Robert Melville
Encyclopedia
Robert Melvill (12 October 1723 – 29 August 1809) was a Scottish soldier, botanist and inventor. He served as a general in the British Army
and was a prominent antiquary.
Melvill invented (1759) the Carronade
, a cast iron ordnance. He founded the St. Vincent Botanic Garden, in the West Indies.
Melville was born in Monimail in Scotland
, the son of Andrew Melville, a clergyman, and Helen Whytt, sister of Dr. Robert Whytt
. As a member of the noble Melville family
, he was related to the Earls of Leven and Earls of Melville. He was educated at the grammar school
in Leven
, and attended Glasgow University (at the same time as Adam Smith
) but left to study medicine at Edinburgh University.
He left his studies a second time and joined the 25th Foot (originally raised by David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven
in 1689, and later known as the King's Own Scottish Borderers) as an Ensign
in 1744 in Flanders
, and fought that year at the Battle of Fontenoy
, where 1/3 of the regiment was killed. After the Battle of Ath, he returned with the regiment to Scotland to put down the Jacobite rebellion in 1745, and was besieged by the Jacobite
s in Blair Castle
before fighting at the Battle of Culloden
. He continued the war in Flanders at the battles of Roucoux and Lauffeld
. He was a Lieutenant
by 1748, and was promoted to Captain
in 1751.
He was a Major
in the 38th Foot in 1756, and served in the West Indies in the Seven Years' War
. He assisted with the capture of several French islands, including Guadeloupe, Martinique
, and Dominica
, and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. He was wounded in the capture of Guadeloupe, and as a result later grew blind. He became Lieutenant-Governor of Guadeloupe
in 1759, but his superior died and he became Governor in 1760 with the rank of brigadier-general. Under the 1763 Treaty of Paris
, Guadeloupe
, Martinique
, and Saint Lucia
were returned to France, but Grenada
, the Grenadines
, Dominica
, St Vincent
and Tobago
were ceded to Britain. Melville was governor of the ceded islands (apart from Grenada) from 1763 to 1770. He was acting governor of Grenada
in 1764 and again in 1770 to 1771.
Melville returned to Scotland in 1771, where he is credited with inventing the carronade
in the 1770s (originally named the "melvillade" in his honour). In later life, he became well known as an antiquary, and was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1775.
When he died, in 1809, he was the oldest general but one in the British Army. He never married.
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...
and was a prominent antiquary.
Melvill invented (1759) the Carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
, a cast iron ordnance. He founded the St. Vincent Botanic Garden, in the West Indies.
Melville was born in Monimail in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the son of Andrew Melville, a clergyman, and Helen Whytt, sister of Dr. Robert Whytt
Robert Whytt
Robert Whytt was a Scottish physician. His work, on unconscious reflexes, tubercular meningitis, urinary bladder stones, and hysteria, is remembered now most for his book on diseases of the nervous system...
. As a member of the noble Melville family
Melville family
Melville is the name of a notable and nobility Scots family originally from Fife in eastern Scotland.*Alan Melville, English playwright, composer, lyricist, scriptwriter and performer*Alan Melville, South African cricketer...
, he was related to the Earls of Leven and Earls of Melville. He was educated at the grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in Leven
Leven, Fife
Leven is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, north-east of Kirkcaldy and east of Glenrothes....
, and attended Glasgow University (at the same time as Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
) but left to study medicine at Edinburgh University.
He left his studies a second time and joined the 25th Foot (originally raised by David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven
David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven
David Leslie-Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven and 2nd Earl of Melville was a Scots aristocrat, politician, and soldier.The third son of George Melville, 1st Earl of Melville and his second wife Catherine Leslie-Melville, he shared the Whig political and the Presbyterian religious sympathies of his...
in 1689, and later known as the King's Own Scottish Borderers) as an Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in 1744 in 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...
, and fought that year at the Battle of Fontenoy
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
, where 1/3 of the regiment was killed. After the Battle of Ath, he returned with the regiment to Scotland to put down the Jacobite rebellion in 1745, and was besieged by the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
s in Blair Castle
Blair Castle
Blair Castle stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the home of the Clan Murray family, who hold the title of Duke of Atholl, though the current Duke, John Murray, lives in South Africa....
before fighting at the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
. He continued the war in Flanders at the battles of Roucoux and Lauffeld
Battle of Lauffeld
The Battle of Lauffeld, also known as the Battle of Lafelt or Battle of Maastricht, also Battle of Val, took place on 2 July 1747, during the French invasion of the Netherlands. It was part of the War of the Austrian Succession...
. He was a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
by 1748, and was promoted to Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 1751.
He was a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the 38th Foot in 1756, and served in the West Indies in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
. He assisted with the capture of several French islands, including Guadeloupe, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, and Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. He was wounded in the capture of Guadeloupe, and as a result later grew blind. He became Lieutenant-Governor of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
in 1759, but his superior died and he became Governor in 1760 with the rank of brigadier-general. Under the 1763 Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
, Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, and Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
were returned to France, but Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, the Grenadines
Grenadines
The Grenadines is a Caribbean island chain of over 600 islands in the Windward Islands.-Geographic boundaries:They are divided between the island nations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. They lie between the islands of Saint Vincent in the north and Grenada in the south. Neither...
, Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, St Vincent
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....
and Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
were ceded to Britain. Melville was governor of the ceded islands (apart from Grenada) from 1763 to 1770. He was acting governor of Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
in 1764 and again in 1770 to 1771.
Melville returned to Scotland in 1771, where he is credited with inventing the carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
in the 1770s (originally named the "melvillade" in his honour). In later life, he became well known as an antiquary, and was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1775.
When he died, in 1809, he was the oldest general but one in the British Army. He never married.