Ralph Burton

Ralph Burton (d. 1768 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England) was a British soldier and Canadian settler.


Ralph Burton
Lieutenant Governor of Trois-Rivières, Quebec District
In office
1760–1763
Preceded byNicolas-Joseph Novels Fleurimont as Lieutenant of the King
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Military Governor of Quebec
In office
1763–1766
Preceded byThomas Gage
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
BornUnknown - sometime before 1754
Unknown - perhaps Yorkshire, England
Died1768
Scarborough, Yorkshire, England
NationalityBritish
Spouse(s)Elizabeth St Leger m. 1750, d. 1753
Marguerite Lydius m. 1763 - widowed 1768
ProfessionMilitary officer, official
Military service
Allegiance Great Britain
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Years of service1754-1768
RankColonel
Battles/warsSiege of Quebec
Great Siege of Gibraltar

Burton's military career began in the 2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards, where he rose to the rank of Major, serving under George Augustus Eliott, the defender of Gibraltar. In 1754, Burton was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 48th Foot, which was involved in the captures of Quebec in 1759 and Martinique and Havanna in 1762. In 1760, General Jeffery Amherst, Governor General of British North America, appointed him lieutenant governor of the Trois-Rivières district while New France remained under British military rule.

On 31 January 1761 Burton formed the 95th Regiment of Foot in South Carolina from several independent companies. The regiment fought successfully against the Cherokees. It then transferred to Barbados. From there it participated in the capture of Martinique, the occupation of Grenada, and the siege of Havana (1762). The regiment was disbanded in England on 7 March 1763.

Following the return of civilian rule under the newly appointed Governor, General James Murray, Burton was made brigadier (commander) of the army in the new British province of Quebec. He was also made Colonel of the 3rd Foot (the Buffs). After continual conflict with Governor Murray, both he and Burton were recalled to Britain in 1766.

Despite being an influential figure in Canadian military and geopolitical history, little is known about Burton's life outside of the Army. He appears to have been a close friend of John Calcraft, and was elected to Parliament a few months before his death as Member for Wareham, a pocket borough that Calcraft controlled.

He died in 1768. A 1767 will mentions an estate in Yorkshire, England and a townhouse in London. He was twice married: in 1750 to Elizabeth St Leger (died 1753), sister of Anthony St Leger after whom the famous horse race is named, then around 1763 to Marguerite Lydius; he had a son and a daughter by this second marriage. A daughter Mary, his eventual heir, married General Napier Christie, who adopted the surname Burton.[1]

A memorial to Ralph Burton is in St. Mary's church, Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire

References

  1. "CHRISTIE BURTON, Napier (1758-1835), of Hull Bank, Beverley, Yorks". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  • Lewis Namier & John Brooke, The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790 (London: HMSO, 1964)
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
Thomas Erle Drax
John Pitt
Member of Parliament for Wareham
March September 1768
With: Robert Palk
Succeeded by
Whitshed Keene
Robert Palk
Military offices
Preceded by
John Craufurd
Colonel of the 3rd Regiment of Foot
17641768
Succeeded by
Sir Jeffrey Amherst
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