Francis Scott Napier, 8th Lord Napier (23 February 1758 – 1 August 1823) was a British
peer and
army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
officer.
Biography
Napier was born in
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
in 1758, the son of
William Napier (later 7th
Lord Napier) and his wife, Mary, a daughter of
Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart
Charles Cathcart, 8th Lord Cathcart (1686 – 20 December 1740) was a British Army 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. Hi ...
.
Inheriting his father's title on 2 January 1775, Napier was earlier commissioned into the
31st Foot in 1774 and was promoted to a
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 1776. After serving with
General Burgoyne in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, he fought in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
with the
Convention Army
The Convention Army (1777–1783) was an army of British and allied troops captured after the Battles of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War.
Convention of Saratoga
On 17 October 1777, British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army ...
under Burgoyne at the time of their defeat and surrender at the
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The Battle ...
in 1777. After release from captivity at
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
, he
purchased 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 ...
's commission in the
35th Foot in 1779 and transferred to the
4th Foot in 1784, becoming a
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 ...
soon afterwards.
From 1788 to 1790, Napier was
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and laid the
foundation stone
A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...
of the
new buildings of the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
in 1789, for which he was awarded a
LLD.
In 1796, 1802 and 1807, he was chosen as a
Scottish representative peer
This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Scotland to sit in the House of Lords after the Acts of Union 1707 abolished the unicameral Parliament of Scotland, where all Scottish Peers had been entit ...
and was
Lord Lieutenant of Selkirkshire from 1797 until his death in 1823. From 1802 until his death, Napier was, with
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville's help, annually nominated as
.
Napier died at his home, Dacre Lodge in
Enfield, in 1823 and his title passed to his eldest son, William.
Family
On 13 April 1784, Napier married Maria Margaret Clavering (c.1756–1821), the daughter of Lt.-Gen.
Sir John Clavering, at
St George's, Hanover Square
St George's, Hanover Square, is an Church of England, Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London ...
. They had five daughters and four sons, including
William John (1786–1834), later 9th Lord Napier.
References
External links
An article mentioning Lord Napier's service under Burgoyne.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, Francis Napier, 8th Lord
East Surrey Regiment officers
35th Regiment of Foot officers
King's Own Royal Regiment officers
British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War
Francis
Francis may refer to:
People and characters
*Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025)
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Francis (surname)
* Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...
Lord-lieutenants of Selkirkshire
Scottish representative peers
1758 births
1823 deaths
British Freemasons
Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Lords Napier
205
Military personnel from Ipswich