Robert Sempill (1672 – 11 November 1737), styled Lord Sempill from 1712, was a Scottish Jacobite and soldier in French service.

Biography

Sempill was born at

Castle Semple Castle Semple (previously Castletoun) is a former mansion house located in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is situated near the eastern end of Castle Semple Loch, within Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. History Erected, or more probably rebuilt, by ...

, Scotland, the son of Hon. Archibald Sempill of Dykehead and the grandson of Hugh Sempill, 5th

Lord Sempill Lord Sempill (also variously rendered as Semple or Semphill) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in circa 1489 for Sir John Sempill, founder of the collegiate Church of Lochwinnoch. Sempill was killed at the Battle of Flodden ...

.''Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage''
(1885), p.1189. Being a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, he was sent to be educated in France and by 1688 was an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the French royal Scottish Guards. In 1708 he became a captain in the Regiment of Galmoy before transferring to the Regiment of Dillon in the Irish Brigade in 1715. On 11 May 1712, Sempill was the subject of a "declaration of nobility" by the exiled

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...

, which recognised Semphill as the legitimate heir of his Lord Semphill ancestors and thereby created him

Lord Sempill of Dykehead Lord Sempill of Dykehead was a title of the Jacobite peerage in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created on 11 May 1712 by James Francis Edward Stuart for Robert Sempill, a grandson of Hugh Sempill, 5th Lord Sempill. James issued a "declaration of n ...

in the

Jacobite peerage The Jacobite peerage includes those peerages created by James II and VII, and the subsequent Jacobite pretenders, after James's deposition from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. These creati ...

. This was despite the title in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland (; ) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union 1707, Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scots and the ...

remaining extant with Francis Sempill, 10th Lord Sempill as the holder. He married Elizabeth Abercromby and they had four children. He was succeeded by his eldest son,

Francis Sempill Francis Sempill (c. 1616 – March 1682) was a Scottish poet, the son of Robert Sempill the younger. No details of his education are known. His fidelity to the Stuarts involved him in money difficulties, to meet which he alienated portion ...

, who became a leading Jacobite agent in Paris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sempill, Robert 1672 births 1737 deaths 17th-century Scottish people 18th-century Scottish people Garde Écossaise officers Lords of Parliament in the Jacobite peerage Peers created by James Francis Edward Stuart Kingdom of Scotland expatriates in France Scottish Jacobites Scottish soldiers

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...