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James Stuart (British Army officer, died 1793)

2021-03-29T07:16:18Z

31.205.118.180:

{{distinguish|text=[[James Stuart (British Army general)|James Stuart]] (1741–1815), who also served in India at that time}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= James Stuart
|birth_date =
|death_date = 2 February 1793
|birth_place=
|death_place=
|placeofburial=
|image= George Romney - General James Stuart (d. 1793).jpg
|caption=Portrait by [[George Romney (painter)|George Romney]], c. 1786
|nickname=
|allegiance= {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
|serviceyears=
|rank= [[Major-General]]
|branch={{army|UK}}
|commands= [[Madras Army]]
|unit=
|battles= [[Seven Years' War]]<br />[[Second Anglo-Mysore War]]
|awards=
|laterwork=
}}
[[Major-General]] '''James Stuart''' (died 2 February 1793) was a British Army officer who served in various [[Military history of India|conflicts in India]] during the 18th century. His service in the [[East India Company]] was marked by his conflict with [[George Pigot, 1st Baron Pigot|Lord Pigot]], the governor of Madras; Stuart's arrest of the latter in 1776 resulted in his suspension as commander-in-chief, and he was not vindicated until 1780. He later fought in the [[Second Anglo-Mysore War]], but was suspended from command in 1782 by [[George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney|Lord Macartney]], an action that provoked a [[Dueling|duel]] between the two men. Stuart was a younger brother of the lawyer and politician [[Andrew Stuart (MP)|Andrew Stuart]].

==Early service==
{{further|Seven Years' War}}
Stuart was appointed captain in the [[56th Regiment of Foot]] on 1 November 1755. He first saw active service at the [[Siege of Louisbourg (1758)|siege of Louisbourg]] (present-day [[Nova Scotia]]) under [[Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst|Lord Amherst]] in 1758. On 9 May of the same year he was promoted to the rank of major, and in 1761 was present with Colonel Morgan's regiment at the [[Capture of Belle Île|reduction of Belle Île]]. During the course of the expedition he acted as quartermaster-general, and in consequence obtained the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

From Belle Île he went to the [[West Indies]], and served in the [[British expedition against Martinique (1762)|expedition against Martinique]], which was captured in February 1762, and on the death of Colonel Morgan took command of the regiment. After the conquest of Martinique his regiment was ordered to join the [[British expedition against Cuba|expedition against Havana]], where he greatly distinguished himself by his conduct in the assault of the [[Morro Castle (Havana)|castle of Morro]], the capture of which determined the success of the expedition.

==Conflict with Pigot==
In 1775 he received permission to enter the service of the [[British East India Company|East India Company]] as second in command on the [[Coromandel Coast]], with the rank of colonel. On his arrival he found serious differences existing between the council of the [[Madras Presidency]] and the governor, [[George Pigot, 1st Baron Pigot|Lord Pigot]], and on 23 August 1776 he arrested the governor at [[Chennai|Madras]], at the command of the majority of the council. On this news reaching England, Stuart was suspended by the directors from the office of commander-in-chief of the [[Madras Army]], to which he had succeeded, with the rank of brigadier-general, on the death of Sir Robert Fletcher in December 1776.

Although he repeatedly demanded a trial, he could not, despite peremptory orders from England, succeed in obtaining a [[court-martial]] until December 1780, when he was honourably acquitted, and by order of the directors received the arrears of his pay from the time of his suspension.

==Anglo-Mysore War==
{{further|Second Anglo-Mysore War}}
On 11 January 1781 he was restored to the chief command in Madras by order of the governor and council. He returned to Madras in 1781, and, under [[Eyre Coote (1726–1783)|Sir Eyre Coote]], took part in the [[battle of Porto Novo]] on 1 July, and distinguished himself by his able handling of the second line of the British force. In the [[Battle of Pollilur (1781)|Battle of Pollilur]], on 27 August, he had his leg carried away by a cannon shot. On 19 October he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and on the return of Sir Eyre Coote to [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]] he took command of the [[Madras Army|forces in Madras]]. [[George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney|Lord Macartney]], the governor, however, would not allow him that freedom of action which Eyre Coote had enjoyed, and on the death of [[Hyder Ali]] on 7 December he urged him immediately to attack the [[Kingdom of Mysore|Mysore]] army. Stuart declared his forces were not ready, and made no active movement for two months.

==Dismissal and return home==
While [[Siege of Cuddalore|besieging Cuddalore]] he was suspended from the command by the Madras government. He was placed in strict confinement in Madras, and sent home to England. On 8 June 1786, though unable to stand without support owing to his wounds, he fought a duel with Lord Macartney in Hyde Park, and severely wounded him. On 8 February 1792 he was appointed colonel of the [[31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot|31st Foot]].

He died on 2 February 1793. His portrait, painted by [[George Romney (painter)|George Romney]], was engraved by Hodges. He married Lady Margaret Hume, daughter of [[Hugh Hume-Campbell, 3rd Earl of Marchmont]], but had no children.

==References==
*{{DNB Cite|wstitle=Stuart, James (d.1793)}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-new | regiment}}
{{s-ttl | title=Lieutenant-Colonel of the [[97th Regiment of Foot (1760)|97th Regiment of Foot]] | years=1761–1762}}
{{s-aft | after=[[James Forrester (British Army officer)|James Forrester]] }}
{{succession box | before=[[Thomas Clarke (British Army officer)|Thomas Clarke]] | title=Colonel of the [[31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot]] | years=1792–1793 | after=[[Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave|The Lord Mulgrave]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2011}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, James}}
[[Category:1793 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army generals]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the French and Indian War]]
[[Category:British duellists]]
[[Category:East Surrey Regiment officers]]
[[Category:56th Regiment of Foot officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Mysore War]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]

George Pigot, 1st Baron Pigot

2021-03-06T06:27:12Z

31.205.118.180:

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
[[File:George Pigot, Baron Pigot by George Willison.jpg|thumb|right|200px|George Pigot, by [[George Willison (artist)|George Willison]]]]
'''George Pigot, 1st Baron Pigot''' (4 March 1719 – 11 May 1777) was twice the British [[Governor of Madras|President of the British East India Company]].

==Life==
Pigot was the eldest son of Richard Pigot of Westminster, by his wife Frances, daughter of Peter Goode, a [[Huguenot]] who had come to England in the late seventeenth century.<ref>{{cite web |first=P. J. |last=Marshall |title=Pigot, George, Baron Pigot (1719–1777) |work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/22244 | access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> Frances was a "{{wikt-lang|en|tirewoman|i=no}}" to [[Caroline of Ansbach|Queen Caroline]]. His brothers were Admiral [[Hugh Pigot (Royal Navy admiral)|Hugh Pigot]] (1722–1792) and Sir [[Robert Pigot|Robert]].

[[File:Patshull Hall - Burnhill Green, Nr Pattingham - geograph.org.uk - 167407.jpg|thumb|Triumphal entrance to Patshull Hall]]
Pigot entered the service of the [[British East India Company|East India Company]] in 1736, at the age of 17; after nineteen years he became governor and commander-in-chief of Madras in 1755. Having defended the city against the [[France|French]] in 1758-1759 and occupied [[Pondicherry district|Pondichéry]] on behalf of the company, he resigned his office in November 1763 and returned to the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], being made a [[baronet]] in 1764.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=10472 |date=20 November 1764 |page=1}}</ref> After selling the family seat of [[Peplow Hall]], Shropshire, he purchased [[Patshull Hall]], Staffordshire, in 1765 for £100,000. That year he obtained the seat of [[Wallingford (UK Parliament constituency)|Wallingford]] in the [[Parliament of Great Britain]], which he retained until 1768. In 1766 he was created an Irish peer as '''Baron Pigot''', of Patshull in the [[County of Dublin]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=10586 |date=24 December 1765 |page=2}}</ref> From 1768 until his death he sat in the British House of Commons for [[Bridgnorth (UK Parliament constituency)|Bridgnorth]]. Pigot was created an [[LL.D.]] of the [[University of Cambridge]] on 3 July 1769.

Returning to India in 1775 to reoccupy his former position at Madras, Pigot was at once involved in a fierce quarrel with the majority of his council which arose out of the proposed restoration of [[Thuljaji]], the [[Rajah of Tanjore]]. The governor was arrested by order of his opponents and was still a prisoner when he died.

Meanwhile, the conduct of Pigot was censured by the court of directors in Great Britain, and the order for his restoration was followed immediately by another for his recall. This happened about a month after his death, but before the news had reached Great Britain. In 1779 the matter was discussed in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]], and four of those who were responsible for his arrest were tried and were fined £1000 each. Pigot, who left several illegitimate children, was never married, and his [[baron]]y became extinct.

===Service in the British East India Company===
[[File:Ruines de Pondichery en 1762.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Pondicherry after the [[Siege of Pondicherry (1760)|Siege of Pondicherry]], with the demolished citadel in view.]]

George entered the service of the [[British East India Company]] in 1736 as a writer, and arrived at [[Madras]] on 26 July 1737. When a member of council at [[Fort St. David]], Pigot was sent with [[Robert Clive]] to [[Trichinopoly]] in charge of some recruits and stores. On their return with a small escort of [[sepoys]], they were attacked by a large body of polýgars, and narrowly escaped with their lives. Pigot succeeded Thomas Saunders as governor and commander-in-chief of Madras on 14 January 1755. He conducted the defence of the city, when besieged by [[Thomas-Arthur de Lally]] in the winter of 1758–9, with considerable skill and spirit. On the capture of [[Pondicherry district|Pondichéry]] by Lieutenant-colonel (afterwards Sir) [[Eyre Coote (East India Company officer)|Eyre Coote]] (1726–1783) in January 1761, Pigot demanded that it should be given up to the presidency of Madras as the property of the East India Company. This Coote refused after consulting his chief officers, who were of opinion that the place ought to be held for the Crown. Pigot thereupon declared that unless his demand was complied with, he would not furnish any money for the subsistence of the King's troops or the French prisoners. Upon this, Coote gave way, and Pigot took possession of Pondichéry, and destroyed all the fortifications in obedience to the orders previously received from England. Pigot resigned office on 14 November 1763, and forthwith returned to England. He was created a [[baronet]] on 5 December 1764, with remainder in default of male issue to his brothers Robert and Hugh, and their heirs male. He represented [[Wallingford (UK Parliament constituency)|Wallingford]] in the [[British House of Commons]] from January 1765 to the dissolution in March 1768. At the general election in March 1768, he was returned for [[Bridgnorth (UK Parliament constituency)|Bridgnorth]], and continued to sit for that borough until his death. On 18 January 1766, he was created an Irish peer with the title of '''Baron Pigot''', of Patshull in the [[County of Dublin]].

===Controversy and restoration===
In April 1775, Pigot was appointed governor and commander-in-chief of [[Madras]] in the place of [[Alexander Wynch]]. He resumed office at [[Fort St. George]] on 11 December 1775, and soon found himself at variance with some of his council. In accordance with the instructions of the directors he proceeded to [[Tanjore]], where he issued a proclamation on 11 April 1776 announcing the restoration of the Raja, whose territory had been seized and transferred to [[Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah]], [[Nawab of the Carnatic]] in spite of the treaty which had been made during Pigot's previous tenure of office. Upon Pigot's return from Tanjore the differences in the council became more accentuated. [[Paul Benfield]] had already asserted that he held assignments on the revenues of Tanjore for sums of vast amount lent by him to the Nawab, as well as assignments on the growing crops in Tanjore for large sums lent by him to other persons. He now pleaded that his interests ought not to be affected by the reinstatement of the raja, and demanded the assistance of the council in recovering his property. Pigot refused to admit the validity of these claims, but his opinion was disregarded by the majority of the council, and his customary right to precedence in the conduct of business was denied. The final struggle between the governor and his council was on a comparatively small point—whether his nominee, Mr. Russell, or Colonel Stuart, the nominee of the majority, should have the opportunity of placing the administration of Tanjore in the hands of the Raja. In spite of Pigot's refusal to allow the question of Colonel Stuart's instructions to be discussed by the council, the majority gave their approval to them, and agreed to a draft letter addressed to the officer at Tanjore, directing him to deliver over the command to Colonel Stuart. Pigot thereupon declined to sign either the instructions or the letter, and declared that without his signature the documents could have no legal effect. At a meeting of the council on 22 August 1776, a resolution was carried by the majority denying that the concurrence of the governor was necessary to constitute an act of government. It was also determined that, as Pigot would not sign either of the documents, a letter should be written to the secretary authorizing him to sign them in the name of the council. When this letter had been signed by [[George Stratton (politician)|George Stratton]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kittybrewster.com/ancestry/stratton4.htm |title=The Genealogy of the Stratton Family |quote= George Stratton of Madras and Tew Park, Born Madras, 12th December 1733. Died Great Tew, Oxon, 20th March 1800. Buried Great Tew, "in woollen only", 28th March 1800. Exponent of proactive régime change and thereby Governor of Madras 1776. |work=kittybrewster.com}}</ref> and Henry Brooke, Pigot snatched it away and formally charged them with an act subversive of the authority of the government. By the standing orders of the company, no member against whom a charge was preferred was allowed to deliberate or vote on any question relating to the charge. Through this ingenious manœuvre, Pigot obtained a majority in the council by his own casting vote, and the two offending members were subsequently suspended. On 23 August, the refractory members, instead of attending the council meeting, sent a notary public with a protest in which they denounced Pigot's action on the previous day, and declared themselves to be the "only legal representatives of the Honourable Company under this presidency". This protest was also sent by them to the commanders of the king's troops, and to all persons holding any authority in Madras. Enraged at this insult, Pigot summoned a second council meeting on the same day, at which Messrs. Floyer, Palmer, Jerdan, and Mackay, who had joined Messrs. Stratton and Brooke and the commanding officer, [[Robert Fletcher (East India Company officer)|Sir Robert Fletcher]], in signing the protest, were suspended, and orders were at the same time given for the arrest of Sir Robert Fletcher. On the following day Pigot was arrested by Colonel Stuart and conveyed to [[St. Thomas's Mount]], some nine miles from [[Madras]], where he was left in an officer's house under the charge of a battery of artillery. The refractory members, under whose orders Pigot's arrest had been made, immediately assumed the powers of the executive government, and suspended all their colleagues who had voted with the governor. Though the government of [[Bengal]] possessed a controlling authority over the other presidencies, it declined to interfere.

In England, the news of these proceedings excited much discussion. At a general court of the proprietors, a resolution that the directors should take effectual measures for restoring Lord Pigot, and for inquiring into the conduct of those who had imprisoned him, was carried on 31 March 1777, by 382 votes to 140. The feeling in Pigot's favour was much less strong in the court of directors, where, on 11 April following, a series of resolutions in favour of Pigot's restoration, but declaring that his conduct in several instances appeared to be reprehensible, was carried by the decision of the lot, the numbers on each side being equal. At a subsequent meeting of the directors, after the annual change in the court had taken place, it was resolved that the powers assumed by Lord Pigot were "neither known in the constitution of the Company nor authorised by charter, nor warranted by any orders or instructions of the Court of Directors". Pigot's friends, however, successfully resisted the passing of a resolution declaring the exclusion of Messrs. Stratton and Brooke from the council unconstitutional, and carried two other resolutions condemning Pigot's imprisonment and the suspension of those members of the council who had supported him. On the other hand, a resolution condemning the conduct of Lord Pigot in receiving small presents from the [[Nawab of Arcot]], the receipt of which had been openly avowed in a letter to the court of directors, was carried. At a meeting of the general court held on 7 and 9 May a long series of resolutions was carried by a majority of ninety-seven votes, which censured the invasion of Pigot's rights as governor, and acquiesced in his restoration, but at the same time recommended that Pigot and all the members of the council should be recalled in order that their conduct might be more effectually inquired into. Owing to [[Lord North]]'s opposition, Governor Johnstone failed to carry his resolutions in favour of Lord Pigot in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] on 21 May. The resolutions of the proprietors having been confirmed by the court of directors, Pigot was restored to his office by a commission under the company's seal of 10 June 1777, and was directed within one week to give up the government to his successor and forthwith to return to England.

===Death===
Meantime Pigot died on 11 May 1777, while under confinement at the Company's Garden House, near Fort St. George, whither he had been allowed to return for change of air in the previous month. At the inquest held after his death, the jury recorded a verdict of willful murder against all those who had been concerned in Pigot's arrest. The real contest throughout had been between the Nawab of Arcot and the Raja of Tanjore. Members of the council took sides, and Pigot exceeded his powers while endeavouring to carry out the instructions of the directors. The proceedings before the coroner were held to be irregular by the supreme court of judicature in Bengal, and nothing came of the inquiry instituted by the company. On 16 April 1779, Admiral Hugh Pigot brought the subject of his brother's deposition before the House of Commons. A series of resolutions affirming the principal facts of the case was agreed to, and an address to the king, recommending the prosecution of Messrs. Stratton, Brooke, Floyer, and Mackay, who were at that time residing in England, was adopted. They were tried in the King's Bench before [[William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield|Lord Mansfield]] and a special jury in December 1779, and were found guilty of a misdemeanour in arresting, imprisoning, and deposing Lord Pigot. On being brought up for judgment on 10 February 1780, they were each sentenced to pay a fine of £1,000, on payment of which they were discharged.

==Family==
Two of the governor's brothers were men of repute. Sir [[Robert Pigot]] (1720–1796), who succeeded to the [[baronetcy]], commanded his regiment (the 38th) at the battles of [[Battle of Lexington|Lexington]] and [[Battle of Bunker Hill|Bunker Hill]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He became a lieutenant general in 1782. The other brother, [[Hugh Pigot (Royal Navy admiral)|Hugh Pigot]] (c. 1721-1792) was a sailor. After some years of service he became an admiral and commander-in-chief in the [[West Indies]] in 1782. One of his sons was General [[Henry Pigot|Sir Henry Pigot]] (1750–1840), and another was [[Hugh Pigot (Royal Navy captain)|Hugh Pigot]] (1769–1797), a captain in the navy, who was murdered during a [[mutiny]] in September 1797 while in command of {{HMS|Hermione|1782|6}}.

Pigot was unmarried. Upon his death the Irish barony became extinct, while the baronetcy devolved upon his brother Robert Pigot. He left several natural children, among others:
# Sophia Pigot, who married, on 14 March 1776, the Hon. [[Edward Monckton]] of [[Somerford Hall]], Staffordshire, and died on 1 January 1834;
# Richard Pigot (1774–1868), general in the army and colonel of the 4th dragoon guards;
# [[Hugh Pigot (19th-century admiral)|Sir Hugh Pigot]], K.C.B. (1775–1857), admiral of the White;
# Leonora, who received a fortune under her father's will and married 17 October 1777 [[Claude Russell]], member of the [[Madras Council]]; to the memory of her and her husband there is a tablet in [[Marylebone Church]].
# Major George Pigot (1772?-1830) Along with Richard and Hugh, son of Catherine Hill. Member of settler community who immigrated from England (1820) to present Eastern-Cape coast of [[South Africa]].
# Mary Green (c.1772-1852) who married, aged twelve in 1784, John Blashfield of [[Presteigne]], [[Radnorshire]].

==The Pigot Diamond==
Pigot owned a celebrated diamond, now known as the ''[[Pigot Diamond]]'', which he bequeathed to his siblings and eventually left the family by way of a lottery. The whereabouts of the diamond today is unknown.

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
*{{cite DNB|wstitle=Pigot, George}}
*{{Rayment|date=February 2012}}
* {{Cite journal |first=J. M. |last=Ogden |title=England's Largest Diamond (The Pigot – Part 1) |journal=Gems and Jewellery |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=30–33 |date=April 2009 }}
* {{Cite journal |first=J. M. |last=Ogden |title=England's Largest Diamond (The Pigot – Part 2) |journal=Gems and Jewellery |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=36–37 |date=July 2009 }}
;Attribution
* {{DNB|wstitle=Pigot, George}}
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Pigot, George, Baron|volume=21}}
*{{cite ODNB|first=P. J.|last=Marshall|title=Pigot, George, Baron Pigot (1719–1777)|id=22244}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-off}}
{{Succession box | title= [[Governor of Madras]]
| before= [[Thomas Saunders (governor)|Thomas Saunders]]
| after= [[Robert Palk]]
| years= 1755–1763 }}
{{Succession box | title= [[Governor of Madras]]
| before= [[Alexander Wynch]]
| after= [[George Stratton (politician)|George Stratton]]
| years= 1775–1776 }}
{{S-par|gb}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Wallingford (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for Wallingford]]
| with = [[Sir John Gibbons, 2nd Baronet|Sir John Gibbons]]
| before = [[John Hervey (1696-1764)|John Hervey]] | before2=[[Sir John Gibbons, 2nd Baronet|Sir John Gibbons]]
| after = [[Sir John Aubrey, 6th Baronet|John Aubrey]] | after2=[[Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet|Robert Pigot]]
| years = 1765–1768
}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Bridgnorth (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for Bridgnorth]]
| years = 1768–1777
| with = [[William Wolryche-Whitmore|William Whitmore]] 1768–177
| with2 = [[Thomas Whitmore (younger)|Thomas Whitmore]] 1771–1777
| before = [[John Grey (died 1777)|John Grey]] | before2=[[William Wolryche-Whitmore|William Whitmore]]
| after = [[Thomas Whitmore (younger)|Thomas Whitmore]] | after2=[[Hugh Pigot (Royal Navy admiral)|Hugh Pigot]]
}}
{{S-reg|ie}}
{{s-new | creation }}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Pigot Baronets|Baron Pigot]]
| years = 1766–1777
}}
{{s-non | reason = Extinct }}
{{S-reg|gb-bt}}
{{s-new | creation }}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Pigot Baronets|Baronet]]<br />'''(of Patshull)'''
| years = 1763–1777
}}
{{s-aft | after =[[Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet|Robert Pigot]] }}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pigot, George Pigot, Baron}}
[[Category:1719 births]]
[[Category:1777 deaths]]
[[Category:Barons in the Peerage of Ireland]]
[[Category:Peers of Ireland created by George III]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Governors of Madras]]
[[Category:Administrators in British India]]
[[Category:History of Chennai]]
[[Category:British East India Company people]]
[[Category:British MPs 1761–1768]]
[[Category:British MPs 1768–1774]]
[[Category:British MPs 1774–1780]]