Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart (1686 – 20 December 1740) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer and peer.

Family

He was the second son of Alan Cathcart, 7th Lord Cathcart by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of

James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount Stair (May 1619 – 29 November 1695) was a Scottish lawyer and statesman, and a key influence on the Scottish Enlightenment. He was a leading figure of Scottish law, "and also one of the greatest thinkers on ...

. His elder brother Alan died at sea in 1699.

Career

Military career

Cathcart joined the Scots Army at the age of seventeen, and in 1704 he commanded a company in George Macartney's regiment (later disbanded) serving against the French on the frontiers of Holland. In 1706 he commanded a troop in the

Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the Army of Scotland that became a regiment of the British Army in 1707 upon the Union of Scotland and England, continuing until 1971 when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of ...

, which corps distinguished itself at the decisive

Battle of Ramillies The Battle of Ramillies (), fought on 23 May 1706, was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand AllianceAustria, England, and the Dutch Republicthe battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of K ...

in the same year; and in 1707 he was brigade-major to the Earl of Stair. Continuing in active service after the Scots Army was merged with the English Army to form the

, Captain Cathcart was at most of the general actions fought by the army commanded by the Duke of Marlborough, acquiring the reputation of a brave and zealous officer. In 1709 he was appointed major of the Scots Greys and shortly afterwards obtained the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment. In autumn 1715, on the breaking out of the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, Cathcart joined the forces under the Duke of Argyll at Stirling. On 23 October he detached with a party of dragoons against a body of rebels consisting of one hundred horse and two hundred foot, with whom he came up at five o'clock on the following morning and attacked and defeated them, killing many and capturing seventeen prisoners. He was also at the

Battle of Sheriffmuir The Battle of Sheriffmuir (, ) was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rising of 1715, Jacobite rising in Scotland. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Histor ...

on 13 November, in the same year, and by a prompt attack on the enemy's flank with the Scots Greys under his command, contributed materially to the overthrow of the left wing of the rebel army. He was rewarded with the colonelcy of the

9th Foot The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

on 15 February 1717, but he only retained the appointment eleven months. On 13 August 1728 Cathcart obtained the colonelcy of the 31st Regiment, and was removed to the 8th Dragoons on 1 January 1731. On 7 August 1733 he was made colonel of the 7th Horse (later 6th Dragoon Guards); in 1735 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and in 1739 to that of major-general. In 1740, when it was resolved to attack the Spanish possessions in America, Lord Cathcart was selected to command the expedition and was appointed commander-in-chief in America, but he died on his passage on 20 December 1740Maj.-Gen. Charles Cathcart
/ref> and was buried on the beach at

Portsmouth, Dominica Portsmouth is the second largest town in Dominica, with 3,630 inhabitants.Commonwealth of Dominica, ''Population and Housing Census — 2001''. Roseau, Dominica: Central Statistical Office, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Kennedy Avenue, 2001. ...

, where a monument was erected to his memory.

At court

On the accession of King George II in 1727 he was appointed a

Groom of the Bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...

in the royal household. In 1732 he succeeded to the title of Lord Cathcart, and he was appointed

lord of the bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household, the term being fir ...

to King George II in 1733. Lord Cathcart was chosen one of the representatives of the Scottish peerage in several parliaments, and was

governor of Duncannon Fort The Governor of Duncannon Fort was a military officer who commanded the garrison at Duncannon in County Wexford. In later years the post became a sinecure and was abolished on the death of the last holder in 1835. List of governors * Sir Cary ...

and of Londonderry.

References

This article incorporates text from publications now in the

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: * Sir James Balfour Paul, ''The Scots Peerage'', volume II (Edinburgh, 1905) pp. 518–520 * Richard Cannon, ''Historical Record of the Ninth, or the East Norfolk Regiment of Foot'' (London, 1848) pp. 118–119 * Richard Cannon, ''Historical Record of the Sixth Regiment of Dragoon Guards, or the Carabineers'' (London, 1839) pp. 97–99 * Richard Cannon, ''Historical Record of the Thirty-First, or the Huntingdonshire Regiment of Foot'' (London, 1850) pp. 216–217 *

George Edward Cokayne George Edward Cokayne (29 April 1825 – 6 August 1911) was an English genealogist and long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London, who eventually rose to the rank of Clarenceux King of Arms. He wrote such authoritative and standard ...

, ed. Vicary Gibbs with H. Arthur Doubleday, ''The Complete Peerage'', new edition, volume III (London, 1913) pp. 105–106 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cathcart, Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord 1686 births 1740 deaths Nobility from South Ayrshire Lords of Parliament Scottish representative peers British Army major generals Royal Scots Greys officers Royal Norfolk Regiment officers East Surrey Regiment officers 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars officers Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) officers British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 British Army personnel of the War of Jenkins' Ear

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...