Brigadier-General Sir Robert Gilmour, 1st Baronet, (27 February 1857 – 24 June 1939), born Robert Wolrige Gordon (he changed his name in 1887), was a British army officer and Captain of the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland, is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a pers ...

Biography

Robert Gilmour née Wolrige-Gordon was the eldest son of Henry Perkins Wolrige (1831-1906) and his wife Anne Gordon, 18th of Hallhead and 7th of Esslemont (1827-1874). His father who added his wife's surname of Gordon by deed poll was a barrister in law by profession and a younger son of Col. John Wolrige (1780-1849) of the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

who belonged to the old Wolryche Family of Dudmaston. His mother, Anne Gordon, was a Scottish noblewoman and heiress, she was the only daughter of Maj. Robert Gordon, 17th of Hallhead and 5th of Esslemont (1790-1828). The Gordons of Hallhead are a

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the

Clan Gordon Clan Gordon is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the most powerful Scottish clans. The Gordon lands once spanned a large territory across the Highlands. Presently, Gordon is seated at Aboyne Castle, Aberdeenshire ...

. Gilmour 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 ...

when he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

on 25 January 1878. He served in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

in 1879, 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 ...

on 1 July 1881, and served in the Sudanese campaign 1884–85. Promotion to

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 ...

followed on 23 July 1890, and 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 ...

on 25 August 1896. He served in the 2nd Battalion of the regiment in South Africa during 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 ...

1900–1902. For his service in the war, he received the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(DSO) on 29 November 1900, and was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) in the October 1902 South African honours list. Following his return to the United Kingdom, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel on 28 October 1902, and appointed in command of the 2nd battalion, Grenadier Guards. He served as Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod (Order of the Thistle) from 1917 until his death. He was also a JP and DL. He was later a Captain of the

, and was on 29 July 1926 created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of Liberton and Craigmillar in the County of Midlothian. From 1897 to 1938, he served as a member of the ruling council of the influential

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

conservationist group the

Cockburn Association The Cockburn Association, often subtitled Edinburgh Civic Trust, is an architectural, conservation, and urban planning monitoring organisation in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. The Cockburn Association, founded in 1875, is one o ...

. He lived in Inch House a large 17th-century house on the south side of Edinburgh.''Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1911-12''. He was born Robert Wolrige Gordon in 1857 and added the surname Gilmour on succeeding to the estates of his great uncle, Walter James Little Gilmour of Craigmillar (1807-1887).

Family

Gilmour married on 19 October 1889 Lady Susan Lygon (24 May 1870 – 28 January 1962), 2nd daughter of the 6th Earl of Beauchamp. They had four children: *Sir John Little Gilmour, 2nd Bt. (1899–1977), married The Hon. Victoria Laura Cadogan (1901-1991), daughter of

Henry Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea Henry Arthur Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea, (born Henry Arthur Cadogan; 13 June 1868 – 2 July 1908) was a British Army officer, civil servant and politician. This Viscount Chelsea (the title is a courtesy title) was a Conservative Party (UK), Co ...

. Their son was the politician

Ian Gilmour Ian Hedworth John Little Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar, (8 July 1926 – 21 September 2007) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was styled Sir Ian Gilmour, 3rd Baronet from 1977, having succeeded to his fat ...

. *Mary Gilmour (1890-1978), married the diplomat Sir Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugessen. *Margaret Gilmour (b.1892), married Sir William Francis Stratford Dugdale, 1st Baronet (1872-1965). Their son was

Sir William Dugdale, 2nd Baronet Sir William Stratford Dugdale, 2nd Baronet, (29 March 1922 – 13 November 2014) was the chairman of Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa from 1975 to 1978. Dugdale arrived at Aston Villa as a director when they were in the third division, having bee ...

, the chairman of Aston Villa. *Grizel Gilmour (1894–1975) who married in 1919 Hon Arthur Oswald James Hope (1897–1958), who became 2nd

Baron Rankeillour Baron Rankeillour, of Buxted in the County of Sussex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1932 for the Conservative politician James Fitzalan Hope. He was the grandson of General Sir Alexander Hope, fourth son of ...

in 1949.

Lady Susan Gilmour

Lady Susan Gilmour (24 May 1870 – 28 January 1962) was created a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1936 for services in connection with the Queen's Institute of District Nursing in Scotland. She died in 1962, aged 91.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmour, Robert Gordon 1857 births 1939 deaths Nobility from Edinburgh

401 __NOTOC__ Year 401 ( CDI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vincentius and Fravitus (or, less frequently, year 1154 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

British Army brigadiers Members of the Royal Company of Archers Grenadier Guards officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Scottish justices of the peace British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War