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William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan (1690 – 16 April 1746), was a Scottish peer and Jacobite, who died at the
Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...
. Pardoned for his part in the
1715 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, local landowner the Ear ...
, Lord Strathallan raised a troop of cavalry for
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
in
1745 Events January–March * January 7 – War of the Austrian Succession: The Austrian Army, under the command of Field Marshal Károly József Batthyány, makes a surprise attack at Amberg and the winter quarters of the Bav ...
and appointed Jacobite Governor of
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
. While the main army invaded England, he remained in Scotland to recruit additional troops and was replaced by Lord John Drummond in late November 1745. He died at Culloden in April 1746. His eldest son James (1722-1765) also took part in the Rising and escaped to France. He was
attainted In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...
in July 1746, losing titles and lands; his estates were repurchased by the family when he died in 1765 and the titles restored in 1824.


Life

William Drummond was the eldest surviving son of Sir John Drummond of Machany (ca 1670-1707) and Margaret, daughter of Sir William Stewart of Innernytie. His date of birth is given as 1690 but there is some doubt on this point, as his 'younger' brother Andrew was born in 1688. The Drummonds were prominent supporters of
James II & VII James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...
; the senior members of the family, James, 4th Earl of Perth (1648-1716), and John, 1st Earl of Melfort (1649-1714), both converted to Catholicism and accompanied him into exile after the 1688
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
. In July 1690, Sir John's estates were confiscated by the
Parliament of Scotland In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, although these were subsequently returned. Held in
Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
, he was released in July 1692 on the grounds of mental illness and died in 1707. Drummond succeeded his cousin William as
Viscount Strathallan {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The title of Lord Maderty was created in 1609 for James Drummond, a younger son of the 2nd Lord Drummond of Cargill. The titles of Viscount Strathallan and Lord Drummond of Cromlix were created in 1686 for Willi ...
in 1711 and the next year married Margaret Murray (1692-1773). They had 13 children, including James (1722-1765), William (1724-1772), Robert (1728-1804) and Henry (1730-1795). James (1722-1765) was
attainted In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...
in 1746 and died in exile, while Robert and Henry joined their uncle Andrew (1686-1769) in founding
Drummonds Bank Messrs. Drummond, Bankers is a formerly independent private bank in the United Kingdom that is now part of NatWest Group. The Royal Bank of Scotland incorporating Messrs Drummond, Bankers is based at 49 Charing Cross in central London. Drummo ...
. When James died in 1765, his forfeited estates were put up for sale by the government and repurchased by his family; the title of Viscount Strathallan was restored in 1824. Margaret also came from a Jacobite family; her father William Murray, Lord Nairne (1665-1726), was the younger brother of the 1st Duke of Atholl and fought in the
1715 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, local landowner the Ear ...
. Lady Nairne (1669-1747) was a committed Jacobite all her life and allegedly exercised a strong influence on her husband, son-in-law and nephews, Tullibardine (1689-1746), Lord Charles (1691-1720) and Lord George Murray (1694-1760).


Career

Lord Strathallan was part of a Perthshire cell of
Stuart Stuart may refer to: People *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) * Clan Stuart of Bute, a Scottish clan *House of Stuart, a royal house of Scotland and England Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, ...
loyalists centred on the Drummond and Murray families, many of whom were also linked by marriage. Strathallan, his brother Thomas, Lord Nairne, Tullibardine, Lord Charles and Lord George Murray were among the first to join the
1715 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, local landowner the Ear ...
, although the Duke of Atholl avoided taking sides. Strathallan was present at the indecisive
Battle of Sheriffmuir The Battle of Sheriffmuir (, ) was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rising of 1715, Jacobite rising in Scotland. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Histor ...
but escaped capture or prosecution before the 1717 Indemnity Act awarded all participants a general pardon. The 1719 revolt collapsed before it reached Perthshire. Over the next few years many exiles, including Lord George Murray, accepted pardons and returned home, while the construction of
military roads A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a di ...
gave the government greater control over the Highlands. It has been argued Jacobitism survived only because of the close social bonds between a small number of families like the Drummonds. Charles landed on
Eriskay Eriskay (), from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland with a population of 143, as of the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. It lies between South Uist and Bar ...
in July 1745 and launched the Rising in August; using the new roads, the Jacobites marched on
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 ...
, reaching
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
on 3 September. Here they were joined by Strathallan, Lord George Murray and several members of his extended family. He also brought 36 troopers and their servants, titled the Perthshire or Strathallan's Horse; the only Jacobite cavalry unit present at
Prestonpans Prestonpans ( , Scots: ''The Pans'') is a mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the council area of East Lothian. The population as of is . It is near the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans (first ...
in September, it did not take part in the battle which lasted less than 20 minutes. Commanded by Lord Kilmarnock, the Perthshire Horse accompanied the invasion of England, while Strathallan remained in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
to raise additional troops. On 21 November, Colonel Lachlan Maclachlan, killed at Culloden, was sent back to Scotland with instructions to gather these recruits and bring them into England. By the time he arrived, Strathallan had been replaced by his cousin Lord John Drummond, who countermanded these orders. As a serving officer in the French army, he had instructions not to enter England until all fortresses held by British government troops in Scotland had been taken. In early January, the Jacobites besieged Stirling Castle and on 13th,
Henry Hawley Henry Hawley (12 January 1685 – 24 March 1759) was a British army officer who served in the wars of the first half of the 18th century. He fought in a number of significant battles, including the Capture of Vigo in 1719, Dettingen, Fo ...
, government commander in Scotland, marched north from Edinburgh to its relief. The two forces made contact outside
Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
on 17 January but Hawley assumed there would be no action that day. About 1:00 pm, the Jacobites began to advance; this initiated the
Battle of Falkirk Muir The Battle of Falkirk Muir, or Battle of Falkirk, took place near Falkirk, Scotland, on 17 January 1746 during the Jacobite rising of 1745. A narrow Jacobite victory, it had little impact on the campaign. After their withdrawal from England in ...
, which took place in failing light and heavy snow and was marked by confusion on both sides. The Perthshire Horse was not engaged and although a Jacobite victory, the failure to follow up allowed Hawley's troops to retreat in good order. On 30 January, the government army resumed its advance; weakened by desertion, the Jacobites abandoned the siege of Stirling and retreated to
Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
for the winter.
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
's army entered
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
on 27 February and both sides suspended operations until the weather improved. By spring, the Jacobites were short of food, money and weapons and when Cumberland left Aberdeen on 8 April, the leadership agreed giving battle was their best option. By the time of Culloden, the Perthshire Horse comprised 80-70 men, split into two troops but their horses were reportedly in very poor condition. The battle lasted less than an hour; after the Highlanders had been repelled, the government army advanced against the Jacobite second and third lines, containing the regular infantry and Lowland cavalry. Their resistance allowed Charles and his aides to escape but Strathallan's horse was killed beneath him and according to tradition, he was then run through by Colonel George Howard of the 3rd Foot. Before his death, he allegedly received a last sacrament of oatcake and whisky from John Maitland of Careston, chaplain to the Forfarshire Regiment. He was reputedly buried in
Dunblane Cathedral Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland. The lower half of the tower is pre- Romanesque from the 11th century, and was originally free-stan ...
and the tomb restored in 1893; his wife was held in
Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...
, then released in November 1746. His eldest son James escaped to France, losing his title and lands; he received a commission in the Royal Ecossais, a regiment of Scots exiles serving in the French army. The family purchased his estates when he died in 1765 but the title was not restored until 1824.


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strathallan William Drummond, 4th Viscount, 1690 births 1746 deaths Nobility from Perth and Kinross Strathallan, William Drummond, 4th Viscount People of the Jacobite rising of 1715 Jacobite military personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745 Scottish Jacobites
William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan (1690 – 16 April 1746), was a Scottish peer and Jacobitism, Jacobite, who died at the Battle of Culloden. Pardoned for his part in the Jacobite_rising_of_1715, 1715 Rising, Lord Strathallan rais ...
Military personnel killed in action