Sir Peter Halkett, 2nd Baronet (21 June 1695 – 9 July 1755) was a Scottish baronet who served in the British army and was Member of Parliament for

Stirling Burghs Stirling Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 to 1918. Creation The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and ...

from 1734 to 1741. His regiment was posted to

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 ...

during the 1754–1763

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

; he and his youngest son James served in the ill-fated

Braddock Expedition The Braddock Expedition, also known as Braddock's Campaign or Braddock's Defeat, was a British Empire, British military expedition which attempted to capture Fort Duquesne from the French colonial empire, French in 1755 during the French and Ind ...

and were killed at the Battle of Monongahela, on 9 July 1755.

Life

Peter Halkett was born 21 June 1695, eldest son of Sir Peter Wedderburn, who changed his surname to Halkett in 1705 when he inherited Pitfirrane Castle, near

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

from his wife's brother. The house remained in the family until 1951 and is now the clubhouse for Dunfermline Golf Club. In 1728, he married Lady Amelia Stuart, daughter of Francis, Earl of Moray; they had 3 sons, Peter, Francis and James (died 1755). Francis served as Brigade-major during the 1758

Forbes Expedition The Forbes Expedition was a British military campaign to capture Fort Duquesne, led by Brigadier-General John Forbes in 1758, during the French and Indian War. While advancing to the fort, the expedition built the Forbes Road. The Treaty of Eas ...

, when he retrieved the bodies of his father and younger brother.

Career

In 1717, Halkett was commissioned in the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...

and elected Member of Parliament for

in 1734. He supported the Walpole administration but declined to stand again in

1741 Events January–March * January 13 ** Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. ** Conventicle Act of 1741 is introduced in Denmark-Norway. *February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain ...

. Instead, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 44th Foot, a new regiment raised by James Long. During the

1745 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

, he was in temporary command when the 44th was overrun at the

Battle of Prestonpans The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, was fought on 21 September 1745, near Prestonpans, in East Lothian, the first significant engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Jacobitism, Jacobite forces, led by the Stua ...

and captured. The Jacobites were unable to house their prisoners and he was released with other officers after swearing that he would not serve against them for eighteen months. Pressed by his commander,

Prince William, Duke of Cumberland Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S./nowiki> – 31 October 1765) was the third and youngest son of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ire ...

, to break his oath, he refused to do so and was punished by dismissal from the army. He succeeded his father as second baronet in 1746. He was re-instated after appealing his case to George II and in 1751 named as colonel of the regiment, which in 1754 was transferred to the British colonies in North America. The following year, the 44th was assigned to the

to capture

Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne ( , ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed ...

(located in present-day

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Pennsylvania, USA) from the French. The column ran into a combined force of French, Canadian and native Indian troops in the woods and were severely routed. More than sixty English officers were killed or wounded; Halkett was among those slain in the battle.

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halkett, Sir Peter 1695 births 1755 deaths Nobility from Fife British Army personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745 British military personnel of the French and Indian War Royal Scots officers 44th Regiment of Foot officers 2 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1734–1741