock until 1911, was a British Army officer and peer. Early life Cathcart was born on 26 June 1862. He was third of five sons born to Alan Cathcart, 3rd Earl ...

(1862–1927). * Lady Ida Cathcart (1866–1929), who married

Sir Thomas Hare, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Leigh Hare, 1st Baronet, (4 April 1859 – 22 February 1941) was a British Conservative politician and Member of Parliament. He represented South West Norfolk in the House of Commons between 1892 and 1906. Thomas Leigh Hare was the ...

, in 1886. * Lady Marion Cathcart (1867–1955). * Lady Emily Cathcart (1868–1960). * Hon. Reginald Cathcart (1870–1900), a Captain who served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

and was killed at the

Relief of Ladysmith The Relief of Ladysmith consisted of multiple efforts to relieve the city of Ladysmith by General Sir Redvers Buller during the Second Boer War. Buller and the Natal Field Force attempted to relieve the city through multiple offensive actions ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. * Hon. Archibald Cathcart (1873–1955). * Lady Eva Cathcart (1874–1960). In 1894 he was awarded an Hon.

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

by the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

References

External links

Earl of Cathcart
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathcart, Alan Cathcart, 3rd Earl 1828 births 1905 deaths British agriculturalists Royal Welch Fusiliers officers North York Militia officers Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Earl 03