John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore
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John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1730 – February 25, 1809), was a British peer and colonial governor. He was the son of William Murray, 3rd Earl of Dunmore, and his wife Catherine (née Murray).
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[edit] Career until 1774
Murray succeeded his father in the earldom in 1756 and sat as a Scottish Representative Peer in the House of Lords from 1761 to 1774 and from 1776 to 1790. He was the British governor of the Province of New York from 1770 to 1771 and the Virginia Colony, from September 25, 1771 until his departure to New York on New Years Eve, 1776. During his term as Virginia's colonial governor, he directed a series of campaigns against the Indians known as Lord Dunmore's War. The Shawnee were the main target of these attacks, and his purpose was to strengthen Virginia's claims in the west, particularly in the Ohio Country. However, some have accused him of colluding with the Shawnees and arranging the war to deplete the Virginia militia and help safeguard the Loyalist cause, should there be a colonial rebellion.
[edit] The American Revolution
From 1774 on, Dunmore was continually clashing with the Colonial Assembly. He left Williamsburg on June 8, 1775, retreating to his hunting lodge, Porto Bello, and had to take refuge on the British warship Fowey in the York River when the American Revolutionary War began. When he realized he could not regain control in Virginia, he returned to Britain in July 1776.
He is noted for Lord Dunmore's Proclamation on November 7, 1775, whereby he offered freedom to enslaved Africans who joined his Army (the Ethiopian Regiment). This was the first mass emancipation of slaves in North America. He organized these Black Loyalists into the Ethiopian Regiment. However, after the Battle of Kemp's Landing, Dunmore became over-confident, which precipitated his defeat at the Battle of Great Bridge, December 9, 1775. Following this defeat, he loaded his troops, and many Virginia Loyalists, onto British ships; as there was an outbreak of smallpox at the time, this had disastrous consequences, particularly for the ex-slaves, most of whom had not been inoculated- some 500 of the 800 members of the Ethiopian Regiment died. On New Year's Day in 1776, Dunmore gave orders to burn waterfront buildings in Norfolk from which patriot troops were firing on his ships- falling into another trap, as this gave the rebels an excuse to burn the entire city.[1] When it became apparent that his supporters were not going to be able to return to Virginia, Dunmore retreated to New York. Some ships of his refugee fleet were sent south, mostly to Florida, but the rumour that their black passengers were resold into slavery appears to be based on propaganda stories circulated by the anti-British forces at the time.[2]
[edit] Later life
From 1787 to 1796, he served as Governor of the Bahamas. Lord Dunmore married Lady Charlotte, daughter of Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway, in 1759. Their daughter Lady Augusta Murray was the daughter-in-law of King George III. Dunmore died in March 1809 and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son George. The Countess of Dunmore died in 1818.
[edit] Heritage
- Dunmore County, Virginia, formed in 1772, was named in his honour. However, as the American Revolution got underway, the citizens changed its name to Shenandoah County in 1778.
- Porto Bello, the hunting lodge of Lord Dunmore, still stands on the grounds of Camp Peary in York County, Virginia. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Access to the base is highly restricted, so the structure is not available for public viewing.
- The Dunmore Pineapple was built in 1761 before he left Scotland. The building is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is leased to the Landmark Trust who use it to provide holiday accommodation. The gardens are open to the public year round.
- Dunmore Street in Norfolk, Virginia was named for him. It is said that the naming of Dunmore Street was not to honour the ex-governor, but to celebrate the place in Norfolk where he had last set foot.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Henry Moore, Bart |
Royal Governor of New York 1770–1771 |
Succeeded by William Tryon |
| Preceded by William Nelson |
Crown Governor of Virginia 1771–1775 |
Succeeded by — |
| Preceded by John Brown |
Governor of the Bahamas 1787–1796 |
Succeeded by Robert Hunt |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by William Murray |
Earl of Dunmore | Succeeded by George Murray |
[edit] References
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
- www.thepeerage.com
- ^ Guy, Louis L. jr. Norfolk's Worst Nightmare Norfolk Historical Society Courier (Spring 2001)- accessed 2008-01-03
- ^ Pybus, Cassandra Jefferson's Faulty Math: The Question of Slave Defections in the American Revolution William and Mary Quarterly vol. 62 no. 2 (2005)- subscription
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