George Munro of Auchinbowie
Encyclopedia
George Munro of Auchinbowie, originally of Bearcrofts was a Scottish born military officer of the late 17th century. He was the first Munro of Auchinbowie
.
. George married Margarat Bruce, the daughter of Robert Bruce of Auchinbowie, a property about four miles south of Stirling
. Tradition tells us that the Munros of Bearcrofts descend from John Munro, 1st of Milntown
who was a younger son of Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis
(d.1425). From the 16th century onwards this line of the Munro family history is continuous and vouched by documentary evidence: Three generations after John Munro of Miltown is George Munro of Milntown who became one of the most prominent ministers in the Reformed Church in the north of Scotland. A younger son of his was also called George and followed in his footsteps. This George's third son was Sir Alexander Munro of Bearcrofts, father of the George Munro who would become the first Laird of Auchinbowie.
in 1689 where the Jacobites were defeated. He held command as a Captain in the Cameronian
26th Regiment of Foot
. The Battle of Dunkeld is said to have lasted four to five hours. The Cameronian regiment of 1200 men was outnumbered by a force of 5000 Jacobites. In the first hour of the battle the Colonel of the Cameronian regiment was killed and the Major was wounded so the command fell to Captain George Munro. It is said that they had to use lead stripped off the roofs of houses and melted in the ground for ammunition. The Jacobites were eventually defeated.
After the Battle of Dunkeld, Captain George Munro was promoted to Major and was put in command of an independent company of foot in Perthshire
. Later as a Major in Sir Charles Graham's Regiment of Foot he fought at the Siege of Namur in 1695
.
.
George Munro had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Alexander Munro, succeeded as the Laird of Auchinbowie. George's only daughter Margarat was born in 1707. George's younger son, George Monro, is believed to have been born in Ireland
in about 1700 at Clonfin in county Longford
.
His younger son George Monro became famous for his resolute but ultimately unsuccessful defence of Fort William Henry
in 1757 during the Seven Years' War
/French and Indian War
and the subsequent massacre of his garrison at the hands of France’s American Indian
allies which is portrayed in the film; The Last of the Mohicans
.
Munro of Auchinbowie
The Munros of Auchinbowie are a distinguished branch of the Scottish, highland Clan Munro. From this family three Professors of Anatomy at Edinburgh University, Scotland were produced, as well as several other doctors and military officers.-Lineage:The prognitor of the Munros of Auchinbowie is...
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Lineage
George Munro was the eldest son of Sir Alexander Munro of BearcroftsSir Alexander Munro of Bearcrofts
- Lineage :The Munro of Milntown of Milntown family descend from John Munro, 1st of Milntown, the second son of Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis . Three generations after John Munro, 1st of Miltown is George Munro 4th of Milntown who became one of the most prominent ministers in the Reformed Church...
. George married Margarat Bruce, the daughter of Robert Bruce of Auchinbowie, a property about four miles south of Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
. Tradition tells us that the Munros of Bearcrofts descend from John Munro, 1st of Milntown
Munros of Milntown
The Munros of Milntown were a family cadet branch of the Highland Clan Munro. They were the 'senior' cadet branch of the clan and spawned many cadet branches. They were frequently recorded as 'Monro' as well as Munro...
who was a younger son of Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis
Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis
Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis was a 14th - 15th century Scottish soldier and said to be 12th chief of the Clan Munro in the Scottish Highlands. Hugh was seated at Foulis Castle in Ross-shire, Scotland...
(d.1425). From the 16th century onwards this line of the Munro family history is continuous and vouched by documentary evidence: Three generations after John Munro of Miltown is George Munro of Milntown who became one of the most prominent ministers in the Reformed Church in the north of Scotland. A younger son of his was also called George and followed in his footsteps. This George's third son was Sir Alexander Munro of Bearcrofts, father of the George Munro who would become the first Laird of Auchinbowie.
Military career
George Munro fought for the British government at the Battle of DunkeldBattle of Dunkeld
The Battle of Dunkeld was fought between Jacobite clans supporting the deposed king James VII of Scotland and a government regiment of covenanters supporting William of Orange, King of Scotland, in the streets around Dunkeld Cathedral, Dunkeld, Scotland, on 21 August 1689 and formed part of the...
in 1689 where the Jacobites were defeated. He held command as a Captain in the Cameronian
Cameronian
Cameronian was a name given to a section of the Scottish Covenanters who followed the teachings of Richard Cameron, and who were composed principally of those who signed the Sanquhar Declaration in 1680...
26th Regiment of Foot
26th Regiment of Foot
The 26th Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army, active from 1688 to 1881. Although the regiment took the name of its first colonel as The Earl of Angus's Regiment, it became popularly known as The Cameronians until 1751, when it was ranked as the 26th Foot...
. The Battle of Dunkeld is said to have lasted four to five hours. The Cameronian regiment of 1200 men was outnumbered by a force of 5000 Jacobites. In the first hour of the battle the Colonel of the Cameronian regiment was killed and the Major was wounded so the command fell to Captain George Munro. It is said that they had to use lead stripped off the roofs of houses and melted in the ground for ammunition. The Jacobites were eventually defeated.
After the Battle of Dunkeld, Captain George Munro was promoted to Major and was put in command of an independent company of foot in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. Later as a Major in Sir Charles Graham's Regiment of Foot he fought at the Siege of Namur in 1695
Siege of Namur (1695)
The Siege of Namur, 2 July–1 September 1695, was the second siege of the city of Namur in the Nine Years' War. The Allied forces of the Grand Alliance retook the city from the French, who had captured it in the first siege in 1692...
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Family
George Munro and Margarat Bruce married in 1693. Margarat was the second daughter of Robert Bruce of Auchinbowie. Margarat had no brothers, and on her father's death the property fell to her elder sister Janet Bruce. However Janet's husband, Captain William Bruce, killed another gentleman in a drunken brawl. He fled from justice, leaving Janet to cope with the debts of the property, which proved too much for her. In 1702 Janet Bruce sold the property to her brother-in-law, Major George Munro, who thus became the Laird of AuchinbowieMunro of Auchinbowie
The Munros of Auchinbowie are a distinguished branch of the Scottish, highland Clan Munro. From this family three Professors of Anatomy at Edinburgh University, Scotland were produced, as well as several other doctors and military officers.-Lineage:The prognitor of the Munros of Auchinbowie is...
.
George Munro had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Alexander Munro, succeeded as the Laird of Auchinbowie. George's only daughter Margarat was born in 1707. George's younger son, George Monro, is believed to have been born in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in about 1700 at Clonfin in county Longford
Longford
Longford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county...
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His younger son George Monro became famous for his resolute but ultimately unsuccessful defence of Fort William Henry
Fort William Henry
Fort William Henry was a British fort at the southern end of Lake George in the province of New York. It is best known as the site of notorious atrocities committed by Indians against the surrendered British and provincial troops following a successful French siege in 1757, an event which is the...
in 1757 during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
/French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
and the subsequent massacre of his garrison at the hands of France’s American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
allies which is portrayed in the film; The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 is a historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, first published in February 1826. It is the second book of the Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy and the best known...
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