General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

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

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

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 ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

, succeeding his father, before sitting for

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

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 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 Su ...

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 rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

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 Suthe ...

. On 30 October 1805 he was promoted to lieutenant-general. He was '' aide-de-camp'' to Major-General

Sir William Erskine There have been five baronetcies of the United Kingdom created for a person with the surname Erskine, two in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two of the creati ...

in the 1809

Walcheren Campaign The Walcheren Campaign ( ) was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Sir John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham ...

and during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. In 1810 it was announced that he would succeed Sir Hew Dalrymple as Colonel of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot, 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 baronets, Erskine of Torrie creation. Background Erskine was the son of Colonel the Honourable Willia ...

. 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 polit ...

. *

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 for ...

(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 British 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 studied ato ...

, 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
{{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