William Fullarton facts for kids

Colonel William Fullarton of Fullarton was a Scottish soldier, politician, farmer, and writer. He lived from 1754 to 1808. He was a member of the House of Commons, which is like the main part of the UK Parliament, between 1779 and 1803.

Early Life and Education

William Fullarton was born on January 12, 1754. He was the only son of a wealthy family from Ayrshire, Scotland. He studied for a while at the University of Edinburgh. After that, he traveled around Europe with a tutor named Patrick Brydone. They visited places like Sicily and Malta.

Fullarton was first planning to work as a diplomat, helping represent his country in other nations. He worked as a secretary at the British embassy in Paris. But when he inherited his family's estates, he decided to go into politics. In 1779, he was elected to Parliament for the area of Plympton Erle.

Military Adventures in India

In 1780, Fullarton decided not to run for re-election. Instead, he came up with a military plan that the government liked. He and his friend, Thomas Humberston Mackenzie, would each create and pay for a regiment (a group of soldiers) from their Scottish lands. These regiments were supposed to sail to Mexico to capture a Spanish treasure fleet. Fullarton became a lieutenant-colonel-commandant of the 98th regiment.

However, a war broke out with the Dutch, called the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. This changed their plans. The regiments were then ordered to go to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. But a French admiral arrived there first, so that plan didn't work out either.

Fighting in the Mysore War

Finally, Fullarton's regiment went to India to fight in the Second Anglo-Mysore War. This war was against a powerful ruler named Haidar Ali. Fullarton's regiment landed in Madras (now Chennai). He helped in battles and was sent south to draw away enemy troops.

In 1782, Fullarton was promoted to colonel in the army for the East Indies. He worked to stop fights between different groups of officers. He also helped defeat some fighting tribes in Madura and captured important towns like Karur and Dindigal. Fullarton led the Madras Army against a rebel leader named Kattaboman. He is known for destroying the rebel's fort at Nettkelcheval.

In 1783, he took command of all troops south of the Coleroon River. He captured the town of Dharapuram. He then moved towards Cuddalore, which was under attack. When he heard that Cuddalore had fallen, he decided to attack Pálghát, a fortress that had been very difficult to capture before. He had to lead his troops through a thick forest and then storm the city.

After this success, he heard that Tippoo Sultan, who had taken over from Haidar Ali, was not keeping his promises. So, Fullarton captured the fortress of Coimbatore. However, he was then ordered by the government in Madras to stop fighting. A peace agreement was made between the British and Tippoo Sahib.

A historian named James Mill praised Fullarton. He said Fullarton was one of the first British commanders in India who made sure his army had enough supplies. He also set up a good system for finding out where the enemy was and how strong they were. After his time in India, Fullarton returned to England. In 1787, he wrote a book called A View of English Interests in India. In this book, he criticized the policies of the East India Company.

Life After the Military

Back in England, William Fullarton settled down to a country life. He married Marianne Mackay. He became very interested in farming. He wrote two reports about farming in Ayrshire and the benefits of pasture land (land used for grazing animals). He was also elected as a member of the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. These are important groups that promote science and learning.

He did not go back to active military service. However, he did raise two new regiments of soldiers: the 23rd Dragoons in 1794 and the 101st Foot in 1800. Both of these regiments were disbanded after the Peace of Amiens in 1802, which brought a temporary end to fighting. Fullarton continued his political career, serving in Parliament for different areas until 1803.

Governor of Trinidad

In 1803, William Fullarton was appointed as the first commissioner for governing the island of Trinidad. He was part of a group of three commissioners, including Captain Samuel Hood and Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Picton. Picton had been in charge of the island since the British captured it in 1797.

Fullarton began to investigate how the island had been run. He asked for records of all the legal cases that had happened while Picton was in charge. Picton resigned because he disagreed with Fullarton's inquiries. Fullarton continued his investigations, and this led to a big public discussion in England about how Trinidad was governed. This caused a lot of public attention.

Fullarton died on February 13, 1808, from a lung infection in London. He was buried at Isleworth.