Maj. General William Kirkpatrick

Abt 1754 - 1812  (58 years)    Has more than 100 ancestors and 15 descendants in this family tree.

• Name	William Kirkpatrick
  Prefix	Maj. General
  Birth	Abt 1754
  Gender	Male
  Death	Aug 1812
  in his 58th year
  Siblings	2 Siblings
  + 1. Maj. General William Kirkpatrick,   b. Abt 1754   d. Aug 1812  (Age 58 years) ▻ Mary Pawson + 2. George Kirkpatrick,   b. Abt 1763   d. 1838, Hollydale  (Age 75 years) ▻ + 3. Lt. Col. James Achilles Kirkpatrick   d. 1805, Calcutta, Bengal, India ▻
  Person ID	I244259	Geneagraphie
  Last Modified	14 Jun 2001

  
  

  Father	Colonel James Kirkpatrick,   b. Abt 1729   d. 1818, Hollydale, Kent, England (Age 89 years)
  Mother	Katherine Munro   d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	1762	Madras, India
  Family ID	F98946	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Pawson   d. Yes, date unknown
  Children	+ 1. Maria Clementina Kirkpatrick,   b. 1786, Fort William, Calcutta, West Bengal, India d. 7 Dec 1861, London, Middlesex, England (Age 75 years) + 2. Barbara Kirkpatrick   d. Yes, date unknown + 3. Julia Woodburn Kirkpatrick   d. Yes, date unknown   4. Eliza Kirkpatrick   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F98948	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	8 Mar 2010

  
  

• Notes

  entered the East India Company’s Military Service, and soon distinguished himself by his professional talents and literary acquirements. He published a Vocabulary, Persian, Arabic, and English, 1785; selected Letters of Tippoo Sultaun, 1811; and in the same year ‘An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul, being the substance of Observations made during a Mission to that Country in the year 1793,’ the preface of which commences, ‘No Englishman had hitherto passed beyond the range of lofty mountains, which separates the secluded valley of Nepaul from the north-eastern parts of Bengal.’ The Court of Nepaul, alarmed by an invasion from China, implored assistance from the Bengal Government, who sent Colonel Kirkpatrick (assisted by three other officers and a surgeon) as Envoy to the Court. His report was written for Government, and not for publication; and it was not till several years after it was written, that, on his return to England, he was reluctantly induced to publish the work, under the patronage of the Court of Directors. He had already distinguished himself when Lord Wellesley went out as Governor in 1798. In a dispatch to the Right Honourable Henry Addington, First Lord of the Treasury, dated Cawnpore, 10th of January, 1802, Lord Wellesley writes (see Introduction to the third volume of the Wellesley Dispatches, p. x.), ‘I fortunately found him at the Cape, on my way to India, and I have no hesitation in declaring, that to him I am indebted for the seasonable information which enabled me to extinguish the French influence in the Deccan, and to frustrate the vindictive projects of Tippoo Sultaun.’ He filled the offices of Resident at the Court of Scindiah, at Nepaul, and at Hyderabad; Commissioner for the Affairs of Mysore; Confidential Military Secretary; and Secretary to the Military Department of the Government. He was also appointed Resident at Poonah, when failing health obliged him to return to England in 1801, at the early age of forty-seven. Lord Wellesley, in his dispatch to Government, says, that he had served his country with the greatest honour and ability, and sums up his character in these words: ‘Lieutenant-Colonel Kirkpatrick’s skill in the Oriental languages, and his extensive acquaintance with the manners, customs, and laws of India, are not equalled by any person whom I have met in this country. His perfect knowledge of the native Courts, of their policy, prejudices, and interests, as well as of all the leading political characters among the inhabitants of India, is unrivalled in the Company’s civil or military service; and his integrity and honour are as universally acknowledged as his eminent talents, extraordinary learning, and political experience.’ Lord Wellesley offered in the handsomest terms to apply on his behalf for the English honours, which however he courteously declined. The correspondence is still preserved by the family.