The Earl of Dalhousie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of Nova Scotia | |
| In office 1816–1820 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | George Stracey Smyth |
| Succeeded by | Sir James Kempt |
| Governor General of British North America | |
| In office 1820–1828 | |
| Monarch | George IV |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Richmond |
| Succeeded by | Sir James Kempt |
| Commander-in-Chief of India | |
| In office 1830–1832 | |
| Monarch | William IV |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Combermere |
| Succeeded by | Sir Edward Barnes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1770-10-23)23 October 1770 |
| Died | 21 March 1838(1838-03-21) (aged 67) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | Christian Broun |
| Children | 3 sons, includingJames |
| Parent(s) | George Ramsay, 8th Earl of Dalhousie Elizabeth Glen |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
GeneralGeorge Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie,GCB (23 October 1770 – 21 March 1838), styledLord Ramsay until 1787, was aBritish Army officer and colonial administrator. He served as theGovernor of Nova Scotia from 1816 to 1820,Governor General of British North America (or governor general of Upper and Lower Canada) from 1820 to 1828,[1] andCommander-in-Chief, India from 1820 to 1832. In turn, his son,James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, would later serve asGovernor-General of India.
Dalhousie was born atDalhousie Castle,Midlothian, the son ofGeorge Ramsay, 8th Earl of Dalhousie, and Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew Glen. He was educated at theRoyal High School,Edinburgh, and theUniversity of Edinburgh.
After his father's death in 1787, Dalhousie joined theBritish Army in July 1788 bypurchasing acornetcy in the3rd Dragoons, and was later appointed to the captaincy of an independent company he himself had raised. He joined the 2nd battalion of the1st Foot in January 1791, and purchased the rank of major in the2nd Foot in June 1792. He travelled with the regiment toMartinique, as its commander, and succeeded to the lieutenant-colonelcy in August 1794. He was severely wounded in 1795 and returned to Britain. In 1798 he served in theIrish Rebellion, and in 1799 throughout the Flanders campaign. He received thebrevet rank of colonel in January 1800, and fought in the later stages of the Egyptian campaign underRalph Abercromby, capturingRosetta without a fight andsuccessfully investing the nearbyFort Julien in April 1801. In 1803 he served as a brigadier-general on the staff in Scotland, and was appointed Major-General in April 1805.
During the later stages of thePeninsular War Dalhousie commanded the 7th Division under theDuke of Wellington. Wellington was sometimes critical of his performance, as during the retreat fromBurgos, because of his tardy arrival atVitoria, and for his misinformation about French intentions shortly before theBattle of Roncesvalles.[2]
WithHenry Clinton (or Oswald) andWilliam Stewart he displayed insubordination during the retreat from Burgos. Wellington ordered them down a certain road, but they decided it "was too long and too wet and chose another. This brought them to a bridge which was blocked so that they could not cross. Here, eventually, Wellington found them, waiting. What, Wellington was asked, did he say to them? 'Oh by God, it was too serious to say anything.' 'What a situation is mine!' he complained to London later. 'It is impossible to prevent incapable men from being sent to the army.'".[3]
At Vitoria he was delayed because he "had found difficulty in marching through the broken country", thoughThomas Picton arrived early enough and attacked in his stead when the 7th Division failed to appear[4]
He was nevertheless voted the thanks of Parliament for his services at Vitoria where he commanded the Left Center Column, consisting of the 3rd and 7th Divisions. He was appointed lieutenant-general, and colonel of the13th Foot in 1813. He led his division in theBattle of the Pyrenees where it was lightly engaged, then went home to England in October. After the previous commander was wounded at theBattle of Orthez in February 1814, Dalhousie briefly led the 7th Division again. He occupied the city ofBordeaux and thus missed the finalBattle of Toulouse.
William Kemley was said to have saved the life of Ramsay in battle, by holding a flag over his body. In doing so he suffered a wound from a musket ball that left him with a permanent hole in the palm of his hand. His grandson, Peter Gordon Kemley, used to tell how he could put his finger through the palm of his grandfather's hand. For his actions, William Kemley was given a house on the Dalhousie Estate at Brechin Castle, rent-free for life. His daughter, Caroline Kemley, was born under a gun carriage the evening before theBattle of Quatre Bras. Her mother was one of six wives per regiment permitted to accompany their husbands.
In 1815 he was createdBaron Dalhousie, of Dalhousie Castle inMidlothian, in thepeerage of the United Kingdom, to allow him to sit in theHouse of Lords by right (until that point he had sat as aScottish representative peer).[5]
According to theDictionary of Canadian Biography Ramsay sought a position in colonial administration to pay debts he incurred expanding his estate.[5] He replaced SirJohn Coape Sherbrooke asLieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia in 1816. He is known to have employed an official draughtsman,John Elliott Woolford, known for many surviving drawings and paintings.
Ramsay createdDalhousie College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which grew into Dalhousie University.[6]
He was appointedGovernor-General of British North America in 1820 and held that position until 1828.[5] Aside from the Catholic Church, Ramsay is considered the first true art collector in nineteenth century Quebec City.[1] In the Art Canada Institute's 2025 publicationQuebec City Art & Artists: An Illustrated History, author Michèle Grandbois writes about Ramsay's time in Canada and his connection to the arts in Quebec City.[1]
Dalhousie was appointedCommander-in-Chief of theIndian Army in 1828.[5] Army headquarters alternated betweenCalcutta andSimla. India taxed his health, and he resigned in 1832.
Dalhousie suffered a"fainting fit" in February 1833.[5] His health continued to deteriorate, and he returned to his estate, in 1834, where his health continued to deteriorate until his death 4 years later. He went both blind and senile in his final years.
Lord Dalhousie marriedChristian, daughter of Charles Broun, ofColstoun inEast Lothian, Scotland, a lady of gentle extraction and distinguished gifts, in 1805.[8][9] She was recognised as a "zealous botanist" by leading scientists of her day.
Ramsay and Christian had three sons, the two elder of whom died early. He died at Dalhousie Castle in March 1838, aged 67, and was succeeded by his youngest son,James, who was later createdMarquess of Dalhousie. Lady Dalhousie died in January 1839.
Lord Dalhousie's family name is pronounced 'dal-How-zee' except when referring to thePort Dalhousie ward ofSt. Catharines, Ontario, pronounced locally as 'dal-OO-zee'. Likewise, Dalhousie Street inBrantford, Ontario and the formerDalhousie Ward in Ottawa are often pronounced locally as 'dal-HOO-zee'.[10][11][12] It is said that this is a result of the accent of theScottish sailors and shipbuilders who frequented the Port's establishments (Dalhousie, himself a Scot, used the more upper class English-sounding pronunciation).
While serving as Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia he foundedDalhousie University inHalifax, Nova Scotia. The town ofDalhousie, New Brunswick was named after him when he visited there in 1826, although his diary entry for the day stated that he disapproved of changing the original French and Mi'kmaq location names. The villages of East andWest Dalhousie in Nova Scotia are named after him, as areEarltown andPort Dalhousie, which is part ofSt. Catharines, Ontario, a community in Calgary Alberta,Dalhousie Station and an adjacent square,Dalhousie Square inMontreal.[13]
Lord Dalhousie's feelings about black refugees went well beyond words. As Nova Scotia's governor, he called on the British government to return the refugees to the U.S. or send them to Sierra Leone. According to the Nova Scotia Archives, he dropped the idea after visiting them and discovering that'none of them are willing to return to their masters, or to America.'
While they were there, between 1823 [sic] and 1828 [sic], the countess did some serious plant collecting in and around Simla, and on their final return to Britain she presented her complete Indian herbarium of some 1,200 specimens to the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. This gesture resulted in William Hooker dedicating a volume ofCurtis's Botanical Magazine to her, and Robert Graham, Professor of Botany at Edinburgh, then named the genusDalhousiea for her, although one feels she deserved better than this not particularly interesting leguminous plant.
Lady Dalhousie offered to send me everything in her power from Canada & she is a very zealous Botanist.
| Masonic offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland 1804–1806 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by George Stracey Smyth (acting) | Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia 1816–1820 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor General of British North America 1820–1828 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Colonel of the26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot 1813–1838 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, India 1830–1832 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Dalhousie 1787–1838 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Dalhousie 1815–1838 | Succeeded by |
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| Governors at Annapolis Royal (1710–1749) | |
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| Governors at Halifax (1749–1786) | |
| Lieutenant governors of Cape Breton Island (1784–1820) | |
| Lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia before responsible government (1786–1848) | |
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