decide it against Captain Baillie, who during the next three years made several fruitless applications both to the secretary of the admiralty and to Lord Sandwich himself. His lordship had publicly declared that he knew nothing against Captain Baillie's character as a sea-officer, and also that he did not feel disposed to act vindictively against him; but Baillie's claims were, nevertheless, persistently ignored, and he was left unemployed till, on the change of ministry in 1782, the Duke of Richmond, who became master-general of the ordnance, appointed him to the lucrative office of clerk of the deliveries. A legacy of 500l. which fell to him two years later served rather to mark the current of public feeling in the city. Mr. John Barnard, son of a former lord mayor, had left him this 'as a small token of my approbation of his worthy and disinterested, though ineffectual, endeavours to rescue that noble national charity [sc. Greenwich Hospital] from the rapacious hands of the basest and most wicked of mankind.' Captain Baillie's old age passed away in the quiet enjoyment of his office under the Ordnance, which he held till his death, 15 Dec. 1802.
[Charnock's Biog. Nav. vi. 214; Official Letters in the Public Record Office.].]
BAILLIE, WILLIAM, Lord Provand (d. 1593), Scottish judge, of the family of Baillie of Lamington, first appears as a judge of the court of session, 15 Nov. 1550. He was appointed president of the court on the death of John Sinclair, bishop of Brechin, in 1566. On 6 Dec. 1567, he was deprived of this office, in favour of Sir James Balfour, by the regent Murray, on the pretext that the act of institution required it to be held by a person of the spiritual estate. Balfour was in turn removed in 1568, when he was accused of participation in Darnley's murder, and Baillie, being reinstated, held the office till his death, 26 May 1593.
[Brunton and Haig's College of Justice.]
BAILLIE, WILLIAM (fl. 1648), Scottish general, was the son of Sir William Baillie of Lamington, an adherent of Queen Mary of Scotland. His mother was a daughter of Sir Alexander Hume, lord provost of Edinburgh, and he was born during the lifetime of his father's first wife, Margaret Maxwell, countess of Angus. Sir William Baillie, on the death of the countess, married his mistress, but the son was not thereby legitimatised, and the estates were inherited by Margaret Baillie, the eldest daughter by the first marriage. In early life Baillie went, therefore, to Sweden, and served under Gustavus Adolphus. In a 'list of Scottish officers that served his majesty of Sweden' at the time of the monarch's death in 1632, he is styled 'William Baily, colonell. to a regiment of foote of Dutch.' After his return to Scotland in 1638 he was employed on many important services by the covenanters. In his commission in the army, ratified by parliament 11 June 1640, he is designated 'William Baillie of Lethem (Letham), Stirlingshire,' an estate which came into his possession through his marriage to Janet, daughter of Sir William Bruce of Glenhouse, and granddaughter of John Baillie of Letham. In 1641 he made an unsuccessful attempt to have the settlement of the Lamington estates reversed in his favour. Under Leslie, earl of Leven, he was present with the army which in 1639 encamped on Dunse Law, and he also took part in the incursion into England in the following year. As lieutenant-general of foot he also distinguished himself under Leslie in 1644, at Marston Moor, the siege of York, and the capture of Newcastle. In order to check the brilliant raids of Montrose and his Highlanders in the northern districts of Scotland, he was, in 1646, appointed to the command of a strong force, with Sir John Urry, or Hurry, as assistant general. For some time he manoeuvred against Montrose with great strategic skill, but, the forces under his command having divided, Urry was routed at Auldearn, and he himself, after a stubborn contest, was worsted at Alford and compelled to retreat southwards. Attributing his defeat to the fact that his forces had been unnecessarily weakened by the drawing off of recruits, he resigned his commission; but after receiving from the authorities formal approbation of his conduct, he agreed to continue in command till an efficient substitute could be found. The result fully justified his scruples. On 15 Aug. the opposing forces again came in sight of each other at Kilsyth. The committee of estates resolved to give battle, a determination so strongly disapproved of by Baillie that he declined to undertake the disposition of the troops, and consented to be present merely that he might lessen the disastrous results of a defeat which he felt to be inevitable. So overwhelming was the victory of Montrose that Scotland for a time was at his feet. It seemed indeed to be fated that the undoubted bravery and skill of Baillie should always be thwarted by the incompetence and blunders of those whom he served. When the Scots, after the 'engagement' with Charles in the Isle of Wight, resolved on an expedition into England to deliver the 'king from
