John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
Encyclopedia
Field Marshal
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, 1st Duke of Greenwich KG (10 October 1678 – 4 October 1743), known as Iain Ruaidh nan Cath or Red John of the Battles, was a Scottish
soldier
and nobleman
.
, Surrey
, England, in his maternal grandmother's residence 'Ham House'. His parents were Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll
and Elizabeth Tollemache, daughter of Sir Lionel Tollemache
, 3rd Bt.
He was tutored by Walter Campbell of Dunloskin, followed by John Anderson and then Alexander Cunningham. In 1694 his father convinced William III
to give John, just 14, the position of colonel in the regiment raised by the Argyll family for the king after his acceptance of the Scottish crown in 1689. He served briefly on the contintent in the Nine Years' War.
After the disbandment of the regiment he went on a European tour from 1699-1700 with his tutor Alexander Cunningam.
in 1703. In 1705, for his support of the Act of Union, he was created Baron Chatham and Earl of Greenwich. He fought during the War of the Spanish Succession
under the British Army's overall commander, the Duke of Marlborough
, and he fought at the battles of Ramillies
, Oudenarde
and Malplaquet
.
In 1710 he was made a Knight of the Garter
, and in 1711 he was appointed commander-in-chief of British forces in Spain by the Tory
ministry of Lord Oxford
and Lord Bolingbroke
and was Governor of Minorca from 1712 to 1716. By 1713, however, Argyll had become critical of the ministry, and he joined the Whig
opposition in making speeches against the government in the House of Lords
. In July 1714, in Queen Anne's
last illness, the unexpected presence of Argyll and the Duke of Somerset
at the Privy Council
prevented Bolingbroke from taking full power on the fall of Oxford, and thus perhaps secured the Hanoverian
succession.
He married first, Mary Brown, daughter of John Brown and Ursula Duncombe, in 1701. They separated soon after the marriage and she was buried in Westminster Abbey
in 1717. He married secondly, Jane Warburton, daughter of Thomas Warburton and Anne Williams and maid of honour to Queen Anne, in 1717. Jane died in 1767 and was buried with him in Westminster Abbey. He had four daughters who reached maturity.
Without a male heir he was succeeded by his brother, Archibald Campbell
.
and defeated the Jacobites
led by the Earl of Mar
. In 1719 he was rewarded by being created Duke of Greenwich. He was Master General of the Ordnance from 1725 to 1740 and was promoted to Field Marshal
in 1736. He is listed as a founding Governor of the Foundling Hospital
on that charity's Royal Charter
, granted by the George II
in 1739. In 1742, a year before his death, he was given the position of Commander in Chief
of the British Army
.
cy of various regiments, including the 1st (His Majesty's Own) Troop ("The Oxford Blues"), the 3rd Regiment of Foot (The Buffs) and 4th (Scots) Troop of the Horse Guards Regiment
(now part of the Household Cavalry Regiment
),and the 3rd (The Queen's) Dragoon Guards (now part of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
). He was also the colonel of the 1st Regiment ("Lorne's Foot"), 2nd Regiment ("Lorne's Foot"), and Argyll's Foot.
He is buried in Westminster Abbey
; his grave is marked by a small lozenge stone to the north east of Henry VII's tomb. A large monument was erected for him in the south transept designed by the French sculptor, Louis François Roubiliac; this was unveiled in 1749.
by Sir Walter Scott, being the saviour of the heroine Jeanie Deans.
In the film Rob Roy
, the Duke is portrayed by Andrew Keir
.
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, 1st Duke of Greenwich KG (10 October 1678 – 4 October 1743), known as Iain Ruaidh nan Cath or Red John of the Battles, was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and nobleman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
.
Early Life
He was born in PetershamPetersham
Petersham is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the east of the bend in the River Thames south of Richmond, which it shares with neighbouring Ham. It provides the foreground of the scenic view from Richmond Hill across Petersham Meadows, with Ham House further along the River...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England, in his maternal grandmother's residence 'Ham House'. His parents were Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll, 10th Earl of Argyll was a Scottish peer.-Biography:The eldest son of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll and Mary Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray, Campbell sought to recover his father's estates...
and Elizabeth Tollemache, daughter of Sir Lionel Tollemache
Lionel Tollemache
Sir Lionel Tollemache 3rd Baronet of Helmingham was the head of a powerful East Anglian family whose seat was Helmingham Hall in Suffolk, England...
, 3rd Bt.
He was tutored by Walter Campbell of Dunloskin, followed by John Anderson and then Alexander Cunningham. In 1694 his father convinced William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
to give John, just 14, the position of colonel in the regiment raised by the Argyll family for the king after his acceptance of the Scottish crown in 1689. He served briefly on the contintent in the Nine Years' War.
After the disbandment of the regiment he went on a European tour from 1699-1700 with his tutor Alexander Cunningam.
Later Life
He succeeded his father as Duke of Argyll and Chief of Clan CampbellClan Campbell
Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically one of the largest, most powerful and most successful of the Highland clans, their lands were in Argyll and the chief of the clan became the Earl and later Duke of Argyll.-Origins:...
in 1703. In 1705, for his support of the Act of Union, he was created Baron Chatham and Earl of Greenwich. He fought during the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
under the British Army's overall commander, the Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, and he fought at the battles of Ramillies
Battle of Ramillies
The Battle of Ramillies , fought on 23 May 1706, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of King Louis XIV of France in 1705...
, Oudenarde
Battle of Oudenarde
The Battle of Oudenaarde was a key battle in the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 11 July 1708 between the forces of Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire on the one side and the French on the other...
and Malplaquet
Battle of Malplaquet
The Battle of Malplaquet, fought on 11 September 1709, was one of the main battles of the War of the Spanish Succession, which opposed the Bourbons of France and Spain against an alliance whose major members were the Habsburg Monarchy, Great Britain, the United Provinces and the Kingdom of...
.
In 1710 he was made a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, and in 1711 he was appointed commander-in-chief of British forces in Spain by the Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
ministry of Lord Oxford
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer KG was a British politician and statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory Ministry. Between 1711 and 1714 he served as First Lord of the Treasury, effectively Queen...
and Lord Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically despite his atheism. In 1715 he supported the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 which sought to overthrow the...
and was Governor of Minorca from 1712 to 1716. By 1713, however, Argyll had become critical of the ministry, and he joined the Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
opposition in making speeches against the government in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. In July 1714, in Queen Anne's
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
last illness, the unexpected presence of Argyll and the Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset , sometimes referred to as the "Proud Duke". The son of Charles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, and Elizabeth Alington , he succeeded his brother Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset, to the dukedom when the latter was shot in 1678...
at the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
prevented Bolingbroke from taking full power on the fall of Oxford, and thus perhaps secured the Hanoverian
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
succession.
He married first, Mary Brown, daughter of John Brown and Ursula Duncombe, in 1701. They separated soon after the marriage and she was buried in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
in 1717. He married secondly, Jane Warburton, daughter of Thomas Warburton and Anne Williams and maid of honour to Queen Anne, in 1717. Jane died in 1767 and was buried with him in Westminster Abbey. He had four daughters who reached maturity.
Without a male heir he was succeeded by his brother, Archibald Campbell
Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, businessman and soldier...
.
Jacobite uprising
In the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion, Argyll led the government army at the Battle of SheriffmuirBattle of Sheriffmuir
The Battle of Sheriffmuir was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rebellion in England and Scotland.-History:John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, standard-bearer for the Jacobite cause in Scotland, mustered Highland chiefs, and on 6 September declared James Francis Edward Stuart as King...
and defeated the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
led by the Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 22nd Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 22nd and de jure 6th Earl of Mar, KT , Scottish Jacobite, was the eldest son of the 21st Earl of Mar , from whom he inherited estates that were heavily loaded with debt. By modern reckoning he was 22nd Earl of Mar of the first creation and de jure 6th Earl of Mar of the seventh...
. In 1719 he was rewarded by being created Duke of Greenwich. He was Master General of the Ordnance from 1725 to 1740 and was promoted to Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
in 1736. He is listed as a founding Governor of the Foundling Hospital
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
on that charity's Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
, granted by the George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
in 1739. In 1742, a year before his death, he was given the position of Commander in Chief
Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, or just the Commander-in-Chief , was the professional head of the British Army from 1660 until 1904, when the office was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff, soon to become Chief of the Imperial General Staff . From 1870, the C-in-C was subordinate to...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
Honours
He received the colonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
cy of various regiments, including the 1st (His Majesty's Own) Troop ("The Oxford Blues"), the 3rd Regiment of Foot (The Buffs) and 4th (Scots) Troop of the Horse Guards Regiment
Horse Guards Regiment
The Horse Guards Regiment was a regiment only in name: it actually consisted of several independent troops raised initially on the three different establishments...
(now part of the Household Cavalry Regiment
Household Cavalry Regiment
The Household Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and is one of two regiments that are formed from the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1992, under the Options for Change reforms, by the amalgamation of The Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. Both regiments were...
),and the 3rd (The Queen's) Dragoon Guards (now part of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed The Welsh Cavalry, the regiment recruits from Wales, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, and is the senior cavalry regiment, and therefore senior regiment, of the line of the British Army...
). He was also the colonel of the 1st Regiment ("Lorne's Foot"), 2nd Regiment ("Lorne's Foot"), and Argyll's Foot.
He is buried in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
; his grave is marked by a small lozenge stone to the north east of Henry VII's tomb. A large monument was erected for him in the south transept designed by the French sculptor, Louis François Roubiliac; this was unveiled in 1749.
In popular culture
Argyll plays a large part in the novel The Heart of MidlothianThe Heart of Midlothian
The Heart of Midlothian is the seventh of Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley Novels. It was originally published in four volumes on 25 July 1818, under the title of Tales of My Landlord, 2nd series, and the author was given as "Jedediah Cleishbotham, Schoolmaster and Parish-clerk of Gandercleugh"...
by Sir Walter Scott, being the saviour of the heroine Jeanie Deans.
In the film Rob Roy
Rob Roy (film)
Rob Roy is a 1995 historical drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Liam Neeson stars as Robert Roy MacGregor, an 18th century Scottish historical figure who battles with feudal landowners in the Scottish Highlands. Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, and Jason Flemyng also star...
, the Duke is portrayed by Andrew Keir
Andrew Keir
Andrew Keir was a Scottish actor, who rose to prominence featuring in a number of films from Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and particularly in the theatre, in a professional career that lasted from the 1940s to the 1990s...
.
See also
- Duke of ArgyllDuke of ArgyllDuke of Argyll is a title, created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, noble family in Scotland...
- Royal familyRoyal familyA royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
- John Campbell, 4th Duke of ArgyllJohn Campbell, 4th Duke of ArgyllGeneral John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll KT PC was a Scottish Whig politician in the 17th and 18th centuries.He was born to John Campbell, the third son of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, and Elizabeth Elphinstone, daughter of John Elphinstone, 8th Lord Elphinstone...
- John Campbell, 5th Duke of ArgyllJohn Campbell, 5th Duke of ArgyllField Marshal John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll , styled Marquess of Lorne from 1761 to 1770, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman.-Military career:...
- John Campbell, 9th Duke of ArgyllJohn Campbell, 9th Duke of ArgyllJohn George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll KG, KT, GCMG, GCVO, VD, PC , usually better known by the courtesy title Marquess of Lorne, by which he was known between 1847 and 1900, was a British nobleman and was the fourth Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883...
- Caroline Townshend, 1st Baroness GreenwichCaroline Townshend, 1st Baroness GreenwichCaroline Townshend, 1st Baroness Greenwich was a British peeress, a daughter of the John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll....
- Lady Mary CokeLady Mary CokeLady Mary Coke was an English letter writer and noblewoman.-Marriage and separation:...
, his daughter - William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (1722-1791)William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (1722-1791)William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford , styled Viscount Wentworth until 1739 was a peer and member of the House of Lords of Great Britain.-Ancestry and career:...
, his son-in-law - Military of the United Kingdom
- History of the United KingdomHistory of the United KingdomThe history of the United Kingdom as a unified sovereign state began with the political union of the kingdoms of England, which included Wales, and Scotland on 1 May 1707 in accordance with the Treaty of Union, as ratified by the Acts of Union 1707...