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 A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Stirling Burghs from 1734 to 1741. His regiment was posted to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

during the 1754–1763

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

; he and his youngest son James served in the ill-fated Braddock Expedition and were killed at the

Battle of Monongahela The Battle of the Monongahela (also known as the Battle of Braddock's Field and the Battle of the Wilderness) took place on 9 July 1755, at the beginning of the French and Indian War, at Braddock's Field in what is now Braddock, Pennsylvania, ea ...

, 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 (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

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 A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of Major (United Kingdom), major, although the appointment was also held by Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), captains, and was head ...

during the 1758

Forbes Expedition The Forbes Expedition was a British military expedition 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 now historic trail, the Forbes ...

, 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 of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regimen ...

and elected

for Stirling Burghs 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. * February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a spe ...

. 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, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took pl ...

, 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. Jacobite forces, led by the Stuart exile C ...

, and captured. The Jacobites were unable to house their prisoners and he was released with other officers, after agreeing he would not serve against them for 18 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">N.S..html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki> N.S.">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Old_Style_and_New_St ...

to break his oath, he resisted and was dismissed from the Army. He succeeded his father as second baronet in 1746. He was re-instated after appealing to

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) * ...

and in 1751 made Colonel of the regiment, which in 1754 was transferred to the

British colonies in North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

. The following year, the 44th was assigned to the Braddock Expedition 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 a ...

(the ruins of which now lie in Pittsburgh, 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. Halkett was amongst the officers killed.

References

Sources

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halkett, Sir Peter 1695 births 1755 deaths People 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 Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1734–1741