John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair

The Earl of Stair
John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair
Born	20 July 1673 Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	9 May 1747 (aged 73) Edinburgh, Scotland, Great Britain
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Field Marshal
Battles/wars	War of the Spanish Succession War of the Austrian Succession Jacobite rebellion
Awards	KT

Field Marshal John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair KT PC (20 July 1673 – 9 May 1747) was a Scottish soldier and diplomat.

Military career

Despite being born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dalrymple spent his early life mostly in the Netherlands and he studied at Leiden University. However, when William III became King of Scotland in 1689, he returned home, and in 1707, he was elected as one of sixteen Scottish representative peers in the newly formed Parliament of Great Britain.

He commanded his brigade during the War of the Spanish Succession at the Siege of Lille and then at the Battle of Malplaquet. He became an assistant to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and, in 1709, he was sent as an envoy to Augustus II of Poland. In 1712 he was promoted to full general for his military achievements.

Diplomatic career

However, when King George I ascended to the throne, Dalrymple was sent as an envoy to Paris, France. According to the Duc de Saint-Simon, his embassy began badly when Louis XIV took an instant dislike to him and refused to see him or let him meet his ministers. Stair, in view of the King's age and ill-health, sensibly waited for the turn of events, and after Louis' death quickly established friendly relations with the new regime, paving the way for the Triple Alliance. For five years in the 1710s, his spies effectively thwarted various "intrigues" by the Jacobites. In 1729, he became Vice Admiral of Scotland, but lost the position in 1733, mainly because of his opposition to the Excise Bill of 1733 promoted by Prime Minister Robert Walpole. However, in 1742, when Walpole fell from office, Dalrymple was promoted to field marshal and commanded the "Pragmatic Army" sent to act with Hanoverian and Austrian forces in support of Maria Theresa and the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713. He led the allies to victory at the battle of Dettingen.

Character

Winston Churchill called him one of the ablest ambassadors Britain ever sent to Paris. Saint-Simon, who knew Stair,described him as a man of great ability and intelligence, but treacherous, devious,untrustworthy and arrogant.

He was given the colonelcy of various units, including the Grey Dragoons (now the Royal Scots Greys).

Family

He married Lady Eleanor Campbell, daughter of the Earl of Loudon, but had no children. He wished for his earldom to pass to his nephew John Dalrymple; but the House of Lords ruled that the right to nominate an heir had lapsed, and the earldom passed to the legal heir James Dalrymple, 3rd Earl of Stair.

External links

• Archival material relating to John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair listed at the UK National Register of Archives

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Matthew Prior	British Ambassador to France 1714–1720	Succeeded by Sir Robert Sutton
Military offices
Preceded by The Earl of Portmore	Viscount Dalrymple's Regiment of Foot 1703–1706	Succeeded by William Borthwick
Preceded by William Borthwick	Colonel of The Cameronians 1706	Succeeded by George Preston
Preceded by Lord John Hay	Colonel of the Grey Dragoons 1706–1714	Succeeded by The Earl of Portmore
Preceded by Robert Echlin	Colonel of the Black Dragoons 1715–1734	Succeeded by The Lord Cadogan
Preceded by The Duke of Queensberry	Vice Admiral of Scotland 1729–1733	Succeeded by The Earl of Morton
Preceded by Earl of Hertford	Governor of Minorca 1742–1747	Succeeded by James O'Hara
Preceded by The Lord Cadogan	Colonel of the Black Dragoons 1743–1745	Succeeded by The Earl of Rothes
Preceded by Sir James Campbell	Colonel of the Grey Dragoons 1745–1747	Succeeded by The Earl of Crawford
Vacant Title last held by Duke of Ormonde	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1744	Succeeded by George Wade
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by John Dalrymple	Earl of Stair 1707–1747	Succeeded by James Dalrymple