William Lockhart of Lee
William Lockhart | |
|---|---|
Engraving of Lockhart | |
| English ambassador to France | |
| In office 1673–1675 | |
| Monarch | Charles II |
| Preceded by | Edward Spragge |
| Succeeded by | Baron Berkeley |
| MP for Lanarkshire | |
| In office 1669–1672 | |
| Ambassador to France | |
| In office 1656–1660 | |
| Governor of Dunkirk | |
| In office 1658–1660 | |
| MP for Lanarkshire | |
| In office 1654–1658 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1621 Lee Castle, Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Died | 1 June 1675 (aged 54) Paris, France |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Hamilton (died 1654) Robina Sewster |
| Children | Five sons, two daughters |
| Parent(s) | Sir James Lockhart Martha Douglas |
| Committees | Commissioner for Justice, 1654 |
Sir William Lockhart of Lee (1621 – 1 June 1675) was a Scottish army officer, politician and diplomat who fought for the Covenanters during the 1638 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Following Royalist defeat in the 1642 to 1647 First English Civil War, Lockhart took part in negotiations between Charles I and Scottish Engagers, who agreed to restore him to the English throne.
The Engagers were defeated and Charles executed in January 1649. Captured at Wigan in 1648, Lockhart was released in 1649 but excluded by the Kirk Party when they invaded England in order to restore Charles II. This ended with defeat in 1651 and Scotland was incorporated into the English Commonwealth in 1654.
After his marriage to Oliver Cromwell's niece in 1654, Lockhart was appointed to a number of diplomatic and political posts under the Commonwealth. These included Commissioner for Justice in Scotland and English ambassador to France from 1656 to 1660. In this role, he helped negotiate the 1657 Treaty of Paris, an Anglo-French alliance against Spain. He also commanded Commonwealth troops at the 1658 Battle of the Dunes, later serving as Governor of Dunkirk.
Unlike many who held office under the Commonwealth, he escaped punishment following the Restoration of Charles II, but lost most of his offices. In 1673, the Duke of Lauderdale had him re-appointed as the English ambassador to France; he died in Paris in June 1675.