General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

William Wemyss of Wemyss (9 April 1760 – 4 February 1822) was a Scottish soldier in 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 ...

and Member of Parliament.

Early life

He was the son of the Hon. James Wemyss, third son of the 5th Earl of Wemyss, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Sutherland, only daughter of

William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland, previously named William Gordon, 17th Earl of Sutherland,Sutherland Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...

, succeeding his father, before sitting for

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

from 1787 to 1796 and again from 1807 to 1820.

Military career

Captain in the Army by brevet, 1 July 1783 DAG in Scotland and Major, 18 November 1786 DAG in Scotland and Lieutenant-Colonel, 1 October 1791 Colonel, 22 August 1795 He attained the rank of Major-General on 23 June 1798. Action near Ardee Major-General William Wemyss raised the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders in 1799 for his cousin the 16-year-old Countess of Sutherland, Elizabeth Sutherland Leveson-Gower. Men were recruited to the Regiment through a highly original form of conscription. General Wemyss lined up the young men of each parish and invited them to drink from a large silver bound horn, having drunk his dram it was understood he consented to join the Regiment. On 16 September 1800 he was

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of a new Regiment of Infantry, later the

93rd Regiment of Foot The 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a Line Infantry Regiment of the British Army, raised in 1799. Under the Childers Reforms, it amalgamated with the 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot to form the Argyll and Suth ...

. On 30 October 1805 he was promoted to lieutenant-general. He was '' aide-de-camp'' to Major-General Sir William Erskine in the 1809

Walcheren Campaign The Walcheren Campaign () was an unsuccessful United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British expedition to the Kingdom of Holland in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with First French Empire, France ...

and during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. In 1810 it was announced that he would succeed Sir Hew Dalrymple as Colonel of the

37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot The 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in Ireland in February 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot to become the Hampshire ...

, with General Needham becoming Colonel of the 93rd, but the appointments did not take place and Wemyss remained Colonel of the 93rd Foot until his death, when he was succeeded by Sir Thomas Hislop. He was promoted to full general on 4 June 1814.

Personal life

On 16 September 1788 he married Frances, daughter of

Sir William Erskine, 1st Baronet Lieutenant-General Sir William Erskine, 1st Baronet (1728 – 19 March 1795) was a British Army commander and the 1st Baronet of the Erskine of Torrie creation. Background Erskine was the son of Colonel the Honourable William Erskine of Tor ...

. Their children included * Frances Wemyss (1794–1858), who married

James St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn General James Alexander St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn PC, DL (15 February 1802 – 16 June 1866), styled Lord Loughborough from 1805 to 1837, was a Scottish soldier and Tory politician. A General in the British Army, he also held poli ...

. *

James Erskine Wemyss James Erskine Wemyss (9 July 1789 – 3 April 1854) was a Scottish MP and Rear-Admiral. He was the son of William Wemyss by his wife Frances, daughter of Sir William Erskine, 1st Baronet. In 1820 he succeeded his father as Member of Parliament f ...

(1789–1854), a Rear-Admiral who married Lady Emma Hay, daughter of

William Hay, 17th Earl of Erroll William Hay, 17th Earl of Erroll (12 March 1772 – 26 January 1819), known as Lord Hay until 1778, was a Scottish peer. Early life Erroll was the son of James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll and his second wife, Isabella Carr, the eldest daughter and ...

. * William Wemyss (1790–1852), a Lieutenant-General and also colonel of the 93rd Foot who married Lady Isabella Hay, another daughter of the 17th Earl of Erroll. * Clementina Wemyss (1805–1834), who married

James Dewar Sir James Dewar ( ; 20 September 1842 – 27 March 1923) was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is best known for his invention of the vacuum flask, which he used in conjunction with research into the liquefaction of gases. He also studie ...

, Chief Justice of The Supreme Court, Bombay. Wemyss died on 4February 1822.

References

External links

*
William Wemyss
Electric Scotland
William Wemyss
History of Parliament
Royal Military Calendar

Colonial Secretary's papers 1822-1877

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

- includes digitised letters written by Wemyss to the

Colonial Secretary of New South Wales Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French colonial architecture * Spanish colonial architecture Automobiles * Col ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wemyss, William 1760 births 1822 deaths British Army generals Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 British Army personnel of the Peninsular War