Lieutenant-General Willem (or William) Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of AlbemarleKGKBPC (5 June 1702 – 22 December 1754) was a British soldier, diplomat and courtier.
Like his father, Albemarle appears to have had a talent for making powerful friends; his marriage in 1722 was held at Cadogan's house near Caversham, outside Reading. He was also made Lord of the Bedchamber to the future George II, then Prince of Wales, a position he retained until 1751. The role provided proximity to the monarch; its holder was a trusted confidant and often extremely powerful.[6]
In 1737, he was appointed Governor of Virginia, which he retained until his death, despite never setting foot in it. As was common, the administrative work was done by his deputy Sir William Gooch, although the two frequently clashed over appointments.[7]Albemarle County, Virginia was named after him; it is better known as the location of Monticello, the estate built by Thomas Jefferson.[8]
Between 1713 and 1739, Britain was mostly at peace; Albemarle was Colonel of the 29th Regiment of Foot from 1731 to 1733 before transferring to the Royal Horse Guards. As personal escorts to the king, they rarely left London but Albemarle commanded them at Dettingen in 1743, when George II became the last British monarch to command troops in battle. He became Colonel of the Coldstream Guards in 1744 and fought under the Duke of Cumberland at Fontenoy in April 1745.
Lauffeld in July 1747; Albemarle commanded the British infantry, whose discipline mitigated an Allied defeat
With the outbreak of the 1745 Jacobite Rising, Albemarle was sent to Newcastle as deputy to the elderly George Wade.[9] He commanded the government front line at Culloden in April 1746 and subsequently appointed Commander-in-Chief, Scotland, despite referring to it as "this cursed country". He told the Duke of Newcastle, then Secretary of State for the Southern Department that "my predecessors have split against a sharp rock". The appointment of a senior and trusted subordinate reflected a widespread perception among both government officials and Jacobite rebels that another landing was imminent.[10]
The immediate focus was capturing the fugitive Charles Stuart but despite a reward of £30,000, he evaded Albemarle's patrols and escaped to France in September.[11] In 2018, previously unknown records from 1746 and 1747 were discovered in Ipswich; these include intelligence reports on the search and details showing that after Culloden, Albemarle received a thousand guineas and the Prince's silver-gilt travelling canteen.[12][b]
Quartered coat of arms of Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, KG
With his headquarters in Edinburgh, Albemarle divided Scotland into four military districts and carried out measures intended to bring the Highlands under control.[13] They included extending the military road network begun in 1715 and placing permanent garrisons at key points, whose role was to enforce the 1746 Disarming and Dress Acts.[14] In February 1747, he was relieved as commander in Scotland and rejoined the army in Flanders, commanding the British infantry at Lauffeld in July. Although this was a decisive French victory that effectively ended the War of the Austrian Succession, his troops' disciplined fire helped the Pragmatic Army make an orderly retreat.[15]
Albemarle died aged 52 in Paris on 22 December 1754, returning home from a pre-Christmas supper; he was buried on 21 February 1755 in Grosvenor Chapel on South Audley Street in London. When his long-term colleague and friend John Huske died in 1761, he instructed his coffin be placed next to that of Albemarle.[17]
Notoriously extravagant, he died leaving nothing but debts, although his sons had successful careers; in 1740, Augustus Keppel participated in Anson's capture of the Manila galleon, which made the officers wealthy men in their own right.[18]
In her biography of Madame de Pompadour, the writer Nancy Mitford remarks that given his love of all things French, it was a blessing Albemarle died before the Seven Years' War broke out. She records that the French admired his love of life and wit; when a rapacious mistress admired the beauty of the stars, he replied that unfortunately, he was unable to buy them for her.[19]
Notes
^Until 1751, most regiments were named after their current Colonel but the post-1751 numbers are used for convenience
^This was sold in 1963, and is now on display in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh
^Royle, Trevor (2016). Culloden; Scotland's Last Battle and the Forging of the British Empire. Little, Brown. p. 33. ISBN978-1408704011.
^Anderson, BJ, ed. (1902). The Albemarle papers; being the correspondence of William Anne, second earl of Albemarle, commander-in-chief in Scotland, 1746-1747. Aberdeen University. p. 332.
^Riding, Jacqueline (2016). Jacobites: A New History of the 45 Rebellion. Bloomsbury. p. 493. ISBN978-1408819128.
^Casanova, Giacomo (1960). History of My Life, Volume 3. Translated by Trask, Willard (2006 ed.). The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 330. ISBN978-1857152906.
Anderson, BJ, ed. (1902). The Albemarle papers; being the correspondence of William Anne, second earl of Albemarle, commander-in-chief in Scotland, 1746-1747. Aberdeen University.
Casanova, Giacomo (1960). History of My Life, Volume 3. Translated by Trask, Willard. The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN978-1857152906.
Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword. ISBN0-85052-835-6.
Mitford, Nancy; Madame de Pompadour Hamish Hamilton, 1954
Riding, Jacqueline (2016). Jacobites: A New History of the 45 Rebellion. Bloomsbury. ISBN978-1408819128.
Royle, Trevor (2016). Culloden; Scotland's Last Battle and the Forging of the British Empire. Little, Brown. ISBN978-1408704011.
Spain, Jonathan (2004). Keppel, William Anne, second earl of Albemarle. Oxford DNB.
Tucker, Spencer C, ed. (2012). Almanac of American Military History; Volume I. ABC-CLIO. ISBN978-1598845303.
