MACQUARIE, Hector
(1794-1845)

Lachlan Macquarie's nephew. Illegitimate son of Charles Macquarie (1771 -1835) and Janet Maclaine.

Born in 1794 at Moy, Isle of Mull, and baptized on 3 July 1794. No other details survive relating to Janet Maclaine who may have been employed at the time of conception in the household of Murdoch Maclaine, 19th Laird of Lochbuy. Why the child was given up by her is equally unclear.

Lachlan Macquarie promised his brother Charles (in 1800) to provide for the boy to whom he referred to as 'the hero Hector'. Consequently in 1801 he acquired an army commission for the boy (and one for another young relative, John Maclaine [c1792-1818]) in the 40th Regiment. This was despite the fact that the boy was only six or seven years of age.

By 1802 Hector had reached the rank of Lieutenant (on half-pay) with the regiment; but unfortunately for Lachlan Macquarie, in 1803 both boys were placed on full-pay by the War Office - and were required to report for military duty immediately. At this stage Macquarie had returned from India and was stationed in London. He became desperate to disguise the true ages of the boys, as well as to mislead army officials concerning their real whereabouts. Initially, he resorted to the 'fiction' of claiming that Hector Macquarie and John Maclaine had left for the West Indies six months earlier to become settlers. However, when advised that if they did not return within six months they would lose their commissions, Macquarie claimed that both of them had now returned to Scotland and were keen to attend a military academy for 18 months (while on half-pay). However, a secret informant in Scotland, probably resident in Mull and opposed to the Maclaine and the Macquarie families advised the War Office that Hector was in fact only seven years old. This forced Lachlan Macquarie to abandon his next ruse of trying to find substitutes amongst his kinsmen to impersonate the boys. After a War Office inquiry, the boys' commissions were forfeited without compensation and Macquarie was severely reprimanded. He was, in fact, extremely fortunate not to have been dismissed from the army for this attempt at subterfuge and dishonesty. The incident certainly damaged Lachlan Macquarie's credibility with senior army staff and ruined his hopes of requesting that his tour of duty in England be extended. He was summarily sent back to his regiment in India, despite a direct appeal to the Duke of York, Commander-in-Chief of the Army. It was also at this juncture that Macquarie proposed to Elizabeth Campbell asking her to become his wife and to wait for his return from India.

In 1808, after his return from India, Lachlan Macquarie found a placement for Hector as a cadet in the Royal Military College in Marlow - this time accurately listing his nephew's age as fourteen. Hector entered the army as an Ensign in the 86th. Regiment on 26 September 1811 and joined his regiment in India in January 1813. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 12 February 1814; then, following his uncle's advice, he transferred to the 48th. Regiment and was thereby able to join the regiment in 1818 on its tour of duty in New South Wales. He departed from Calcutta on 7 October 1817 on board the brig Greyhound and arrived in Sydney on 14 April 1818 (after landfall in Hobart on 25 February 1818).

Following his arrival Hector accompanied Macquarie and his family on the tour of inspection to Newcastle in July 1818; and he remained at the settlement at the request of Captain Wallis (along with Ensign Roberts) for an additional few weeks assisting with the administration.

When Lieut. John Watts (1786-1873) resigned as Macquarie's aide-de-camp on 24 December 1818 Hector Macquarie replaced him. His appointment commenced on 27 December 1818. However the selection of another family member as a personal staff officer proved to be another unfortunate choice (as it had been with the appointment of John Maclaine). Hector's undisciplined behaviour created an endless series of incidents and embarrassments for the governor.

Firstly, in August 1819, Hector was accused of raping a servant girl at Parramatta - a 'half-sister of Mrs Oakes'. This offence against a well-respected family was 'punished' by Hector's removal from Government House and his confinement to military barracks for one month.

Hector accompanied the Macquaries on their tour of inspection in April-July 1821, visiting Port Dalrymple, Launceston and George Town, as well as joining them on their tour of Port Macquarie and Newcastle in November 1821. However, soon afterwards Lachlan Macquarie found it necessary to send the heavily-indebted Hector to Van Diemen's Land to escape the demands of creditors in Sydney.

Hector arrived on board the Lusitania on 8 January and very quickly made himself extremely unpopular. His rudeness and arrogance led to his ejection from the home of Edward Lord (1781-1859) and his wife Maria (nee Risely), one of the leading Hobart Town families; while his advances on their eldest daughter, Caroline, were similarly unwelcome. More dramatically, his slandering of Robert Lathrop Murray (1777-1850) provoked the latter to publicly horse-whip him in front of Government House in the presence of the Lieut. Governor Sorrell's family, the soldiers of the main guard, and Lieut. Lewis of the 48th. Regiment. He continued to try to ingratiate himself with the Lord family, but without success and departed for Sydney on 27 January on board the Jupiter - arriving on 10 February 1822 three days prior to the scheduled departure of the Macquaries for England. This move was obviously designed to avoid or minimise any possible confrontation with his Sydney creditors.

Hector joined the Macquaries on board the Surry as a member of their 'suite'. The ship finally sailed from Sydney on 15 February, though there is virtually no mention of him in Macquarie's 1822 journal of the voyage.

On 25 March 1824 Hector was appointed a Lieutenant in 98th. Regiment. He accompanied his uncle Lachlan from Mull to London in April 1824, departing from Leith for Blackwall on board the steamship James Watts. On 24 April 1824 Hector left to join his regiment at Chichester. This was the last time that he saw his uncle and patron alive - Lachlan died in London on 1 July 1824.

Hector's movements after this date become somewhat unclear. He accompanied the 98th. Regiment to the Cape of Good Hope until 'some blackguard conduct' lost him the chance of the command of a company and he retired at his own request, and on 15 March 1827 he transferred as Lieutenant (on half-pay) into the 4th. West India Regiment. He subsequently joined his father, Charles, in Scotland and was living with him on the family estate on the isle of Ulva in 1829-1830, before returning again to the active list as a Lieutenant in the 55th. Regiment on 30 December 1830.

In the Will of his father Charles dated 9 August 1830 Hector was referred to as "Hector Macquarie sometime Lieutenant in the Ninety Eighth Regiment of Foot and now residing with me at Ulva."
[Source: 'Will of Charles Macquarie, sometime Major in the 42nd Foot and thereafter Lieutenant Colonel in the Army of Edinburgh, Mid Lothian. 30 July 1835.' PROB 11/1849. Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions. Gloster Quire Numbers: 401-450 f.336.

During his residence on Mull and Ulva Hector fathered a son named Hugh Maclaine who was baptized on 26 January 1829. There is no record of a marriage to the named mother, Cursty McLucaish (alternative spellings may include McDougall or McLucas). There is a strong likelihood that the illegitimate child was named after Hector's cousin, Lt. Colonel Hugh Maclaine (1781-1828), the second son of Farquhar Maclaine and his wife Betty (nee Macquarie). Hugh had recently died in Jamaica, on 13 October 1828.

Biographical details are scarce after this date, though Hector is known to have married Margaret [nee Simson/Simpson] (1812-1836) on 8 October 1833 at Fillongley, Warwickshire.

By 1835 Hector had clearly not improved his ways with financial management and debts and was again being pursued by creditors, having already been arrested twice in recent times. On the day after the death of Charles Macquarie on 27 March 1835 Hector wrote (unknowingly) to his father from on board the ship Roxburgh Castle (28 March) as it was approaching Portsmouth. He advised him that he was about to join his regiment (55th Regiment of Foot) in India accompanied by his wife Margaret and was seeking his father's financial assistance:
"...it has been by extraordinary difficulty that I have been able to get so far and God only Knows but I may yet be taken out of the Ship at Portsmouth by some of the now few Creditors I have behind me, and who may hear of my Embarkation in time to lay hold of me – I most earnestly trust you will arrange for the payment of the Dfts. I drew upon you if not exactly when due at all events in the month of June when I hope you will be relieved in a great measure from your difficulties by the sale of Glenforsa - Poor dear Margaret has suffered very much from Sea Sickness, but I hope the worst part of it is now past, and as we have been most fortunate in getting far better accommodation than I bargained for free of any additional expence I hope by and by she will become more reconciled and comfortable but of late her sufferings have been too severe for her Bodily strength, seeing me Twice Arrested and taken to Prison is enough to injure a far stronger Constitution than Hers, but I trust in the Mercy of the Almighty such scenes are now at a end."

[Source: 'Hector Macquarie to Charles Macquarie' 28 March 1835. Lochbuie Papers GD174/1703/1 f.1.

The Roxburgh Castle was under the command of Captain Charles William Francken (1797 -) and there were at least 21 adult passengers and 61 children on board the Roxburgh Castle during the voyage.
[see: Madras Almanac, 1836]

Also in his letter dated 28 March 1835 there is a clear reference to his illegitimate son whom he has left behind in Mull or Ulva. Hector writes: "Pray look after poor little unfortunate Hugh - and do not allow the poor little innocent to suffer from neglect." [Lochbuie Papers GD174/1703/1 f.3. National Archives of Scotland].

The Macquaries arrived in Madras on 15 July 1835 but young Margaret, aged 23 years and three months died seven months later on 7 March 1836 at Bellary (Madras Presidency), apparently during childbirth.

Her burial inscription read:
"1836 7th March.
Margaret Simson, wife of Hector Macquarie, Esq., H.M's. 55th. Regt. aged 23 years and 3 months. Deeply and sincerely lamented by her disconsolate husband and a numerous and kind circle of friends. She was a dutiful and affectionate daughter, a faithful, loving and sincerely affectionate wife, a true and sincere friend and had it pleased the Almighty to have spared the mother and babe, would have proved herself an indulgent and proud parent. This trifling tribute to her inestimable worth is erected by her bereaved husband."

[Source: Cotton, J. J. List of European Tombs in the Bellary District with Inscriptions thereon. Bellary: 1894 p.7].

Hector subsequently left the 55th. Regiment and by 25 December 1838 had become a Captain (on half-pay) without a regiment. He is listed in the 1841 England Census as residing at Northumberland Court Lodging House, St. Martin-in-the-Fields Parish, Westminster as 'HECTOR MACQUARIE, 40, ARMY, S (b. Scotland)' in what appear to be largely military lodgings. His stated age is erroneous by approximately 6 years as he had been born on Mull in 1794. Hector's last army appointment was as Staff Officer of Pensioners at Coventry.

On 28 March 1843 he married a second time: this time to Margaret Goodwin, daughter of Robert D. Goodwin, at Saint Oswald, Ashbourne, Derbyshire.

Hector Macquarie died from consumption at Gosford Terrace in Coventry on January 8 1845, aged 51 years. His death certificate records that he was a retired half-pay Captain in the 55th Regiment. His age is listed as '47' but this is clearly incorrect - emphasising yet again the unreliability and dishonesty of the testimony of Hector.

Margaret nee Goodwin, widow of Hector Macquarie, married Anthony Martin on 11 September 1851, at Saint Oswald, Ashbourne, Derby, England. [see: Daily News [London] 17 September 1851 Issue 1659].

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References
Primary Sources:
Baptismal record: Moy TRS 7020101,10.
'Hector Macquarie to Charles Macquarie' 28 March 1835. Lochbuie Papers GD174/1703/1 f.1. [Held in National Archives of Scotland].
'Will of Charles Macquarie, sometime Major in the 42nd Foot and thereafter Lieutenant Colonel in the Army of Edinburgh, Mid Lothian. 30 July 1835.' PROB 11/1849. Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and Related Probate Jurisdictions. Gloster Quire Numbers: 401-450 f.336. [Held in National Archives, Kew].
Madras Almanac 1836.
Sydney Gazette. Lochbuie Papers GD174/1703/1. National Archives of Scotland.
Macquarie, Lachlan. Journals and Letterbooks. Mitchell Library, Sydney.
1841 England Census.

Secondary Sources:
Conolly, Pauline. "The Two Wives of Hector Macquarie." History: magazine of the Royal Australian Historical Society. June 2010 pp.10-12.
Cumpston, J.S. Shipping Arrivals and Departures Sydney, 1788-1825. Canberra: Roebuck, 1977 [Roebuck Society Publication No.22].
Currie, Jo. Mull: the island and its people. Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2000.
Farrington, Anthony. A Biographical Index of East India Company Maritime Service Officers: 1600-1834. London: The British Library, 1999.
Farrington, Anthony. Catalogue of East India Company Ships' Journals and Logs 1600-1834. London: The British Library, 1999.
Ritchie, J. Lachlan Macquarie a biography. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1986.

Personal communications:
Jo Currie, Edinburgh [2007-2008].
Pauline Connolly, Australia [2009-2010]

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