Lieutenant-Colonel David Robertson Macdonald of Kinlochmoidart (1764–1845), born David Robertson, was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer linked to the history of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

(then known as Ceylon).

Life

He was born David Robertson on 29 September 1764, the son of the eminent Edinburgh historian and minister of

Greyfriars Kirk Greyfriars Kirk () is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard. Greyfriars traces its origin to the south-west parish of Edinburgh, f ...

in Edinburgh, William Robertson, and his wife Mary Nisbet. His brothers included William Robertson and Lord Robertson. Trained in the military, he served in the

linked to the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

and raised the first Malay Regiment in Ceylon in 1796. He served as Deputy Adjutant General of Ceylon in the late 18th century. In 1802 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

. His proposers were

John Playfair John Playfair FRSE, FRS (10 March 1748 – 20 July 1819) was a Church of Scotland minister, remembered as a scientist and mathematician, and a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He is best known for his book ''Illu ...

Alexander Dirom Lieutenant General Alexander Dirom of Luce and Mount Annan FRS FRSE (21May 17576October 1830) was a British military commander who saw overseas service in Barbados, Jamaica and India. He is remembered not only as a military commander but also as ...

, and Dr James Russell. In later life he lived at 24 Walker Street. Robertson Macdonald died on 7 September 1845. He is buried in the Robertson family vault in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 1 ...

Family

In 1799 he married Margarita Macdonald of Kinlochmoidart, daughter of Alexander Macdonald, 5th of Kinlochmoidart, and adopted the Macdonald name, whereby some of Margarita's family wealth and status passed to their children, who were all styled "Robertson-Macdonald". Their children were William Frederick Robertson-Macdonald, 9th of Kinlochmoidart (1802–1883), Admiral

David Robertson-Macdonald Admiral David Robertson-Macdonald, 11th of Kinlochmoidart (6 August 1817 – 16 May 1910), also known as David Robertson, was a Scottish officer in the Royal Navy. He joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer, and saw service off the Portuguese an ...

, 11th of Kinlochmoidart (1817–1910) and Jessie Robertson-Macdonald (1819–1900)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDonald, David Robertson 1764 births 1845 deaths British East India Company Army officers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard Military personnel from Edinburgh

Life

Family

See also

References