The Battle of Camperdown and Admiral Duncan

 

  The Battle of Camperdown looms large as one of the most significant military events connected with Angus, though of course it happened a considerable distance from Angus. The naval encounter in the North Sea between the British and Dutch fleets took place in 1797 and was an overwhelming victory for Admiral Adam Duncan over Dutch forces commanded by Jan de Winter. The British hero of the battle was an Angus man from the Sidlaws surrounded parish of Lundie to the north-west of Dundee. The second son of Alexander Duncan (d. 1777) and Helen Haldane, he was born on 1st July 1731 in the building which had been the mansion of the Stewarts of Grandtully in Dundee, adjacent to St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral. Duncan's family had been connected with the burgh of Dundee since the 16th century.  William Duncan, a surgeon, was dean of the guild of Dundee and died in 1608. The Duncans purchased the estate of Lundie in 1682 from Colin Campbell. Adam's father was a burgess and provost of the burgh. The family were firmly Hanoverian in sympathy and had been linked with the mercantile class of Dundee for generations. Provost Alexander Duncan, who died in 1696, was one of the most prominent members of the family.

Portrait of Admiral Duncan by Henri-Pierre Danloux

  Duncan joined the navy as a midshipman in 1746 and served aboard the frigate Shoreham for several years. He saw action at various engagements in the 1750s.  His service took him to North America, the Caribbean and also Africa. In 1777 he had married Henrietta, daughter of Robert Dundas of Arniston, Lord President of the Court of Session. They had two sons and five daughters.He commanded HMS Valiant, then returned home and there was a lull in  active service until 1778, when he was took over HMS Suffolk. By 1782 he was First Lord of the Admiralty, and in 1795, was made a full admiral and appointed commander -in-chief in the North Sea. His decisive win over the Dutch happened on 11 October 11, 1797. Even accounting for patriotic propaganda spread after the Battle of Camperdown, Duncan was admired both for his physical stature and his bravery. Standing at six foot four, he was allegedly handsome with it and even as a young lieutenant would attract crowds of admirers as he strolled through Chatham. His imposing bearing and personal courage assisted him to quell mutiny among sailors in 1797.

The Engagement at  Camperdown

   The campaign of the British fleet against the Dutch was really a proxy was against the French forces, since the Dutch state was a puppet power set up by France. As Commander-In-Chief of the North Seas, Duncan was ordered to blockade the Dutch fleet which was under the command of Admiral de Winter. After keeping the enemy penned in for eighteen weeks, Duncan had to return to Britain for refits and restocking provisions in his own vessels.  This gave the Dutch the opportunity to break out into open water, Duncan went to challenge him and met the Dutch about seven miles off the coast between the villages of Egmont and Camperdown. Duncan attacked with the fleet in two sections, led by himself and Vice Admiral Richard Onslow. The battle lasted for five hours until the large number of Dutch losses compelled de Winter to surrender and give up his sword of command to Duncan aboard his flag ship, the 'Venerable'. A measure of the ferocity of the engagement can be seen in the fact that the flag ship was hit by around 45 shots and was so badly damaged that she was almost unmanageable. Nine Dutch shops were sunk, others fled, and most were badly damaged. 

Rewards and Fame

   For his great victory, he was awarded a pension of £2,000 and created Baron Duncan of Lundie and    Viscount Duncan of Camperdown in October 1797.  He was given the freedom of the city of London and granted a large annual pension by the government. A thanksgiving service was held in St. Pauls Cathedral on 10th December, 1797, attended by royalty.  a statue of him was later installed in the cathedral. Lord Duncan carried in the procession the Dutch Admiral's flag, which he had won at Camperdown. Duncan was made freeman of the principal crafts of Dundee in January 1798, with the burgh of Dundee the previous year gifted him a piece of plate with the value of 100 guineas as a mark of esteem for his glorious naval victory of the previous year. Duncan was also awarded the Large Naval Gold Medal and given an annual pension of £3,000. He was created Viscount Duncan and Baron Lundie, a fact that caused his aunt to write to the Secretary of State for War, Henry Dundas, querying why he was not given the greater honour of an English earldom. That greater honour fell to the admiral's son Robert who was created Earl of Camperdown in 1831. (He died in 1859.) 

   Duncan was made Admiral of the White on 14 February, 1799 and remained as Commander-in-Chief in the North Seas until 1800. Military conflict ceased until 1804. Duncan went to London to offer his services again but on the way he had an attack of apoplexy and turned back home. On the return journey he had a second, fatal attack and died at Cornhill, Berwickshire, of 4 August 1804. He was buried in the kirkyard of Lundie. Henrietta and some of her children were buried in the Greyfriars, Edinburgh. There were commemorations of Duncan all around the world. An island in the Galapagos bore his name (though it is now called Pinzon Island) and Duncan's Cove in Canada remembers him. 

   Duncan was of course treated as a national British hero, but Scotland particularly honoured him. The word Camperdown became a mellifluous buzzword for a while. It became attached to everyday commodities. In Edinburgh (where Duncan had a town house in George Square) peddlers would cry in the street, 'Wha'll buy Camperdown salt?'  The estate of Lundie was renamed Camperdown  (which is now Camperdown Park) and part of the Dundee harbour was renamed Camperdown Dock half a century after his death. The other major local landmark to be named after the battle was the massive jute mill at Lochee, several miles east of the estate, and owned by the Cox Brothers, named Camperdown Works. In 1802, local dignitary George Dempster renamed St Causnan's Well at Dunnichen  as Camperdown Well. A statue of the admiral was erected in the High Street of Dundee on the 200th anniversary of the battle. Duncan did not spend many years on his own estates, either at Lundie or in Gleneagles. But he was well remembered personally in Angus for taking a close, benevolent interest in the nascent industrial village of Lochee, not far to the east of Lundie. He was remembered decades later by older people there for his nautical attire and his dignified courtesy.

Camperdown House and Previous Family Homes

   Camperdown House was built by Admiral Duncan's son Robert Duncan, designed by the Edinburgh architect William Burn, between the years 1824 and 1828. It replaced the previous family seat several miles away in Lundie. Lundie House, which dated from around 1540, and was built by Sir John Campbell (treasurer of King James V), was demolished. (The admiral's second son Henry died as a captain in the Royal Navy in 1835.) There is confusion in some sources about the identity and locations of Lundie Castle and Lundie House respectively. The former stood in the village and parish of that name some miles to the north-west of the later Camperdown House. Lundie House was located near Camperdown House. The family quit the old castle during the 18th century and moved to a more modern property, at first called Gourdie House, which was later named Lundie House.  This was only a little way west of its replacement, Camperdown House. Some remains of the castle were evident as late as 1830. The lion rampant figurehead of de Winter's ship the 'Vryheid' used to be displayed outdoors in an enclosure near Camperdown House.

  The park at Camperdown was designed by David Taylor, a forester. He and his son planted most of the trees there between 1805 and 1859. The third earl, also Robert, was the last member of the family to live in the mansion. His younger brother George  succeeded as 4th earl when he was 73 and died childless. The last member of the family who owned the house was a cousin, Georgiana Wilhelmina, Dowager Countess of Buckinghamshire, who died in the March 1937. The contents of the mansion were auctioned in 1941 and the house and estate was purchased by Dundee Corporation immediately after World War Two.