James Johnston (21 May 1721 – 26 November 1795) was a general of 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 ...

, colonel of the Royal Horse Guards (the Blues) then colonel of the Scots Greys where he succeeded his sister's husband, George Preston.

Early life

Scots Greys Trooper and Royal Horse Guards c 1745

Johnston was the only surviving son of James Johnston (1655–1737) and his wife, Lucy (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Claxton) Johnston.Johnston was often confused with another army officer of the same name and much the same age, James "Irish" Johnston whose father, George Johnston, was a third cousin of James, sharing descent from Archibald Johnston (died 1619) and his wife Rachel Arnot. His father's first wife was Catharine Poulett (a daughter of

John Poulett, 2nd Baron Poulett John Poulett, 2nd Baron Poulett DL (1615 – 15 September 1665), of Hinton St George in Somerset, was an English peer and Member of Parliament who fought on the Royalist side during the English Civil War. The son of John Poulett, 1st Baron P ...

). His sister, Lucy Johnston, was the wife of George Preston. His father was the fourth and second surviving son of

Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston Archibald Johnston, Lord Wariston (1611 – 1663) was a Scottish judge and statesman. He assisted Alexander Henderson in writing the Scottish National Covenant in 1638, and was appointed Procurator of the Kirk in the same year. He was said ...

, and his second wife Helen Hay (a daughter of Alexander Hay, Lord Fosterseat). His maternal grandfather was Thomas Claxton of Dublin. Among his maternal family were aunts Frances, Countess of Rosse (and, later, Viscountess Jocelyn), Mary (née Claxton)

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

Career

Johnston was first commissioned into the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, also known as the Blues, or abbreviated as RHG, was one of the cavalry regiments of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry. In 1969, it was amalgamated with the 1st The Royal Dragoons to form the ...

and was present with the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

at the

Battle of Dettingen The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession, near Karlstein am Main in Bavaria. An alliance composed of British, Hanoverian and Austrian troops, known as the Pragmatic Army, defeated a French ...

in 1743 and the

Battle of Fontenoy The Battle of Fontenoy took place on 11 May 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession, near Tournai, then in the Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Maurice, comte de Saxe, Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Ar ...

in 1745. He became a major in the regiment on 29 November 1750, was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the Royal Horse Guards on 17 December 1754 and commanded the regiment in Germany in several engagements during 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 ...

Richard Cannon Richard Cannon (1779–1865) was a compiler of regimental records for the British Army. Career On 1 January 1802 Cannon was appointed to a clerkship at the Horse Guards, and attained the grade of first-clerk in 1803. Under a Horse Guards order ...

, ''Historical record of the Fourth or Royal Irish Regiment of Dragoon Guards'' (London, 1839
page 90
/ref> Desperately wounded at the

battle of Minden The Battle of Minden was a major engagement during the Seven Years' War, fought on 1 August 1759. An Anglo-German army under the overall command of Prussian Field Marshal Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of F ...

1759 In Great Britain, this year was known as the ''Annus Mirabilis'', because of British victories in the Seven Years' War. Events January–March * January 6 – George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis. * January 11 & ...

he was promoted to full

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of Horse, Royal Horse Guards 9 March 1762, (the same day as his 'Irish' cousin was gazetted colonel of Dragoons)These appointments of the two James Johnstons: Major General, Lieutenant General and General, were identical and gazetted on the same day, one man listed beside the other without distinction.* In addition on 9 March 1762 they were gazetted respectively colonel of Horse and colonel of Dragoons beside each other. and appointed an aide-de-camp to

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 ...

. Promoted to major-general on 30 April 1770

Robert Beatson Robert Beatson, LL.D. FRSE FSA (1741–1818) was a Scottish compiler and miscellaneous writer. Life He was born on 25 June 1741 at Dysart in Fife, Scotland, the son of David Beatson of Vicarsgrange. He was educated for the military profession, ...

, ''A political index to the histories of Great Britain and Ireland'', volume II (London, 180
page 120
/ref> on 2 May 1775 he received the additional appointment of colonel of the

11th Regiment of Dragoons The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the World War I, First World War and World War II, Second ...

in place of the marquess of Lothian and was further promoted to lieutenant-general on 29 August 1777. On 2 April 1778 he was removed from his colonelcy of Royal Horse Guards and a fortnight later appointed colonel of the

6th Regiment of Dragoons The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. One of the regiment's most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. It became t ...

. In succession to George Preston, his sister's husband, he was made colonel of the

Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the Army of Scotland that became a regiment of the British Army in 1707 upon the Union of Scotland and England, continuing until 1971 when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of ...

on 4 February 1785, a post he held until his death. On 25 October 1793 he was promoted

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Personal life

Johnston married twice. His first marriage was on 2 March 1747 to Lady Charlotte Montagu, youngest daughter of

George Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax George Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax (also spelt George Montague) (9 May 1739), of Horton, Northamptonshire, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1715 when he became a peer. Early life Montagu was the son of ...

and the former Mary Lumley. Charlotte's sister, Frances, was the wife of

Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Baronet Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Baronet (1710 – 1780), of Sutton, Bedfordshire, was an English landowner and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1735 to 1747. Burgoyne was baptized on 23 April 1710, the second son of Sir Roger Burgo ...

. Before her death during childbirth on 28 April 1762, Charlotte and James were the parents of least three sons and three daughters, including: * Richard Johnstone * Charlotte Frances Johnston (–1820), who married her cousin, Maj.-Gen.

John Burgoyne General (United Kingdom), General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British Army officer, playwright and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1792. He first saw acti ...

, a son of

and cousin to

, in 1772. After his death, she married Maj.-Gen.

Eyre Power Trench Eyre may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eyre (given name), a list of people * Eyre (surname), a list of people and fictional characters Places Australia South Australia * Eyre Peninsula (disambiguation) * Eyre, South Australia, a ...

, a son of Richard Trench, MP, and brother to

William Trench, 1st Earl of Clancarty William Power Keating Trench, 1st Earl of Clancarty (23 June 1741 – 27 April 1805) was an Irish aristocrat and politician and later United Kingdom statesman at the time of the Act of Union. His family, through his son Richard, became prominen ...

, in 1797. Johnston then married his cousin Frances (

Carter) Twysden. A daughter of Thomas Carter, Frances was the widow of Philip Twysden,

Bishop of Raphoe The Bishop of Raphoe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bi ...

, and the mother of

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from ...

. Johnston lived at

Overstone, Northamptonshire Overstone is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland ...

and in retirement at Weston House near

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and with a house in St James's Place, Middlesex.General Johnston's Estate—All Persons having any Claims or Demands on the Estate of General James Johnston, late of Weston near Bath, in the County of Somerset, and of St James's-place, in the County of Middlesex, deceased, are desired to send an account either to Mr Daniel Robinson, Gray's-inn-place, or Mr Clarke, attorney at Bath. ''The Times'', Friday, 25 December 1795; pg. 4; Issue 3474

Note

References

* Will of James Johnston, General in His Majesty's Army of Weston near Bath, Somerset. Date 12 January 1796. Catalogue reference PROB 11/1270 * Edward Almack. ''The history of the Second dragoons : Royal Scots greys.''
Lieutenant-General James Johnston.
Colonel, 1785. Died, 26 November 1795.

External links

James Johnston (1721-1797), General
at

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

Lady Charlotte Johnstone (née Montagu) (died 1762), Wife of Colonel Johnstone; daughter of 1st Earl of Halifax
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, James 1795 deaths British Army generals British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War Royal Horse Guards officers Royal Scots Greys officers 1721 births 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards officers