Samuel Vetch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Vetch
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Engraving of a portrait of Vetch by an unknown artist
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| Royal Governor of Nova Scotia | |
| In office 1715–1717 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Caulfeild |
| Succeeded by | Richard Philipps |
| In office 1715–1715 |
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| Preceded by | Francis Nicholson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Caulfeild |
| In office 1710–1712 |
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| Preceded by | Created |
| Succeeded by | Francis Nicholson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 December 1668 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 30 April 1732 (aged 63) King's Bench Prison, Southwark, London, England |
| Spouses |
Margaret Livingston
(after 1700) |
| Parents | William Veitch Marion Fairlie |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Nine Years' War: • Battle of Steinkirk |
Samuel Vetch (born December 9, 1668, in Edinburgh, Scotland – died April 30, 1732) was a Scottish soldier. He also served as a colonial governor of Nova Scotia. Vetch was a key person in the Darien scheme. This was a Scottish plan to create a colony in Panama that did not succeed.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, he suggested that Great Britain should take over New France. He also proposed moving the people of Acadia to other places. This idea was later carried out during the Seven Years' War in the 1750s. Samuel Vetch was the grandfather of Samuel Bayard.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Samuel Vetch was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on December 9, 1668. He was baptized into the Church of Scotland the next day. His father, William Veitch, was a Presbyterian minister who was involved in politics. Samuel was the second child of William and his wife, Marion Fairley.
His father faced some difficulties because of his political beliefs. In 1683, Samuel and his older brother, William Jr., joined their father in the Dutch Republic. The brothers studied to become ministers in Utrecht. However, neither of them wanted to follow that path. Both Samuel and William Jr. supported William of Orange. Samuel likely joined a Scottish army group in 1688. This group helped bring William III and Mary II to power in England.
Military Career
When he was 20, Samuel Vetch became a cornet (a junior officer) in the Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons. His regiment was sent to the Netherlands. There, they fought in the Nine Years' War. Vetch was injured during a battle called Steinkirk. He also fought in another battle called Landen. By the end of the war, he had been promoted to the rank of captain.
Colonial Ventures and Trade
In 1698, Samuel Vetch and his brother William joined a Scottish project. This project aimed to start a colony on the Isthmus of Panama. The plan was led by William Paterson. This project, known as the "Darien scheme," failed. Many colonists, including William Vetch, died from diseases. The colony also faced political problems, a lack of support, and attacks from the Spanish.
Samuel Vetch was chosen to be part of the colony's council. He was one of the few survivors who made it to New York City in August 1699. In New York, Vetch became connected with the powerful Livingston family. He married Margaret, who was the daughter of Robert Livingston.
Vetch and the Livingstons started a very profitable, but unauthorized, trade business with New France. He later moved to Boston, which was the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. When Queen Anne's War started in 1702, he stopped his trading activities.
In 1705, Massachusetts Governor Joseph Dudley sent Vetch on a diplomatic trip to Quebec. The goal was to get back prisoners taken during a 1704 raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts. The trip was successful. Governor Dudley then allowed Vetch to make a trading trip to New France in 1705. When he returned, people noticed his trading. This led to an outcry, and Dudley had him put on trial. Vetch was found guilty in 1706 for trading with the enemy.
After this, Vetch sailed to England. He wanted to appeal his conviction and ask for military action against New France. Vetch used his knowledge of New France to propose to Queen Anne that all of New France should be conquered. He also suggested moving the Acadian people to the West Indies. This would allow Protestant settlers to move into Nova Scotia.
With help from political friends and supportive colonial governors, Queen Anne gave Vetch a military role. She also promised him a governorship and military help for a campaign in 1709. Vetch traveled to Boston with Francis Nicholson in 1709. Their goal was to gather colonial soldiers and supplies. However, the promised military force never arrived. It was sent to fight in Europe instead, as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. Because of this, the plan failed. Nicholson quickly went back to London and secured a new promise of support for 1710.
Governor of Nova Scotia
The 1710 expedition was successful in capturing the Acadian capital of Port Royal. This town was later renamed Annapolis Royal in honor of the queen. Samuel Vetch was named the first governor of Nova Scotia.
The soldiers left in Annapolis Royal did not have enough supplies. Vetch reportedly paid for some of their expenses himself. He also received some official help from Massachusetts. However, some of his officers complained that he was not managing the colony's affairs well. Nicholson used these complaints to get himself appointed governor in Vetch's place in 1713.
Later Years
Vetch then returned to England to clear his name and get back his money. When George I became king, Vetch succeeded. He was reappointed governor in 1715. However, he never went back to North America. Instead, he was asked to give advice on trade and politics in North America.
He was officially replaced as governor in 1717 by Richard Philipps. Vetch spent his remaining years trying to get back his expenses. He also tried to get other colonial jobs, but he was not successful.
Personal Life
In 1700, Vetch married Margaret Livingston (1681–1758). She was the daughter of Robert Livingston and Alida Schuyler Van Rensselaer. They had one child:
- Alida Vetch (born 1705), who married Stephen Bayard (1700–1757).
Samuel Vetch died in King's Bench Prison in 1732. He had been sent there because of his money problems. He was buried at St. George's in Southwark.
Descendants
His grandson was Samuel Bayard.
Honors
There is a special plaque honoring Samuel Vetch. It is located at the Fort Anne National Historic Site in Annapolis Royal.
