Governor Dunmore
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John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1730 – 25 February 1809) was a British colonial administrator who served as the
governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...
from 1771 to 1775. Dunmore was named
governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...
in 1770. He succeeded to the same position in the
colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...
the following year after the death of
Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt ( – 15 October 1770) was a British Tory politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770, when he died in office. While serving as rector at the College o ...
. As Virginia's governor, Dunmore directed a series of campaigns against the
trans-Appalachia Trans-Appalachia is an area in the United States bounded to the east by the Appalachian Mountains and extending west roughly to the Mississippi River. It spans from the Midwest to the Upper South. The term is used most frequently when referring to ...
n
Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
, known as
Lord Dunmore's War Lord Dunmore's War, also known as Dunmore's War, was a brief conflict in the fall of 1774 between the British Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo in the trans-Appalachia region of the colony south of the Ohio River. Broadly, the war incl ...
. He is noted for issuing a 1775 document,
Dunmore's Proclamation Dunmore's Proclamation is a historical document signed on November 7, 1775, by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies, royal governor of the British colony of Virginia. The proclamation declared martial law ...
, offering freedom to
slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
who fought for the British Crown against Patriot rebels in Virginia. Dunmore fled to New York after the
burning of Norfolk The Burning of Norfolk was an incident that occurred on January 1, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. British Royal Navy ships in the harbor of Norfolk, Virginia, began shelling the town, and landing parties came ashore to burn specif ...
in 1776 and later returned to Britain. He was
Governor of the Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The lo ...
from 1787 to 1796.


Early life

Murray was born in Taymouth, Scotland, the eldest son of William Murray, 3rd Earl of Dunmore, by his marriage to Catherine Nairne; he was a nephew of
John Murray, 2nd Earl of Dunmore {{Infobox noble , name = John Murray , title = , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = Earl of Dunmore , reign ...
. In 1745, both Murray, then only 15, and his father joined the ill-fated
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of "
Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...
" (Charles Edward Stuart). The young Murray was appointed as a page to Prince Charles. The second Earl, his uncle, remained loyal to the
Hanoverians The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...
. After the Jacobite Army was defeated at the
Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...
in 1746, William Murray was imprisoned in the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
, and his family was put under house arrest. By 1750, William Murray had received a conditional pardon. John Murray was now aged twenty and joined the
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 ...
. He served as a captain in the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, leading raids on the coast of France until resigning his commission around 1760. In 1756, after the deaths of his uncle and father, he became the fourth Earl of Dunmore. In 1759, Dunmore married Lady Charlotte Stewart (1740 – 11 November 1818), a daughter of
Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway ( – 24 September 1773) was a Scottish aristocrat. Early life Alexander was the eldest son of Lady Catherine Montgomerie and James Stewart, 5th Earl of Galloway, a Commissioner of the Scottish Treasury ...
. They had five sons and three daughters: * Lady Catherine Murray (23 January 1760 – 7 July 1783) married the Hon. Edward Bouverie, son of
William de Bouverie, 1st Earl of Radnor William Bouverie, 1st Earl of Radnor Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS Deputy Lieutenant, DL (26 February 1725 – 28 January 1776) was a British peer, styled Hon. William Bouverie from 1747 until 1761. Early life He was the eldest son of Jacob ...
. They had no issue. *
Lady Augusta Murray Lady Augusta De Ameland (''born'' Murray; 27 January 1761 – 4 March 1830) was a Scottish aristocrat and the first wife of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the sixth son of George III. They married on 4 April 1793 in Rome. Their unio ...
(27 January 1761 – 5 March 1830) in 1793 secretly married Prince Augustus Frederick, son of
King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
. Under the
Royal Marriages Act 1772 The Royal Marriages Act 1772 (12 Geo. 3. c. 11) was an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribed the conditions under which members of the British royal family could contract a valid marriage, in order to guard ...
, the marriage was void, and the children were illegitimate – Sir
Augustus d'Este Sir Augustus Frederick d'Este, KCH (13 January 1794 – 28 December 1848) was the only son of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex and his wife Lady Augusta Murray. He was a grandson of George III, nephew of George IV and William ...
and Augusta d'Este (later Baroness Truro). *
George Murray, 5th Earl of Dunmore George Murray, 5th Earl of Dunmore FRSE (30 April 1762 – 11 November 1836), known as Viscount of Fincastle until 1809, was a Scottish peer. Early life Murray was the eldest son of John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, and Lady Charlotte (née S ...
(30 April 1762 – 11 November 1836) * Hon. William Murray (22 August 1763 – 27 May 1773) * Lt.-Col. Hon. Alexander Murray (12 October 1764 – July 1842). He married Deborah Hunt, daughter of Robert Hunt,
Governor of the Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The lo ...
. They had three sons and two daughters. * Hon. John Murray (25 February 1766 – 14 December 1824). Unmarried. * Lady Susan Murray (17 June 1767 – April 1826). She married, firstly, John Tharp, heir to a Jamaica sugar fortune. Secondly, she married John Drew, son of the Chichester banker John Drew; and lastly, a clergyman in Ireland, the Reverend Archibald Edward Douglas. She had children by each, including John Tharp, who married Lady Hannah Charlotte Hay, daughter of
George Hay, 7th Marquess of Tweeddale George Hay, 7th Marquess of Tweeddale DL (1753 – 9 August 1804) was a Scottish peer and naval officer. Early life Hay was born at Newhall in East Lothian, Scotland. He was the son of John Hay (d. 1765) and Dorothy ( Hayhurst) Hay (d. 1808 ...
. * Hon. Leveson Granville Keith Murray (16 December 1770 – 4 January 1835). He married three times, the first of which was Wemyss Dalrymple, daughter of
Sir William Dalrymple of Cousland, 3rd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in Fren ...
, and together they had a daughter, Jane. Secondly, Anne, by whom he had two sons and a daughter. His last wife was Louisa Mitty Abraham.


Colonial governor of New York

Dunmore was named the British governor of the
Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...
in 1770, but soon after his appointment, Virginia's governor,
Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt ( – 15 October 1770) was a British Tory politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770, when he died in office. While serving as rector at the College o ...
(Lord Botetourt), died, and Dunmore was eventually named to replace him.
William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...
, the current governor of the
Province of North Carolina The Province of North Carolina, originally known as the Albemarle Settlements, was a proprietary colony and later royal colony of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776.(p. 80) It was one of the five Southern col ...
, was correspondingly transferred to replace Dunmore in New York. Dunmore, who had already well-established himself in New York and owned over 50,000 acres of land in the colony, was unhappy to lose the lucrative post, complaining "I asked for New York—New York I took, and they have robbed me of it without my Consent."


Colonial governor of Virginia


Lord Dunmore's War

Dunmore arrived in
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
to take up the post of royal governor of the
Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...
on 25 September 1771. Despite growing issues with Great Britain, his predecessor, Lord Botetourt, had been a popular governor, even though he served only two years. Like many in the
ruling class In sociology, the ruling class of a society is the social class who set and decide the political and economic agenda of society. In Marxist philosophy, the ruling class are the class who own the means of production in a given society and apply ...
of Virginia, Dunmore acquired ownership over several slaves. As Virginia's colonial governor, Dunmore directed a series of campaigns against the Indians known as
Lord Dunmore's War Lord Dunmore's War, also known as Dunmore's War, was a brief conflict in the fall of 1774 between the British Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo in the trans-Appalachia region of the colony south of the Ohio River. Broadly, the war incl ...
. The
Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...
were the main target of these attacks. He aimed to strengthen Virginia's claims in the west, particularly in the
Ohio Country The Ohio Country (Ohio Territory, Ohio Valley) was a name used for a loosely defined region of colonial North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Lake Erie. Control of the territory and the region's fur trade was disputed i ...
. However, as a byproduct, it was known he would increase his power base. Some even accused Dunmore of colluding with the Shawnees and arranging the war to deplete the
Virginia militia The Virginia militia is an armed force composed of all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia capable of bearing arms. The Virginia militia was established in 1607 as part of the English militia system. Militia service in Virginia was compulso ...
and help safeguard the
Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
cause, should there be a colonial rebellion. Dunmore, in his history of the Indian Wars, denied these accusations.Roosevelt, Theodore (1889)

Chapters VIII "Lord Dunmore's War" and XI "The Battle of the Great Kanawha", passim.


Battle for control

Lacking diplomatic skills, Dunmore tried to govern without consulting the
House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...
of the
Colonial Assembly The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the British constitution. The British monarch issued colonial charters that established either royal colonies, proprieta ...
for more than a year, which exacerbated an already tense situation.
Richard Henry Lee Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732June 19, 1794) was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia, best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence fr ...
would later write of the deeply unpopular governor that, if British administrators had "searched through the world for a person the best fitted to ruin their cause and procure union and success for these Colonies, they could not have found a more complete Agent than Lord Dunmore." When Dunmore finally convened the Colonial Assembly in March 1773, which was the only way he could deal with fiscal issues to finance his war through additional taxation, the burgesses instead first resolved to form a
committee of correspondence The committees of correspondence were a collection of American political organizations that sought to coordinate opposition to British Parliament and, later, support for American independence during the American Revolution. The brainchild of S ...
to communicate their continued concerns about the
Townshend Acts The Townshend Acts () or Townshend Duties were a series of British acts of Parliament enacted in 1766 and 1767 introducing a series of taxes and regulations to enable administration of the British colonies in America. They are named after Char ...
and Gaspee Affair to Great Britain. Dunmore immediately postponed the Assembly. Many burgesses gathered a short distance away at the
Raleigh Tavern The Raleigh Tavern was a tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia, and was one of the largest taverns in colonial Virginia. It gained some fame in the pre-American Revolutionary War Virginia Colony, Colony of Virginia as a gathering place for legislator ...
and continued discussing their problems with the new taxes, perceived corruption, and lack of representation in England. When Dunmore reconvened the Assembly in 1774, the burgesses passed a resolution declaring 1 June 1774 a day of fasting and prayer in Virginia. In response, Dunmore dissolved the House. The burgesses again reconvened as the
Second Virginia Convention The Virginia Conventions were assemblies of delegates elected for the purpose of establishing constitutions of fundamental law for the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia superior to General Assembly legislation. Their constitutions and subsequ ...
and elected delegates to the
Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...
. Dunmore issued a proclamation against electing delegates to the Congress but failed to take serious action. In March 1775, Patrick Henry's "
Give me Liberty or give me Death! "Give me liberty or give me death!" is a quotation attributed to American politician and orator Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia. Henry is credi ...
" speech delivered at St. John's Episcopal Church in
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
helped convince delegates to approve a resolution calling for armed resistance.Red Hill
.
In the face of rising unrest in the colony, Dunmore sought to deprive Virginia's militia of military supplies. Dunmore gave the key to the
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
magazine to Lieutenant Henry Colins, commander of HMS ''Magdalen'', and ordered him to remove the powder, provoking what became known as the
Gunpowder Incident The Gunpowder Incident (or Powder Alarm or Gunpowder Affair) was a conflict early in the American Revolutionary War between John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of the Colony of Virginia, and militia led by Patrick ...
. On the night of 20 April 1775, royal marines loaded fifteen half-barrels of powder into the governor's wagon, intent on transporting it down the Quarterpath Road to the James River and the British warship. Local militia rallied, and word of the incident spread across the colony.


Confrontation with the Hanover militia

The Hanover militia, led by Patrick Henry, arrived outside Williamsburg on 3 May. That same day, Dunmore evacuated his family from the Governor's Palace to his hunting lodge, Porto Bello in nearby York County. On 6 May, Dunmore issued a proclamation against "a ''certain'' Patrick Henry... and a Number of deluded Followers" who had organised "an Independent Company... and put themselves in a Posture of War." Dunmore threatened to impose martial law and eventually retreated to Porto Bello to join his family. Dislodged by the Virginia rebels and wounded in the leg, on 8 June, Dunmore took refuge on the British warship in the York River. Over the following months, Dunmore sent many raiding parties to plunder plantations along the
James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
,
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, and Potomac rivers, particularly those owned by rebels. The British raiding parties exacerbated tensions by plundering Patriot supplies and encouraging their slaves to rebel. In December,
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
, who had been installed only months before as commander in chief of the Continental Army, commented, "I do not think that forcing his lordship on shipboard is sufficient. Nothing less than depriving him of life or liberty will secure peace to Virginia, as motives of resentment actuate his conduct to a degree equal to the total destruction of that colony."


Dunmore's Proclamation

Dunmore is noted for
Dunmore's Proclamation Dunmore's Proclamation is a historical document signed on November 7, 1775, by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies, royal governor of the British colony of Virginia. The proclamation declared martial law ...
, also known as Lord Dunmore's Offer of
Emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...
. Dated 7 November 1775 but proclaimed a week later, Dunmore thereby formally offered freedom to slaves who abandoned their Patriot masters to join the British. The proclamation appeared to respond to the legislature's proclamation that Dunmore had resigned his position by boarding a
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
warship off Yorktown nearly six months earlier. However, by the end of the war, an estimated 800 to 2000 formerly enslaved people sought refuge with the British; some served in a military role, though the majority served in noncombatant roles. Dunmore organized these
Black Loyalist Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. In particular, the term referred to men enslaved by Patriots who served on the Loyalist side because of the Crown's guarantee of fr ...
s into the
Ethiopian Regiment The Royal Ethiopian Regiment, also known as Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment, was a British military unit formed of "indentured servants, negros or others" organized after the April 1775 outbreak of the American Revolution by the Earl of Dunmor ...
. However, despite winning the
Battle of Kemp's Landing The Battle of Kemp's Landing, also known as the Skirmish of Kempsville, was a skirmish in the American Revolutionary War that occurred on November 15, 1775. Militia companies from Princess Anne County in the Province of Virginia assembled at K ...
on 17 November 1775, Dunmore lost decisively at the
Battle of Great Bridge The Battle of Great Bridge was fought December 9, 1775, in the area of Great Bridge, Virginia, early in the American Revolutionary War. The refusal by colonial Virginia militia forces led to the departure of Royal Governor Lord Dunmore and any ...
on 9 December 1775. Following that defeat, Dunmore loaded his troops and many Virginia Loyalists onto Royal Navy ships waiting offshore. Smallpox spread in the confined quarters, and some 500 of the 800 members of the Ethiopian Regiment died.


Final skirmishes and return to Britain

On New Year's Day in 1776, Dunmore gave orders to burn waterfront buildings in
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
from which patriot troops were firing on his ships. However, the fire spread. The city burned, and with it, any hope that Dunmore's loyalists could return to Virginia. Dunmore retreated to New York. Some ships of his refugee fleet were sent south, mainly to
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
.
Esek Hopkins Commodore (rank), Commodore Esek Hopkins (April 26, 1718February 26, 1802) was a Continental Navy officer and privateer. He served as the only commander-in-chief of the Continental navy during the American Revolutionary War, when the Continental ...
, the new commander of the American navy, was given orders in early January 1776 to pursue Dunmore, who the Virginians viewed as a pirate, but Hopkins selected the Bahamas as a better target. When Dunmore realized he could not regain control in Virginia, he returned to Britain in July 1776. Dunmore continued to draw his pay as the colony's governor until 1783, when Britain recognized American independence.


Colonial governor of the Bahamas

From 1787 to 1796, Dunmore served as
governor of the Bahamas This is a list of governors of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the lords proprietors of the Province of Carolina, but the islands were left to themselves. The lo ...
. During his tenure as governor, the British issued land grants to American Loyalists who went into exile. The sparse population of the Bahamas tripled within a few years. The Loyalists developed cotton as a commodity crop, but it dwindled from insect damage and soil exhaustion. In addition to the slaves they brought with them, the Loyalist planters' descendants imported more enslaved people from Africa for labour.


Peerage

Dunmore sat as a
Scottish representative peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Scotland to sit in the House of Lords after the Acts of Union 1707 abolished the unicameral Parliament of Scotland, where all Scottish Peers had been entit ...
in the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
from 1761 to 1774 and from 1776 to 1790.


Death

Dunmore died on 25 February 1809 in
Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...
in
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
. The Countess of Dunmore died in 1819.


Legacy

*
Dunmore County, Virginia Shenandoah County (formerly Dunmore County) is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,186. Its county seat is Woodstock. It is part of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virgi ...
, formed in 1772, was named in his honour. However, during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, the citizens changed its name to
Shenandoah County Shenandoah County (formerly Dunmore County) is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,186. Its county seat is Woodstock, V ...
in 1778. *
Lake Dunmore Lake Dunmore is a freshwater lake in Addison County, Vermont. The lake spans the towns of Salisbury and Leicester and has a surface area of 985 acres (3.98 km2). Lake Dunmore is over 3 miles long (oriented north-south) and up to 1 mile wide. ...
in
Salisbury, Vermont Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2020 census. History Salisbury was chartered on November 3, 1761, as one of the New Hampshire Grants issued by Benning Wentworth. The town may have b ...
, was named after him in 1773 since he had claimed ownership of the area while he was Governor of New York.Zaremba, Robert E. and Danielle R. Jeanloz
Around Middlebury
(Arcadia Publishing, 2000), p. 95.
* Porto Bello, the hunting lodge of Lord Dunmore, still stands on the grounds of
Camp Peary Camp Peary is a U.S. military reservation in York County near Williamsburg, Virginia, which hosts a covert CIA training facility known as "The Farm". Officially referred to as an Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity (AFETA) under the ...
in
York County, Virginia York County (formerly Charles River County) is a List of cities and counties in Virginia#List of counties, county in the eastern part of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, located in the Tidewater (region), Tidewater. As o ...
. It is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Access to the base is highly restricted, so the structure is not available for public viewing. * The
Dunmore Pineapple Dunmore from the or , meaning "great fort", may refer to: People * Dunmore (surname) * Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls * Countess of Dunmore (disambiguation), a list of wives of earls of Dunmore Plac ...
was built in 1761 before he left Scotland. The building is now owned by the
National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...
and is leased to the
Landmark Trust The Landmark Trust is a British architectural conservation, building conservation charitable organization, charity, founded in 1965 by John Smith (Conservative politician), Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or ...
who use it to provide holiday accommodation. The gardens are open to the public year-round. * Dunmore Street in
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, was named for him. It is said that the naming of Dunmore Street was not to honour the ex-governor but to celebrate the place in Norfolk where he had last set foot. * The borough of Dunmore in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, is named after Dunmore Park in Scotland, the location of the Dunmore Pineapple. * Lord Dunmore Drive in
Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...
. *
Dunmore Town Dunmore Town is a town in the Bahamas. It has a population of 1,762 (2010 census). It is the only town at Harbour Island, which is located just east from North Eleuthera. Dunmore Town is one of the few settlements in the Bahamas with a predomi ...
, Harbour Island, North Eleuthera,
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
.


References


Further reading

*
Ebook (full view)
* David, James Corbett. ''Dunmore's New World: The Extraordinary Life of a Royal Governor in Revolutionary America – with Jacobites, Counterfeiters, Land Schemes, Shipwrecks, Scalping, Indian Politics, Runaway Slaves, and Two Illegal Royal Weddings'' (University of Virginia Press; 2013) 280 pages *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunmore, John Murray, 4th Earl Of 1730 births 1809 deaths British governors of the Bahamas British officials in the American Revolution
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
Colonial governors of Virginia Earls of Dunmore
Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American bicycle manufacturer * Murray Motor Car Company, an American car manufacturer * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trus ...
People of Dunmore's War Presidents of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York Scottish representative peers Scottish slave owners