Page:A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Colonial Gentry Vol 1.djvu/431

 BURKE'S COLONIAL GENTRY. 399 of his mother's, through the sisters Katherine and Wilhcbiiina Nisbet of Dirletoii.* On arriving in India in ]804, James Pearson joined the army before the fortress of Bhurtpore. In 1805 he served with the grand army under Lord Lake, in pursuit of Holkar, and subsequently joined the 1st battalion I8th Eegiment before the fortress of Callcnghur, where he ■was repeatedly engaged with parties of the enemy. In the expedition to Java against the Dutch, in 1811, he was wounded in the assault of Carnelis, and became entitled to the Peninsula medal with Java clasp. In recognition of his services he was appointed adjutant of an Amboynese corps raised from tlie prisoners of war. In 1812, in command of a wing of the newly- raised corps, he joined the expedition to Palembang, and was engaged with the deposed Sultan's forces in a severe action in which the commanding officer was killed. In 1815-18 he served in Nepaul, and during the insurrection at Cuttaok had a detached command. He was repeatedly engaged with the insurgents, and for his con- duct received the thanks of the governor - general, as well as those of the general commanding the division. In 1828 he succeeded as major to the command of the 65th Eegiment B.N.I., at Agra, and raised that regiment to an exceptional state of discij)line, as testified by Brigadier- General Richards, inspecting officer; finally retiring from the service as major, 1832. He m. 1821, Agnes, youngest daughter of William Richard- son, Esq., deceased, late of Keithock, Forfarshii-e, who matriculated arms 1793, bearing in base a hawthorn tree (derived from the arms of his maternal grandfather, Henry Hathorn, of Aries and Castlewig, Wigtonshire), in place of the lymphad borne in base by his ancestor, Richardson of Smeaton, in recognition of his being commendator of St. Mary's Isle, Crail, Pifeshire, and who was high treasurer of Scot- land, 1566. Major Pearson had issue seven sons and four daughters, of whom are, David Ritchie, M.D. (Edinburgh), late Army Medical Staff and 2nd Batt. Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade, now of Kensington, Lon- don, representative of this younger branch of the family in England, b. 1837 ; m. 1869, Jane, elder daugh- ter of James Rae, Esq. (partner or Abekuchill, and Leven and Melville. Katherine Nisbet, widow of Colin Campbell of Aberuchill, was celebrated for her beauty, her piety, and her devotion to the principles of the Covenant. in the late firm of Jackson and Rae, merchants, Melbourne, Aus- tralia), by Jane Dickson, liis wife, whose motlier, Janet Irving, was the eldest sister of JCdward Irving, the preacher. Dr. Pearson has surviving issue four sons and two daughters, viz., 1. James Rae, b. 2nd August, 1871, Clare College, Cam., selected candidate, I.C.S. 2. Hugh Drummond, Royal Military Academy, Wool- wich, b. 17th February, 1873. 3. Allan Campbell, b. 18th April, 1874. 4. Philip Graeme, b. 1st De- cember, 1877. 1. Muriel Agnes, b. 19th June, 1876. 2. Mary Ursula Lowther, b. 10th September, 1879. John Richardson, captain, late 95th Regiment, second surviving son of Major Pearson, was a cadet at- tached to the 6th B.N.I, when the mutiny broke out at Allahabad in 1857. Out of seventeen officers, he was one of the three survivors on detached service at the river who escaped into Allahabad Fort. He served with General Havelock through the subsequent campaigp, including ten general actions and first relief of Lucknow, and served in the defence of Lucknow till its final relief. He was mentioned in despatches, 30th December, 1857, for services in the field ; was given command of field de- tachment, Saugur District, and served as staff officer 6th Column Bundelkund Field Foi-ce, adjutant Meerut Light Horse and 3rd Bengal Irregular Cavalry ; was again mentioned in despatches, 24th January, 1859, and ex- changed into the 95th (Derby- shire) Regiment on attaining the rank of captain. He m. 1870, Archange Margaret, only daugh- ter of the late John Stewart Lyon, Esq. of Kirkmichael, Dumfries- shire, and has issue, one son and one daughter. IV. William, b. 1790, d. s.p. I. Margaret, b. 1776 ; m. 1811, the Rev. David Ritchie, D.D., one of the minis- ters of St. Andrew's Church, Edin- burgh, professor of logic in the Uni- versity of Edinburgh, 1808, and mode- rator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, 1814. She d. 1840. II. Agnes Catherine, b. 1780; d. untn., 26th July, 1865. William Peai-son's eldest son, Hugh; Peaeson, Esq., commander R.N., b. 1778, entered the Royal Navy in 1793. He was mentioned in despatches relating to Lord Brid^iort's victory off L'Orient, and in
 * See Burke's Peerage, articles Campbell