James Wemyss (1726–1786)

James Wemyss
James Wemyss
Member of Parliament for Sutherland
	In office; 1768–1784
Preceded by	Alexander Mackay
Succeeded by	William Wemyss
Member of Parliament for Fife
	In office; 1763–1768
Preceded by	James St Clair
Succeeded by	John Scott
Personal details
Born	23 February 1726
Died	10 May 1786 (aged 60)
Spouse(s)	Lady Elizabeth Sutherland; (m. after 1757, died)
Children	Elizabeth Margaret Wemyss; William Wemyss; James Wemyss
Parents	James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss; Janet Charteris

Hon. James Wemyss (23 February 1726 – 10 May 1786) was a Scottish naval officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1763 to 1784.

Early life

Wemyss was born on 23 February 1726. Wemyss was the third and youngest son of James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss by his wife Janet Charteris.[1] Wemyss was educated in Edinburgh.[2]

His eldest brother, David, Lord Elcho, was attainted in 1746, and his other older brother, Francis, adopted the name Charteris as heir to their maternal grandfather Francis Charteris, a Scottish soldier and adventurer who earned a substantial sum of money through gambling and the South Sea Bubble.[2] Therefore, James was named heir to the Wemyss estates, including Wemyss Castle, by a new entail of 31 July 1750.[3] The 5th Earl of Wemyss died in 1756.[1]

Career

Wemyss served in the British Navy, as a Midshipman R.N. 1741; was promoted to Lieutenant in 1745. However, his progress was slow, and soon after succeeding to the Wemyss estates, his brother Francis wrote to him urging him to quit the navy, establish himself at Wemyss Castle and marry.[2] On 12 January 1757, Lord Temple refused his promotion request and Wemyss resigned his commission.[2] In 1759, his friend, Richard Kempenfelt, wrote to him "The navy should not have neglected you, nor you it. Possessed of every quality to shine conspicuous, why should you shade yourself in peace when your country, when all Europe, is as in a blaze of arms?"[2]

Wemyss was Member of Parliament for Fife from 1763 to 1768 and for Sutherland from 1768 to 1784, when he was succeeded by his son.[4]

Personal life

On 29 August 1757, James Wemyss was married to his half-cousin Lady Elizabeth Sutherland (d. 1803), the only daughter of William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland by his wife Lady Elizabeth Wemyss, daughter of David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss. Their children included:

Elizabeth Margaret Wemyss (d. 1800), who married MP Alexander Brodie, son of James Brodie, Sheriff of Elgin.[5]
William Wemyss (1760–1822), a soldier and MP who married Frances Erskine, daughter of Sir William Erskine, 1st Baronet.
James Wemyss (1778–1849), who married Caroline Charlotte Binfield, daughter of Reverend Henry Binfield.

Wemyss died on 10 May 1786. His widow lived nearly another seventeen years until her death on 24 January 1803.[1]

Descendants

Through his son William, he was the grandfather of Frances Wemyss (1794–1858), who married James St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn;[6] Rear-Admiral James Erskine Wemyss (1789–1854); Lieutenant-General William Wemyss (1790–1852); and Clementina Wemyss (1805–1834), who married with James Dewar, Chief Justice of The Supreme Court, Bombay.[7][8]

References

"Wemyss, Earl of (S, 1633)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Cracroft's Peerage. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
"WEMYSS, Hon. James (1726-86), of Wemyss, Fife". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
"Wemyss Castle | The Castles of Scotland, Coventry | Goblinshead". www.thecastlesofscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
"WEMYSS, William (1760-1822), of Wemyss, Fife. ". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
"BRODIE, Alexander (1748-1812)". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
"Earl of Rosslyn". Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
"Clementina Wemyss". Retrieved 4 June 2018.
E. Walford (1882). The county families of the United Kingdom. ISBN 9785871943618. Retrieved 4 June 2018.

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by James St Clair	Member of Parliament for Fife 1763–1768	Succeeded by John Scott
Preceded by Alexander Mackay	Member of Parliament for Sutherland 1768–1784	Succeeded by William Wemyss

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[cracroftspeerage-1] "Wemyss, Earl of (S, 1633)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Cracroft's Peerage. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2019.

[HonJWHOP-2] "WEMYSS, Hon. James (1726-86), of Wemyss, Fife". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 19 June 2019.

[thecastlesofscotland-3] "Wemyss Castle | The Castles of Scotland, Coventry | Goblinshead". www.thecastlesofscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2019.

[HOP-4] "WEMYSS, William (1760-1822), of Wemyss, Fife. ". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 3 December 2017.

[historyofparliamentonline-5] "BRODIE, Alexander (1748-1812)". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 19 June 2019.

[6] "Earl of Rosslyn". Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2011.

[7] "Clementina Wemyss". Retrieved 4 June 2018.

[8] E. Walford (1882). The county families of the United Kingdom. ISBN 9785871943618. Retrieved 4 June 2018.