Robert Murray Keith (the younger)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Murray Keith KB
(the younger) (20 September 1730 – 22 June 1795) was a British soldier and diplomat.
He was born in Edinburgh
, the eldest son of Robert Murray Keith
and his wife daughter of Sir William Cunningham, 2nd baronet, of Caprington. He took the additional name Murray on inheriting the estates of Murrayshall (formerly Halmyre) at the death of his great-uncle Robert Murray on 8 February 1743.
where he was Minister and look for military employment. In 1755, he was recalled to the Scots Brigade, but rejoined the British army in 1757 as a captain in the 73rd Regiment of Foot
. On the recommendation of Colonel Henry Seymour Conway
, he was made aide-de-camp
to Lord George Sackville
and fought at the Battle of Minden
. A month later he carried news of Sackville resignation to London, where he met William Pitt the Elder
. He employed Keith to raise companies of Highland Volunteers, later called 87th Regiment of Foot (Keith's Highlanders)
, with him as major commandant, and from 1760 colonel commandant. From 1760 to 1762, his regiment served in Germany, involved in several engagements. However after the war, his regiment was disbanded, and he was placed on half pay. After visiting Paris, he settled in London.
for the insane Christian VII
and his Queen Caroline Matilda, a sister of George III of Great Britain (and without instructions), he threatened a British naval bombardment of Copenhagen
if the queen was harmed. This frightened the Danes and earned the gratitude of the king who made him a Knight of the Bath. They allowed the queen to withdraw to Hanover
. After escorting her there he returned to London.
His next appointment was as Envoy-extraordinary to Vienna where he remained 20 years. This post was a difficult one as he at times rarely received instructions from London. Furthermore relations were at times strained during Austria's War with Turkey at the end of his time there.
He returend home in 1774 to settle his father's estate. His London friends wanted him to enter Parliament for Peeblesshire
in 1775, a seat which he retained until 1780, without ever attending the House of Commons. His financial position was improved by his being appointed Colonel of 10th Regiment of Foot
in 1781 and a Lieutenant-General the following year. He came home in 1788 and was made a Privy Councillor in 1789, but then returned to Vienna, where his final duties included attneding the Congress of Sistovo, which ended the Turkish war. He retired in 1792 and settled in Hammersmith, where he died suddenly three years later.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(the younger) (20 September 1730 – 22 June 1795) was a British soldier and diplomat.
He was born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, the eldest son of Robert Murray Keith
Robert Murray Keith
Robert Murray Keith was a British diplomat. He was descended from a younger son of the 2nd Earl Marischal.Keith was minister in Vienna in 1748 and from 1753 Minster-plenipotentary. In 1757, he transferred to St. Petersburg and remained there until October 1762, when the imperial government...
and his wife daughter of Sir William Cunningham, 2nd baronet, of Caprington. He took the additional name Murray on inheriting the estates of Murrayshall (formerly Halmyre) at the death of his great-uncle Robert Murray on 8 February 1743.
Soldier
Destined for a military career, he was sent to an academy in London and was commissioned a cornet in 1747 and quickly transferred to a Scots Brigade in Dutch service, with which he remained until the regiment was reduced in 1752. He then returned to England, but failed to gain a British commission. He therefore traveled with Frederick Campbell to visit his father in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
where he was Minister and look for military employment. In 1755, he was recalled to the Scots Brigade, but rejoined the British army in 1757 as a captain in the 73rd Regiment of Foot
73rd Regiment of Foot
The 73rd Regiment of Foot also known as MacLeod's Highlanders after its founder John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod, was an infantry regiment of the British Army.- History :- First raising :...
. On the recommendation of Colonel Henry Seymour Conway
Henry Seymour Conway
Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession and eventually rose to the rank of Field Marshal .-Family and education:Conway was...
, he was made aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Lord George Sackville
George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville
George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville PC , known as the Hon. George Sackville to 1720, as Lord George Sackville from 1720 to 1770, and as Lord George Germain from 1770 to 1782, was a British soldier and politician who was Secretary of State for America in Lord North's cabinet during the American...
and fought at the Battle of Minden
Battle of Minden
The Battle of Minden—or Thonhausen—was fought on 1 August 1759, during the Seven Years' War. An army fielded by the Anglo-German alliance commanded by Field Marshal Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of France Louis, Marquis de Contades...
. A month later he carried news of Sackville resignation to London, where he met William Pitt the Elder
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
. He employed Keith to raise companies of Highland Volunteers, later called 87th Regiment of Foot (Keith's Highlanders)
87th Regiment of Foot (Keith's Highlanders)
The 87th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1759 and disbanded in 1763.The regiment was raised at Perth in August 1759 by regimenting three companies detached from the 42nd Foot, the Black Watch...
, with him as major commandant, and from 1760 colonel commandant. From 1760 to 1762, his regiment served in Germany, involved in several engagements. However after the war, his regiment was disbanded, and he was placed on half pay. After visiting Paris, he settled in London.
Diplomat
Keith' knowledge of German and friendship with Pitt and Conway enabled him to be appointed Envoy-extraordinary to Saxony in 1769. He transferred in 1771 to be minister in Copenhagen. In the face of a worsening political situation for Johan Friedrich Struensee the minister who ruled DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
for the insane Christian VII
Christian VII of Denmark
Christian VII was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death. He was the son of Danish King Frederick V and his first consort Louisa, daughter of King George II of Great Britain....
and his Queen Caroline Matilda, a sister of George III of Great Britain (and without instructions), he threatened a British naval bombardment of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
if the queen was harmed. This frightened the Danes and earned the gratitude of the king who made him a Knight of the Bath. They allowed the queen to withdraw to Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. After escorting her there he returned to London.
His next appointment was as Envoy-extraordinary to Vienna where he remained 20 years. This post was a difficult one as he at times rarely received instructions from London. Furthermore relations were at times strained during Austria's War with Turkey at the end of his time there.
He returend home in 1774 to settle his father's estate. His London friends wanted him to enter Parliament for Peeblesshire
Peeblesshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Peeblesshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1868. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-Boundaries:...
in 1775, a seat which he retained until 1780, without ever attending the House of Commons. His financial position was improved by his being appointed Colonel of 10th Regiment of Foot
10th Regiment of Foot
The 10th Regiment of Foot was raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath...
in 1781 and a Lieutenant-General the following year. He came home in 1788 and was made a Privy Councillor in 1789, but then returned to Vienna, where his final duties included attneding the Congress of Sistovo, which ended the Turkish war. He retired in 1792 and settled in Hammersmith, where he died suddenly three years later.