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{{Short description|General in the British Army}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = General
| name =Sir Robert Abercromby
| name = Sir Robert Abercromby
⚫
| image=George Romney - Colonel Robert Abercrombie - Google Art Project.jpg
| honorific_suffix = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath|GCB]]
⚫
| caption =Robert Abercromby painted in 1788 by [[George Romney (painter)|George Romney]]
⚫
| image = George Romney - Colonel Robert Abercrombie - Google Art Project.jpg
| birth_date =1740
⚫
| caption = Robert Abercromby painted in 1788 by [[George Romney (painter)|George Romney]]
⚫
| death_date ={{Death year and age|1827|1740}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1740|10|21|df=y}}
⚫
| death_date = {{death date and age|1827|11|3|1740|10|21|df=y}}
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial =
| birth_place =
| birth_place =
| death_place =
| death_place = [[Airthrey Castle|Airthrey]]
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| nickname =
| nickname =
| allegiance ={{flagicon|Kingdom of Great Britain}} [[United Kingdom]]
| allegiance = {{Flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}
| branch =[[Image:Flag of the British Army.svg|23px]] [[British Army]]
| branch = [[British Army]]
| serviceyears =
| serviceyears =
| rank =[[General (United Kingdom)|General]]
| rank = [[General (United Kingdom)|General]]
| unit =
| unit =
| commands =[[Bombay Army]]<br>[[Indian Army]]
| commands = [[Bombay Army]]<br />[[Indian Army]]
| battles =[[French and Indian War]]<br>[[American Revolutionary War]]<br>[[Third Anglo-Mysore War]]
| battles = [[French and Indian War]]<br />[[American Revolutionary War]]<br />[[Third Anglo-Mysore War]]
| awards =[[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
| awards = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
| relations =
| relations =
| laterwork =
| laterwork =
}}
}}

[[General (United Kingdom)|General]] '''Sir Robert Abercromby''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB}} (21 October 1740{{snd}}3 November 1827), the youngest brother of Sir [[Ralph Abercromby]], was a general in the army, appointed [[Order of the Bath|Knight of the Order of the Bath]], a [[Governor of Bombay]] and Commander-in-Chief of the [[Bombay Army]] and then [[Commander-in-Chief, India]].
[[General (United Kingdom)|General]] '''Sir Robert Abercromby''', [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath|GCB]] (21 October 1740{{snd}}3 November 1827) was a [[British Army]] officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the [[List of governors of Bombay Presidency|governor of Bombay]] from 1790 to 1792. He also sat in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|British House of Commons]] representing the constituency of [[Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (UK Parliament constituency)|Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire]] from 1798 to 1802. The youngest brother of Sir [[Ralph Abercromby]], he fought in the [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]] before serving in India as part of the [[Bombay Army]], where he eventually rose to the rank of [[Commander-in-Chief, India]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archives.nypl.org/mss/6447 |title=Sir Robert Abercromby letter |publisher=[[The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts]] |date=1999-02-22 |access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref>


==Military career==
==Military career==
Abercromby served in the [[French and Indian War]], and was promoted [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] in 1761. In 1773, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the [[37th Regiment of Foot]]. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], he fought at the [[Battle of Long Island]], the [[Battle of Brandywine]], the [[Battle of Germantown]], the [[Battle of Crooked Billet]], the [[Battle of Monmouth]] and at the sieges of [[Siege of Charleston|Charleston]] and [[Siege of Yorktown|Yorktown]], where he commanded the left wing of the British forces. He commanded a battalion of light infantry for most of the war.
Abercromby served in the [[French and Indian War]], and was promoted [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] in 1761. On 30 Nov. 1775, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the [[37th Regiment of Foot]]. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], he fought at the [[Battle of Long Island]], the [[Battle of Brandywine]], the [[Battle of Germantown]], the [[Battle of Crooked Billet]], the [[Battle of Monmouth]] and at the sieges of [[Siege of Charleston|Charleston]] and [[Siege of Yorktown|Yorktown]], where he commanded the left wing of the British forces.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/abercromby-sir-robert |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com |title= Abercromby, Sir Robert}}</ref>

⚫
After the war, he was made Colonel for life of the [[75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot|75th (Highland) Regiment]], a regiment newly raised to deter the French in India. Abercromby served in India from 1790 to 1797, where he was [[Governor of Bombay]] and [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[Bombay Army]] and then, from 1793, [[Commander-in-Chief, India]].<ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Abercromby, Robert (1740-1827)}}</ref>


In 1798 he purchased [[Airthrey Castle]] from the Haldane family and was thereafter entitled Abercromby of Aithrey.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Gazetteer for Scotland|title =Airthrey Castle | url =http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst5252.html | accessdate = 2010-02-16 }}</ref>
⚫
After the war, he was made Colonel for life of the [[75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot|75th (Highland) Regiment]], a regiment newly raised to deter the French in India. Abercromby served in India from 1790 to 1797, where he was [[Governor of Bombay]] and [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[Bombay Army]] and then, from 1793, [[Commander-in-Chief, India]].


He was promoted lieutenant-general in 1797, elected M.P. for the county of [[Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (UK Parliament constituency)|Clackmannan]] in the place of his brother Ralph in 1798, and was made governor of [[Edinburgh Castle]] in 1801—a post he held until his death—and a general in 1802. His increasing blindness - arising from an eye disease contracted before his return from India in 1797 - made it impossible for him ever again to take active service, and obliged him to resign his seat in parliament in 1802.<ref>[http://www.histparl.ac.uk/volume/1790-1820/member/abercromby-sir-robert-1740-1827 Robert Abercromby] History of Parliament Online article.</ref>
He was promoted lieutenant-general in 1797, elected M.P. for the county of [[Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (UK Parliament constituency)|Clackmannan]] in the place of his brother Ralph in 1798, and was made governor of [[Edinburgh Castle]] in 1801—a post he held until his death—and a general in 1802. His increasing blindness - arising from an eye disease contracted before his return from India in 1797 - made it impossible for him ever again to take active service, and obliged him to resign his seat in parliament in 1802.<ref>[http://www.histparl.ac.uk/volume/1790-1820/member/abercromby-sir-robert-1740-1827 Robert Abercromby] History of Parliament Online article.</ref>

Abercromby's niece married [[James Alexander Haldane]], and Abercromby subsequently bought the estate of [[Airthrey Castle|Airthrey]], [[Stirlingshire]] from J. A. Haldane's brother [[Robert Haldane]], who was selling his estates to pursue evangelical and missionary work. Sir Robert died at Airthrey in November 1827: aged 87, he was the oldest general in the British army. He was succeeded by his nephew, Lord Abercromby, the son of his elder brother, Sir Ralph.


==References==
==References==
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Bombay Army|C-in-C, Bombay Army]]|years=1790–1793}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Bombay Army|C-in-C, Bombay Army]]|years=1790–1793}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James Stuart (British Army general)|James Stuart]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James Stuart (British Army general)|James Stuart]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Commander-in-Chief, India]] | before=[[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Charles Cornwallis]] | after=[[Charles Morgan (British Army officer)|Charles Morgan]] | years=1793–1797}}
{{succession box | title=[[Commander-in-Chief, India]] | before=[[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Charles Cornwallis]] | after=[[Charles Morgan (East India Company officer)|Charles Morgan]] | years=1793–1797}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Lord Adam Gordon (British Army officer)|Lord Adam Gordon]]}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Lord Adam Gordon (British Army officer)|Lord Adam Gordon]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Governor of Edinburgh Castle]] | years=1801–1827}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Governor of Edinburgh Castle]] | years=1801–1827}}
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title=[[Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (UK Parliament constituency)|Member for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire]] |
title=[[Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (UK Parliament constituency)|Member for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire]] |
before=[[Ralph Abercromby|Sir Ralph Abercromby]] |
before=[[Ralph Abercromby|Sir Ralph Abercromby]] |
years=1798–1802 |
years=1798–1801 |
after=Parliament of the United Kingdom
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after=[[William Douglas MacLean-Clephane|William MacLean-Clephane]]
}}
}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box |
title=[[Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (UK Parliament constituency)|Member for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire]] |
before=Parliament of Great Britain |
years=1801–1802 |
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after=[[William Douglas MacLean-Clephane|William MacLean-Clephane]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


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[[Category:1740 births]]
[[Category:1740 births]]
[[Category:1827 deaths]]
[[Category:1827 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Clackmannanshire]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies]]
[[Category:British MPs 1790–1796]]
[[Category:British MPs 1790–1796]]
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[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the French and Indian War]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the French and Indian War]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars]]
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[[Category:37th Regiment of Foot officers]]
[[Category:Abercromby family|Robert]]
[[Category:Abercromby family|Robert]]
[[Category:Scottish blind people]]

Latest revision as of 15:55, 10 June 2024

General

Sir Robert Abercromby

GCB
Robert Abercromby painted in 1788 by George Romney
Born(1740-10-21)21 October 1740
Died3 November 1827(1827-11-03) (aged 87)
Airthrey
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
RankGeneral
CommandsBombay Army
Indian Army
Battles / warsFrench and Indian War
American Revolutionary War
Third Anglo-Mysore War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

General Sir Robert Abercromby, GCB (21 October 1740 – 3 November 1827) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Bombay from 1790 to 1792. He also sat in the British House of Commons representing the constituency of Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire from 1798 to 1802. The youngest brother of Sir Ralph Abercromby, he fought in the American War of Independence before serving in India as part of the Bombay Army, where he eventually rose to the rank of Commander-in-Chief, India.[1]

Military career

[edit]

Abercromby served in the French and Indian War, and was promoted captain in 1761. On 30 Nov. 1775, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 37th Regiment of Foot. During the American Revolutionary War, he fought at the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Brandywine, the Battle of Germantown, the Battle of Crooked Billet, the Battle of Monmouth and at the sieges of Charleston and Yorktown, where he commanded the left wing of the British forces.[2]

After the war, he was made Colonel for life of the 75th (Highland) Regiment, a regiment newly raised to deter the French in India. Abercromby served in India from 1790 to 1797, where he was Governor of Bombay and Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army and then, from 1793, Commander-in-Chief, India.[3]

In 1798 he purchased Airthrey Castle from the Haldane family and was thereafter entitled Abercromby of Aithrey.[4]

He was promoted lieutenant-general in 1797, elected M.P. for the county of Clackmannan in the place of his brother Ralph in 1798, and was made governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1801—a post he held until his death—and a general in 1802. His increasing blindness - arising from an eye disease contracted before his return from India in 1797 - made it impossible for him ever again to take active service, and obliged him to resign his seat in parliament in 1802.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sir Robert Abercromby letter". The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts. 22 February 1999. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Abercromby, Sir Robert". Encyclopedia.com.
  3. ^ "Abercromby, Robert (1740-1827)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  4. ^ "Airthrey Castle". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  5. ^ Robert Abercromby History of Parliament Online article.
[edit]
Military offices
New regiment Colonel of the 75th (Highland) Regiment
1787–1827 		Succeeded by
Preceded by C-in-C, Bombay Army
1790–1793 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, India
1793–1797 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Edinburgh Castle
1801–1827 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Bombay
1790–1792 		Succeeded by
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire
1798–1801 		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Parliament of Great Britain
 Member for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire
1801–1802 		Succeeded by
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