Robert Boyd (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Boyd KB
(c.1710 - 13 May 1794) was a British Army
officer.
Boyd was baptized on 20 April 1710 at Richmond, Surrey and attended Glasgow University before entering the army in his father Ninian's profession of civilian storekeeper. In 1756 he served at the Siege of Minorca
, and attempted to reach Admiral John Byng
's fleet in an open boat with a message from the besieged Garrison Commander William Blakeney
. Boyd was a witness at the subsequent court-martial at which Byng was tried for the loss of the Garrison.
He subsequently became commissary general to the Marquess of Granby
in Germany (1758 to 1759); he then rose through the officer ranks to be three-times Governor of Gibraltar
(1776 to 1777, 1790 and 1790 to 1794).
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...
(c.1710 - 13 May 1794) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer.
Boyd was baptized on 20 April 1710 at Richmond, Surrey and attended Glasgow University before entering the army in his father Ninian's profession of civilian storekeeper. In 1756 he served at the Siege of Minorca
Siege of Minorca
The Siege of Fort St Philip took place in 1756 during the Seven Years War.- Siege :...
, and attempted to reach Admiral John Byng
John Byng
Admiral John Byng was a Royal Navy officer. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to Vice-Admiral in 1747...
's fleet in an open boat with a message from the besieged Garrison Commander William Blakeney
William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney
William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney KB was an Irish soldier known for his unsuccessful defence of the Spanish island of Minorca following the Battle of Minorca in 1756.-Early life:...
. Boyd was a witness at the subsequent court-martial at which Byng was tried for the loss of the Garrison.
He subsequently became commissary general to the Marquess of Granby
John Manners, Marquess of Granby
General John Manners, Marquess of Granby PC, , British soldier, was the eldest son of the 3rd Duke of Rutland. As he did not outlive his father, he was known by his father's subsidiary title, Marquess of Granby...
in Germany (1758 to 1759); he then rose through the officer ranks to be three-times Governor of Gibraltar
Governor of Gibraltar
The Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The Governor is appointed by the British Monarch on the advice of the British Government...
(1776 to 1777, 1790 and 1790 to 1794).