Charles Ross (or Rosse; 8 February 1667 – 5 August 1732) was a Scottish

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and Member of Parliament.

Military career

Ross was born the second son of

George Ross, 11th Lord Ross George Ross, 11th Lord Ross of Halkhead (died April 1682), was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. Origins Ross was the son and heir of William Ross, 10th Lord Ross, who died in 1656, by Margaret, daughter of Sir James Forrester of Torwoodhead. The R ...

. He joined the

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 ...

as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

in the King's Own Royal Regiment of Scottish Horse some time before 1688.Dalton, ''The Blenheim Roll'', p. 4. When Wynne's Regiment of Inniskilling Dragoons was raised in 1689, Ross joined 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 served with the regiment in the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobitism, Jacobite supporters of James II of England, James II and those of his successor, William III of England, William III, it resulted in a Williamit ...

. He went to Flanders with the regiment as lieutenant-colonel in 1694, and was appointed brevet

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 ...

of the regiment on 16 February; when Wynne died on 15 July 1695 his colonelcy was made permanent. In 1704 he secured the title of the Royal Dragoons of Ireland for his regiment. Ross was promoted brigadier-general on 9 March 1702, and major-general on 1 January 1704. He commanded a brigade of

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s at the battles of Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde and Malplaquet. He was further promoted to

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

on 1 January 1707, made Colonel-General of all the Dragoon Forces on 1 May 1711, and promoted to full general on 1 January 1712. He was removed from the colonelcy of the Royal Dragoons of Ireland by George I on 8 October 1715, but reappointed on 1 February 1729, holding the post until his death. Balnagown Castle - geograph

Political career

General Ross was Member of Parliament for

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; ), or the County of Ross, was a county in the Scottish Highlands. It bordered Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire, a county consisting of numerous enc ...

from 1710 to 1722 and from 1727 to 1732. In September 1713 he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary to France, but did not take up the post.

Death

He died at

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

on 5 August 1732 and was buried at Fearn Abbey, leaving his estate of Balnagown, which he had inherited from David Ross, the 13th Laird of Balnagown, in 1711, to his great-nephew Charles Ross.

Citations

References

* Dalton, Charles (2006). ''The Blenheim Roll 1704.'' Naval & Military Press. * Hayton, D.W.
ROSSE (ROSS), Hon. Charles (1667-1732).
in ''

The History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

: the House of Commons 1690-1715'', 2002. * Simpson, J. M.
ROSS, Hon. Charles (d.1732), of Balnagowan, Ross.
in ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754'', 1970. * Willcox, Walter Temple,
The Historical Records of the Fifth (Royal Irish) Lancers
', 1908. pages iii-iv 1667 births 1732 deaths 5th Royal Irish Lancers officers British Army generals Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1727–1734

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 ''* ...

Williamite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Younger sons of barons {{Scotland-GreatBritain-MP-stub