Ronald Craufurd Ferguson
Encyclopedia
General Sir Ronald Craufurd Ferguson (1773–1841), was a Scottish officer in the British Army and a Member of Parliament for the constituencies of Kirkcaldy
and Nottingham
.
of Raith, Fifeshire, by Jane, daughter of Ronald Craufurd of Restalrig, sister of Margaret, countess of Dumfries, was born in Edinburgh on 8 February 1773.
Ferguson entered the British Army as an ensign in the 53rd Regiment of Foot
on 3 April 1790, and was promoted lieutenant on 24 January 1791. He then paid a long visit to Berlin in order to study the Prussian system of discipline, and on his return he was promoted captain on 19 February 1793.
In this year, on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars
, Ferguson's regiment, was despatched to Flanders, where it was brigaded with the 14th and 37th regiments under the command of Major-general Ralph Abercromby
, who took particular notice of Ferguson, as a young Scot of singular bodily strength and activity. Ferguson served throughout the campaign of 1793, at the siege of Valenciennes
, and in the battles which led to the Frederick, Duke of York's retreat from Dunkirk. In October 1793 the 53rd formed part of the garrison of Nieuwpoort
, under the command of Lieutenant-general Sir Charles Grey
, and during the constant fighting which took place in front of that town the 53rd was much engaged. Ferguson, who was wounded in the knee, was specially praised in despatches.
In the following year Ferguson left Flanders
on being promoted major into the 84th Regiment of Foot
on 31 May 1794, and on 18 September 1794, though only twenty-one, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel and appointed to command the newly raised 2nd battalion of that regiment. He was at once ordered to India, and in 1795 his regiment was one of those which co-operated from India, under Major-general Sir Alured Clarke
, in the reduction of the Cape of Good Hope.
On his return to India Ferguson was stationed at Cawnpore, and there married Jean, natural daughter of General Sir Hector Munro
, in 1798. This marriage greatly increased his wealth and importance, and Ferguson found no difficulty in getting further employment.
On his return to England he was promoted colonel on 1 January 1800, and in that year he held a command in Major-general the Hon. Thomas Maitland's attack on Belle Isle
, and in Sir James Pulteney's Ferrol Expedition
. He was one of the officers who returned home in disgust at Pulteney's refusal to attack Ferrol.
In 1804 Ferguson was appointed brigadier-general commanding the York district, and in the following year he took command of the highland brigade, consisting of the 71st, 72nd, and 93rd highlanders, in the expedition sent under Sir David Baird
to recapturethe Cape of Good Hope. He performed the difficult task of landing his brigade in the face of the Dutch troops and covering the disembarkation of the rest of the army, and by his conduct in the following engagements he won the repeated thanks of Sir David Baird. He was forced to leave the Cape by severe illness. On his return to England he was elected M.P. for the Kirkcaldy burghs in 1806, a seat which he held for twenty-four years.
On 25 April 1808 he was promoted major-general and later the same year he was appointed to command a brigade in the army under Sir Arthur Wellesley
, destined for the assistance of the Portuguese, and at the landing of the expedition at the mouth of the Mondego he was placed in command of a brigade consisting of the 42nd and 78th regiments.
At the battle of Roliça
Ferguson's brigade was employed upon the extreme left, and twice turned Laborde's right, after an advance along a difficult mountain road. At the great battle of Vimeiro
it was posted on the left of the English army, and Ferguson had just begun to pursue Junot when he was checked by Sir Harry Burrard. Ferguson was spoken of in the highest terms in Sir Arthur Wellesley's despatch, and was thanked in his place in the House of Commons for his services. He also received a gold medal and was gazetted colonel of the Sicilian regiment on 25 January 1809.
In the parliamentary session of 1809 he distinguished himself by his speeches against the Frederick, Duke of York in the debates on the Clarke scandal. In spite of this, and of his advanced liberalism, he was nominated to a command in the force sent under Sir David Baird to join Sir John Moore in the Peninsula, but reached Corunna
too late to be of any service.
In 1810 he was appointed second in command to the army in Cadiz
, but was obliged by illness to return to England in a few months. On 4 June 1813 he was promoted lieutenant-general. In 1814 he acted for a short time as second in command to Sir Thomas Graham in Holland, and in the following year he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
.
Ferguson never again saw service, but continued to sit for the Kirkcaldy
burghs until 1830, and throughout this period of Tory
ascendency distinguished himself in the House of Commons by his decided liberalism. He was a consistent supporter of all measures tending to civil and religious liberty, an earnest advocate for Catholic emancipation
, and both spoke and voted for the ballot and for triennial parliaments.
On 24 March 1828 he was transferred to the colonelcy of the 79th Cameron highlanders, on 22 July 1830 he was promoted general, and in 1831 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath
at the coronation of William IV.
In 1830 he was defeated for the representation of the Kirkcaldy burghs by the Tory candidate, Lord Loughborough, the eldest son of General the Earl of Rosslyn
; but he was immediately elected for Nottingham, for which place he continued to sit until his death, in Bolton Row, London, on 10 April 1841. In the previous December he had succeeded to the family estate of Raith, on the death of his elder brother, Robert Ferguson, who had also for many years been a radical M.P., and he was succeeded in all his Scottish estates by his only son, Colonel Robert Ferguson(1802–1868), who sat for the Kirkcaldy burghs from 1841 to 1862, and took the additional name of Munro on acceding to some of the estates of his grandfather, Sir Hector Munro of Novar, Ross, and Cromarty.
Robert Ferguson
Kirkcaldy (UK Parliament constituency)
Kirkcaldy was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Fife, returning one Member of Parliament . It existed from the February 1974 election until its abolition in 2005.-Boundaries:...
and Nottingham
Nottingham (UK Parliament constituency)
Nottingham was a parliamentary borough in Nottinghamshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295. In 1885 the constituency was abolished and the city of Nottingham divided into three single-member constituencies....
.
Biography
Ronald was second son of William FergusonWilliam Ferguson
William Ferguson may refer to:* Bill Ferguson, cricket scorer* Bill Ferguson , Maryland state senator* Will Ferguson, Canadian writer* William A...
of Raith, Fifeshire, by Jane, daughter of Ronald Craufurd of Restalrig, sister of Margaret, countess of Dumfries, was born in Edinburgh on 8 February 1773.
Ferguson entered the British Army as an ensign in the 53rd Regiment of Foot
53rd Regiment of Foot
The 53rd Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment founded in 1755. In 1881, as part of the Childers Reforms, it became The King's Shropshire Light Infantry Regiment. Its traditions are currently held by the 3rd battalion of The Light Infantry....
on 3 April 1790, and was promoted lieutenant on 24 January 1791. He then paid a long visit to Berlin in order to study the Prussian system of discipline, and on his return he was promoted captain on 19 February 1793.
In this year, on the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, Ferguson's regiment, was despatched to Flanders, where it was brigaded with the 14th and 37th regiments under the command of Major-general Ralph Abercromby
Ralph Abercromby
Sir Ralph Abercromby was a Scottish soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars, and served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.He twice served as MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, and was...
, who took particular notice of Ferguson, as a young Scot of singular bodily strength and activity. Ferguson served throughout the campaign of 1793, at the siege of Valenciennes
Siege of Valenciennes
The Siege of Valenciennes, also known as the Siege of Utrecht, took place from November 1676 to March 1677, during the Franco-Dutch War. A French army besieged the city of Valenciennes, which was then a part of the Spanish Netherlands and defended by a small army of the Holy Roman Empire. The city...
, and in the battles which led to the Frederick, Duke of York's retreat from Dunkirk. In October 1793 the 53rd formed part of the garrison of Nieuwpoort
Nieuwpoort, Belgium
Nieuwpoort is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Nieuwpoort proper and the towns of Ramskapelle and Sint-Joris. On January 1, 2008 Nieuwpoort had a total population of 11,062....
, under the command of Lieutenant-general Sir Charles Grey
Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey, KB PC was one of the most important British generals of the 18th century. He was the fourth son of Sir Henry Grey, 1st Baronet, of Howick in Northumberland. He served in the Seven Years' War, American War of Independence and French Revolutionary War...
, and during the constant fighting which took place in front of that town the 53rd was much engaged. Ferguson, who was wounded in the knee, was specially praised in despatches.
In the following year Ferguson left Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
on being promoted major into the 84th Regiment of Foot
84th Regiment of Foot
84th Regiment of Foot refers to one of three infantry regiments that served in the British Empire:* 84th Regiment of Foot , served entirely in India, no successors...
on 31 May 1794, and on 18 September 1794, though only twenty-one, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel and appointed to command the newly raised 2nd battalion of that regiment. He was at once ordered to India, and in 1795 his regiment was one of those which co-operated from India, under Major-general Sir Alured Clarke
Alured Clarke
Field-marshal Sir Alured Clarke KB was an officer of the British army, lieutenant governor of the colonial Province of Quebec, and civil administrator of Lower Canada...
, in the reduction of the Cape of Good Hope.
On his return to India Ferguson was stationed at Cawnpore, and there married Jean, natural daughter of General Sir Hector Munro
Hector Munro
General Sir Hector Munro KB was a Scottish soldier in the British army who became the ninth Commander-in-Chief of India .-Early Military Career in Scotland:...
, in 1798. This marriage greatly increased his wealth and importance, and Ferguson found no difficulty in getting further employment.
On his return to England he was promoted colonel on 1 January 1800, and in that year he held a command in Major-general the Hon. Thomas Maitland's attack on Belle Isle
Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Belle Isle is an uninhabited island just off the coast of Labrador and north of Newfoundland at the Atlantic entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle which takes its name...
, and in Sir James Pulteney's Ferrol Expedition
Ferrol Expedition (1800)
The Ferrol Expedition took place on 25 and 26 August 1800, and was an unsuccessful british attempt to capture Ferrol from Spain.-Background:The primary object of the British fleet during the year 1800 was the conquest of Belle Île...
. He was one of the officers who returned home in disgust at Pulteney's refusal to attack Ferrol.
In 1804 Ferguson was appointed brigadier-general commanding the York district, and in the following year he took command of the highland brigade, consisting of the 71st, 72nd, and 93rd highlanders, in the expedition sent under Sir David Baird
Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet
General Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet GCB was a British military leader.-Military career:He was born at Newbyth House in Haddingtonshire, Scotland, the son of an Edinburgh merchant family, and entered the British Army in 1772. He was sent to India in 1779 with the 73rd Highlanders, in which he...
to recapturethe Cape of Good Hope. He performed the difficult task of landing his brigade in the face of the Dutch troops and covering the disembarkation of the rest of the army, and by his conduct in the following engagements he won the repeated thanks of Sir David Baird. He was forced to leave the Cape by severe illness. On his return to England he was elected M.P. for the Kirkcaldy burghs in 1806, a seat which he held for twenty-four years.
On 25 April 1808 he was promoted major-general and later the same year he was appointed to command a brigade in the army under Sir Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, destined for the assistance of the Portuguese, and at the landing of the expedition at the mouth of the Mondego he was placed in command of a brigade consisting of the 42nd and 78th regiments.
At the battle of Roliça
Battle of Roliça
In the Battle of Roliça an Anglo-Portuguese army under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated an outnumbered French army under General Henri Delaborde, near the village of Roliça in Portugal. The French retired in good order...
Ferguson's brigade was employed upon the extreme left, and twice turned Laborde's right, after an advance along a difficult mountain road. At the great battle of Vimeiro
Battle of Vimeiro
In the Battle of Vimeiro the British under General Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro , near Lisbon, Portugal during the Peninsular War...
it was posted on the left of the English army, and Ferguson had just begun to pursue Junot when he was checked by Sir Harry Burrard. Ferguson was spoken of in the highest terms in Sir Arthur Wellesley's despatch, and was thanked in his place in the House of Commons for his services. He also received a gold medal and was gazetted colonel of the Sicilian regiment on 25 January 1809.
In the parliamentary session of 1809 he distinguished himself by his speeches against the Frederick, Duke of York in the debates on the Clarke scandal. In spite of this, and of his advanced liberalism, he was nominated to a command in the force sent under Sir David Baird to join Sir John Moore in the Peninsula, but reached Corunna
Battle of Corunna
The Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
too late to be of any service.
In 1810 he was appointed second in command to the army in Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, but was obliged by illness to return to England in a few months. On 4 June 1813 he was promoted lieutenant-general. In 1814 he acted for a short time as second in command to Sir Thomas Graham in Holland, and in the following year he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
.
Ferguson never again saw service, but continued to sit for the Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
burghs until 1830, and throughout this period of Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
ascendency distinguished himself in the House of Commons by his decided liberalism. He was a consistent supporter of all measures tending to civil and religious liberty, an earnest advocate for Catholic emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
, and both spoke and voted for the ballot and for triennial parliaments.
On 24 March 1828 he was transferred to the colonelcy of the 79th Cameron highlanders, on 22 July 1830 he was promoted general, and in 1831 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
at the coronation of William IV.
In 1830 he was defeated for the representation of the Kirkcaldy burghs by the Tory candidate, Lord Loughborough, the eldest son of General the Earl of Rosslyn
Earl of Rosslyn
Earl of Rosslyn is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1801 for Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Baron Loughborough, Lord Chancellor from 1793 to 1801, with special remainder to his nephew Sir James St Clair-Erskine, 6th Baronet...
; but he was immediately elected for Nottingham, for which place he continued to sit until his death, in Bolton Row, London, on 10 April 1841. In the previous December he had succeeded to the family estate of Raith, on the death of his elder brother, Robert Ferguson, who had also for many years been a radical M.P., and he was succeeded in all his Scottish estates by his only son, Colonel Robert Ferguson(1802–1868), who sat for the Kirkcaldy burghs from 1841 to 1862, and took the additional name of Munro on acceding to some of the estates of his grandfather, Sir Hector Munro of Novar, Ross, and Cromarty.
Robert Ferguson
Robert Ferguson
Robert Ferguson was a Scottish religious minister, conspirator and political pamphleteer, known as "the Plotter".He was a son of William Ferguson Robert Ferguson (c. 1637–1714) was a Scottish religious minister, conspirator and political pamphleteer, known as "the Plotter".He was a son of William...