Sir Harry Munro, 7th Baronet


Sir Harry Munro, 7th Baronet was 25th Baron and the 28th chief of the Clan Munro. He was a Scottish soldier and politician. He was loyal to the Hanoverian dynasty and served as a captain in Loudon's Highlanders Regiment 1745–48.

Early life

Harry Munro was the second surviving son of Sir Robert Munro, 6th Baronet and Mary, daughter of Henry Seymour of Woodlands. His elder brother Robert died during his infancy. His uncle was George Munro, 1st of Culcairn.

Early military career

Sir Harry's military career seems to have started when he was among nine young gentlemen, who were appointed Ensigns in Bisset's 30th Regiment of Foot in May 1742. In June 1745 he was appointed on the recommendation of Lord Stair and Henry Pelham as one of the company commanders in a new Highland Regiment being raised by John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun.

Jacobite rising of 1745 - 1746

Harry Munro's company was one of three in the process of being raised in the North when the Commander in Chief in Scotland, General Sir John Cope arrived at Inverness on 29 August. Harry's uncle George Munro, 1st of Culcairn met Sir John Cope and agreed that the Munros "should instantly take arms and join the King's troops" and the next day Harry brought in 200 of his men in three companies. These three companies were raised by Harry Munro himself, Hugh Munro of Teaninich and William Munro of Achany.
Harry joined Sir John Cope at the Water of Nairn and when the army marched for Aberdeen on 4 September Loudon's Highlanders regiment included his three companies, while George Munro of Culcairn's detachment acted as scouts. Sir John Cope remained in Aberdeen where a fourth company of Loudoun's regiment joined the others until 14 September from where they sailed to Dunbar and had their infamous defeat at the Battle of Prestonpans. Harry was among 70 officers taken prisoner and for a time was imprisoned in Glamis Castle but by mid January 1746 he was among 31 men released who arrived at Edinburgh, where he learnt the news of the deaths of his father Robert and his uncle Duncan after the Battle of Falkirk (1746).
Meanwhile, the main body of Munros having escorted Sir John Cope successfully to Aberdeen had returned to the north under George Munro, 1st of Culcairn and were not present at Prestonpans.
John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun and Sir John Cope had escaped by sea to London after the Battle of Prestonpans from whence Loudoun later returned north to Inverness to take command in the north but was forced with the Lord President Forbes and George Munro of Culcairn to withdraw through the Black Isle into Ross-shire being pressed by a much larger Jacobite force.
The commander of British forces, Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, had no wish to have the support of any Highland troops at the time for he distrusted them all and deliberately gave the Earl of Loudoun no help to extricate himself from his difficulties with the Jacobites in the north. Harry Munro was with George Mackay of Skibo, son of George Mackay, 3rd Lord Reay, at the Skirmish of Tongue in March 1746 where they defeated a Jacobite force and captured money and supplies that were meant for the Jacobite leader Charles Edward Stuart.
Three other companies of Loudoun's regiment raised in Argyll from the Clan Campbell came under the Duke of Cumberland's command in his march north from Stirling but they were used mainly as scouts and baggage guards. However, several of them, including one officer were killed when they fought at the Battle of Culloden. Loudon's Highlanders Regiment was at Culloden but Harry Munro himself was listed as absent "by HRH leave" presumably to try to deal with the problems at Foulis Castle which had been burned after the Battle of Falkirk.
At the request of Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, Harry Munro of Foulis and Ludovick Grant of Grant visited Lovat while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London having received the death sentence.
After the suppression of the rebellion, Loudon's Highlanders later took part in the mopping up operations based at Fort Augustus. The regiment remained in Scotland until May 1747 when they embarked at Bruntisland to join the allied army under Cumberland in Flanders.
The Munro company under Harry appears to have stayed in Scotland but in a letter from another officer in March 1748, Sir Harry is said to be going over to join the regiment. However, with the ending of the war in Flanders, Loudon's regiment was ordered back to Scotland and reduced at Perth in June of that year.

Member of Parliament

In politics Harry Munro was a supporter of the Duke of Newcastle, a prominent Whig who was Prime Minister 1754 - 1756 and 1757 - 1762. Harry Munro also served as MP for Ross-shire 11 December 1746 - 1747 and for Tain Burghs 1747 - 1761.

Family

Harry married Anne, daughter of Hugh Rose of Kilravock, chief of the Clan Rose. Harry was succeeded by his son Sir Hugh Munro, 8th Baronet of Foulis.
He is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard in the centre of Edinburgh. The grave lies on the north side of a vault in an obscured location north-west of the Adam mausoleum.

Independent Highland Company

The Independent Highland Companies that were raised by Lord Loudoun in 1745-46 were not regimented until 1747 and therefore they are often confused with the eighteen Independent Highland Companies that were raised by Duncan Forbes of Culloden. The Loudoun Papers are held in the Huntington Library in San Marino, California and include four lists of the soldiers under Sir Harry Munro in the company raised for Lord Loudoun dated September 17, 1746, November 18, 1746, January 12, 1748, and January 16, 1748. The first of these being five months after the Jacobite rising was effectively ended at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746, and Sir Harry Munro's three companies having been reduced to just one company. The following two lists are the soldiers who were in Sir Harry Munro's company on September 17, 1746, and on November 18, 1746.
;List of soldiers in Sir Harry Munro's company on September 17, 1746
Christian nameSurname
WilliamClerk
RobertRoss
JohnAird
AlexanderCampbell
WilliamCampbell
JohnMunro
WilliamMaclean
HughMcDonald
WilliamMunro
DonaldMunro
WilliamCampbell
WalterCalder
DuncanCampbell
AlexanderCampbell
JohnCameron
JohnDougless
DonaldFraser
HughFraser
AlexanderFraser
AdamGray
AngusGlen
ThomasGair
ArchibaldGilleis
ThomasHendrie
AndrewKeith
JohnMacDonald
RoderickMcDonald
MurdowMcDonald
DonaldMcLeod
JohnMcLeod
JohnMcLeod
DonaldMackay
JohnMackay
AlexanderMacley
AlexanderMaclean
ArchdMcLachlan
AlexanderMcIntire
MalcolmMcIntire
AlexanderMcCallum
DonaldMcCrum
JohnMcIntire
DavidMackenzie
JamesMackenzie
HughMunro Grigerson
JohnManson
DonaldMunro
DonaldMunro
DonaldMunro
HughMunro
JohnMunro
AndrewMunro
DonaldMunro
DonaldMunro
JamesMunro
WilliamMunro
AlexanderMunro
RobertMunro
WilliamMunro
JohnMunro
JohnMunro
JohnMunro
WilliamMunro
JohnMunro
DavidMunro
HughMunro
WilliamMunro
JohnMunro
JohnMurray
AngusMuet
WilliamReid
DavidRoss
DavidRoss
GeorgeRoss
NeileRoss
AlexanderRoss
AlexanderRoss
JamesRoss
JamesRoss
DavidRoss
WilliamSutherland
RobertMcLeod
AndrewMunro
AlexanderMunro

;List of soldiers in Sir Harry Munro's company on November 18, 1746
Christian nameSurnameWhere entertainedShire where bornParish where bornAgeHeight in feet and inchesColour of hair
JohnAird August 1, 1745RossRosskeenFair
RobertRoss August 6, 1745RossKiltearnBrown
WalterCalderAugust 6, 1745RossTarbat235 5 1/2Brown
AlexrCampbellJuly 17, 1746ArgyllArdnamurchan195 4 3/4Fair
DuncanCampbellNovember 10, 1745ArgyllGlen Orchy165 3 1/2Brown
WilliamCampbellAugust 19, 1746CaithnessThursoBrown
WilliamCampbellAugust 15, 1746CaithnessReayBrown
JohnCameronAugust 1, 1746PerthFortingallRed
AlexanderFraserAugust 6, 1745RossKilmuir245 5 1/2Brown
HughFraserAugust 6, 1745RossAlness205 6Fair
AdamGrayAugust 6, 1745RossKirkmichaelBlack
AngusGunAugust 6, 1746SutherlandKildonan255 6 3/4Brown
ThomasGairAugust 6, 1745RossNigg335 7Fair
ThomasHendersonAugust 6, 1745RossTain305 7 1/2Black
JohnDouglasAugust 20, 1746CaithnessThursoBlack
ArchibaldMcDonaldNovember 1, 1746Inverness305 3Black
JohnMcDonaldAugust 21, 1746CaithnessCanisbay175 4 1/2Fair
RoderickMcDonaldAugust 6, 1745SutherlandCreichFair
DonaldMckayAugust 6, 1745RossKiltearnBlack
DonaldMckenzieNovember 1, 1746Black
DonaldMcleodSeptember 10, 1746CaithnessReay195 5Black
JohnMcleodNovember 10, 1746SutherlandCreich305 6 3/4Black
JohnMcleodNovember 10, 1746CaithnessBlack
MurdochMcleodNovember 10, 1746PerthFortingallBlack
DonaldMcCruimAugust 1, 1746ArgyllKilbride325 8Brown
HughMcGrigor July 20, 1746CaithnessLatheronBrown
RobertMcleodAugust 6, 1745RossLochcarronFair
AlexrMcleaAugust 6, 1745RossKincardineFair
AlexanderMcleanAugust 6, 1745RossRoskeen235 7 1/2Fair
AlexrMcIverSeptember 20, 1746InvernessObertarf305 7Brown
AlexanderMcIntyreAugust 1, 1745275 6 1/2Fair
JohnMcIntyreAugust 1, 1745275 6 1/2Fair
JamesMckenzieJuly 14, 1746RossAlness205 5Brown
DonaldMcSunieNovember 10, 1746InvernessBlack
CathilusMcPhersonNovember 18, 1746
WilliamMclean August 6, 1745SutherlandCreichBlack
JohnMunro August 6, 1745RossRosskeenBrown
HughMacDonald May 20, 1746RossRoskeenFair
JohnMansonAugust 14, 1746RossRosskeenFair
AngusMuatSeptember 10, 1746CaithnessLatheronFair
JohnMurraySeptember 10, 1746CaithnessThurso304 5 1/4Fair
AlexrMunro March 6, 1746SutherlandGolspieFair
AndrewMunro August 6, 1745RossKiltearnBlack
AndrewMunroSeptember 10, 1746RossTain265 7Brown
DonaldMunro August 6, 1746RossTarbat235 7Black
DonaldMunro June 4, 1746RossUrquhartFair
DonaldMunro August 14, 1745RossUrquhart235 5 1/2Brown
DonaldMunro August 6, 1745RossKiltearn205 5 1/2Fair
JohnMunro September 12, 1745RossKilteran205 6 1/4Black
JohnMunro August 6, 1745RossKiltearn305 4 1/4Black
JohnMunro August 16, 1746RossRosskeenBlack
JohnMunro August 17, 1746RossRosskeenBlack
WilliamMunro August 6, 1745RossKiltearn235 6 1/2Black
WilliamMunro August 6, 1745RossUrquhart235 6Black
WilliamMunro August 16, 1746RossKiltearn285 3 3/4Brown
WilliamMunro August 13, 1746RossRosskeenBrown
WilliamMunro November 18, 1746Ross205 6
AlexanderRoss August 6, 1745RossKincardine345 5 3/4
AlexrRoss August 6, 1745RossKincardine205 5 3/4Fair
DavidRoss August 6, 1745RossKincardineBlack
DavidRoss August 6, 1745RossKincardine195 7Brown
DavidRossAugust 6, 1745SutherlandCreichBlack
GeorgeRossMay 20, 1746RossFearn205 7Black
JamesRoss August 6, 1745RossFearnBrown
JamesRoss August 6, 1745RossTarbatBrown
NeilRossAugust 6, 1745RossKincardine465 6 1/2Brown
WilliamReidAugust 6, 1745RossKiltearn265 5Black
WilliamSutherlandAugust 6, 1745RossKiltearn325 3 1/2Brown
HughMunro June 10, 1746RossUrquhartBrown
JamesMunro August 6, 1745RossKiltearn285 8Black
MalcolmMcDonaldOctober 20, 1746InvernessObertarf215 4 1/2Black
MurdochMcDonaldAugust 6, 1745SutherlandEddrachillis355 4 1/2Black
JohnMckay465 8Black