Robert Rollo Gillespie KCB (1766 - 1814)

Born 21 Jan 1766 in Cumber, County Down, Ireland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 31 Oct 1814 at age 48 in Kalunga, Nepal

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Biography

Robert was born in 1766. He was the son of Robert Gillespie and Jane Baillie.

His grandfather married a daughter of Lord Rollo, removed from Scotland to take possession of some estates in Ireland in 1720. His father married three times, the first two marriages were childless and then he married Jane Baillie, sister of James Baillie Esq., of Innishargie in the county of Down and representative in the Irish Parliament for the borough of Hillsborough. At an early age he was brought to England and placed in a private seminary at Kensington, known at that time by the name of Norland House.He turned down the opportunity to attend Cambridge University in favor of a military career.

He secretly married Annabell, the fourth daughter of Thomas Taylor, Esq. of Taylor's Grange, County Dublin, in that county on 24 November 1786 while on leave; but upon his recall to quarters, their marriage was finally made public.

He had joined the 3rd Irish Horse in 28 April 1783 as a cornet, transferring in 1792 to the Light Dragoons with the rank of Lieutenant. He fought against the French in the Caribbean, and was made Adjutant-General of St. Domingo. He was promoted to Major on 25 December 1796. On 21 November 1799 he was granted the commission of Lieutenant Colonel. On 9 December 1801 he was granted the sum of 100 guineas, to be expended in the purchase of a sword, as a testimony of the high esteem felt by the by the General Assembly, Jamaica.

In 1804 he was transferred to India where he took command of the 19th Light Dragoons, leading them in the relief of troops in the 1806 Vellore Mutiny. On 5 January 1809 he exchanged into 25th Light Dragoons for more active service. On his departure he received from the men of the 8th Light Dragoons (King's Royal Irish Light Dragoons) a gift of a sword valued at two hundred pounds sterling. Gillespie asked that it be inscribed "The Gift of the Royal Irish". In 1811 he commanded forces in the invasion of Java, after which he was appointed Commander of the Forces in that occupied territory and appointed Major-General on 01 April 1812.

In 1813, he was commander of an Army division at Meerut; one of four divisions sent against Nepal by the British East India Company. The first conflict in what became a 2-year war between Britain and Nepal began at a hill fort outside the city of Dehradun. Called Nalapani by the natives and Kalanga by the British, Gillespie began an assault on the the fort on October 31st, one day before they officially declared war.

At one point in the battle, seeing his men fall back, Gillespie moved forward to rally them, and was shot several times, the fatal ball entering his heart. He died immediately on the field at Kalanga. His body, preserved in spirits, was returned to Meerat for interment, and a monument erected to his memory by the offices who served under him. ^[1]

Major-General Gillespie was posthumously knighted with a K.C.B. on 01 January 1815. Monuments honoring him were also erected at St. Paul's Cathedral, London; and in the main square of his native Comber. ^[2]

Name: Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie Birth Date: 21 Jan 1766 Birth Place: Comber, Down Death Date: 31 Oct 1814 Death Place: Kalunga Father: Robert Gillespie Mother: Bailie

^[3]

He was killed on active service in 1814 and is buried Meerut Cantonment Cemetery, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Name: Gen Robert R Gillespie Birth Date: 21 Jan 1766 Birth Place: Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland Death Date: 31 Oct 1814 Death Place: Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India Cemetery: Meerut Cantonment Cemetery Burial or Cremation Place: Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India^[4]

While Robert did not have any legitimate children with his wife Annabell (Taylor) Gillespie he did have illegimate children.

• George Gillespie born before 1795, Mother unknown
• Robert Rollo Gillespie was born about 1797. Mother: Margaretta Eugene Pechier. He was baptised 25 June 1802 at the age of 4 years at St Catherine, Jamaica.
• Edward Robert Rollo Lewis Gillespie born 31 July 1804. Mother: Charlotte Wallen. He was baptised St Mary Marylebone, London, England
• Selina Gillespie born 29 March 1808. Mother Rose Wheatlie. She was baptised 9 Aug 1811, Trichinopoly, Madras, India.
• 'Two children by the Malay girls' - Four and Leary. It is unclear in the will as to whether the names are the children or the mothers.

At the time of his death in 1814 he had 4 testamentary papers, instead of a final will, and this needed a case in the High Court of Chancery to establish the settlement of his estate. Gillespie V Alexander - 6th & 7th December 1824 - Legacy.^[5]

• Testament # 1- Meerut, July 6th 1814.
• Being perfectly in my senses I declare this to be my last will and testament; and I accordingly leave the little I posses in the following manner; - I bequeath to my daughter, Selina Gillespie, the dear pledge of an attachment to a most amiable woman who is no more a sum of money equal to £12,000 sterling, to be paid on the day of her marriage, provided she has the approbation of the majority of her guardians; but in case she should marry imprudently, and without their consent, only the sum of £5,000. To Mrs Annabella Gillespie I bequeath the sum of £250 a year annuity for her natural life, which will be paid out of the interest arising from the said £12,000 bequeathed to the aforesaid Selina Gillespie. I bequeath £1,000 to George Gillespie, a natural son of mine, now residing in Jamaica. I bequeath £1,500 to Robert Gillespie, a natural son by Eugenie Pechier, a French Lady of St Domingo, who is to be heard of at Kingston, Jamaica. The boy was at school sometime ago at Mount Airy Academy, Philadelphia, America. I bequeath £500 to my son by Mrs Charlotte Wallen. Major Thorn can give an account of her. I bequeath to my housekeeper, now living with me £1,000 that will be paid to her from the sale of my furniture, all the ready money I have in the house and my linen and clothes. Captain Byers will be good enough to invest this money for her in the hands of Mr Alexander, who will send her to Europe, and, when she arrives at home, she will receive £250 in cash; the rest Mr Alexander will purchase and lay out in annuity for her natural life. [He then details property, shares and money etc.] I bequeath a sufficent sum to my daughter Selina Gillespie as to yield her a clear £600 sterling per annum. The remainder except for £500 I bequeath to Eugenie Pechier. I leave to Captain R Houghton of Belfast, Ireland and to his issue by Jane Gillespie; and in case my daughter Selina Gillespie should die, I leave the whole of the sums mentioned above for her use to the said R Houghton and his heirs by Jane Gillespie. I am so ill that I cannot proceed further. Meerut, July 6th 1814.
• Testament # 2 - No date
• I constitute and appoint to be my executors Sir William Kier, Major-general, Captain Byers, Royal Artillery, and Mr Joseph Alexander as also to be guardians to my dear Selina Gillespie.
• Testament # 3 - Dhoon, October 30th 1814.
• I leave and bequeath to Mrs Gillespie, my wife, the sum of £300 per annum, for her personal life. and to my natural daughter Selina Gillespie now in under the care of Colonel Caldwell at Madras the sum of £8000, to be paid to her on the day of her marriage, previous to that the interest to be appropriated to her education and board. I request Colonel Caldwell, Sir William Kier and Mr. Joseph Alexander to act as her guardians and trustees. I have left a memorandum leaving to Mrs. Mary Ann Vineall £1000, and clothes, furniture and many things in my godowns at Meerut; I confirm all items mentioned in that memorandum. I leave to Robert Gillespie, my son by Mademoiselle Eugenie Pechier, of Port-au-Prince St. Domingo, and who is now at school at Mount Airy or Mount Pleasant Academy, near Philadelphia, £1500 sterling; and to his mother £1000 sterling; also to my natural son by Charlotte Wallen £500; should any prize-money hereafter, for Java, turn out advantageously, these sums and bequests will be increased in proportion to the extent of my present property. Should Selina Gillespie die before marriage my bequest to her will be paid to the eldest son of Richard Houghton and Jane Gillespie, my cousin. The two children by the Malay girls, to each I leave two thousand rupees; Four and Leary, five hundred each.
• Testament # 3 - Saharampore, October 23d, 1814.
• If any accident should happen to me I leave and bequeath Mary Ann Vineall £1000 sterling, which Mr. Alexander will be good enough to lay out in the purchase of an annuity for and during the life of the said Mary Ann Vineall. I also leave and bequeath to her all my furniture, clothes, linen and stores in the godowns, and which will be turned or not into cash, as the said Mary Ann Vineall may be disposed to determine; also a sufficient sum of money to pay her passage to Calcutta, and eventually to Europe. I calculate the stores, furniture, &c., at 18,000 rupees.

On the 31st of October 1814, the day after the date of the third paper, the testator was killed in battle. All the legatees, except George Gillespie, survived him.

An unproven will, dated 1795, exists. This was superceded by the above Testamentary papers, used for the final will.

• Unproved Will 17 Oct 1795 Capt RR Gillespie. ^[6]
• Being on the eve of departure for West Indies leaves natural son George Gillespie to be disposed of for his advantage by his beloved wife Annabella Gillespie. Leaves all of his fortune to his beloved wife Annabella and at her decease to her brother Edward Taylor Esq excepting £500 to her youngest brother James Taylor, also the reversion of what money and property was left to him by his late uncle James Bailie Esq of Inishargie and at her death to Edward Taylor except for £500 to Edward Taylor son of Nathan Taylor. signed RRG Capt 20th Dragoons.

Sources

1. ↑ "A Memoir of Major-General Sir R.R. Gillespie" by Sir William Thorn, published in 1816
2. ↑ Sir Rollo Gillespie and his monument
3. ↑ Source Citation: London, England: Oxford University Press; Volume: Vol 07; Page: 1242, Source Information: Ancestry.com. Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-22 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors., Original data: Stephen, Sir Leslie, ed. Dictionary of National Biography, 1921–1922. Volumes 1–22. London, England: Oxford University Press, 1921–1922. Dictionary of National Biography, 1921–1922, Oxford University Press, London, England.
4. ↑ "Find a Grave," database with images, (Find A Grave: Memorial #134140168 : accessed 22 October 2022), Memorial page for Gen Robert Rollo Gillespie (21 Jan 1766-31 Oct 1814), citing Meerut Cantonment Cemetery, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India; Maintained by CMWJR (contributor 50059520).
5. ↑ Reports of cases decided in the High Court of Chancery by the Right Honourable Sir John Leach, Vice-Chancellor of England.
6. ↑ - Public Record Office of Northern Ireland - Description : Will ext ;PRONI Ref : T/581/10 p.153, Date : 1795

• Stephen, Sir Leslie, ed. Dictionary of National Biography, 1921–1922. Volumes 1–22. London, England: Oxford University Press,