DICKSON, JAMES [SSNE 2347]
Text source
James Dickson was first James Spens'[SSNE 1642] regiment, then in James Lumsden's [SSNE 3003] in 1631. He returned to Spens' in 1632 and was noted by Monro as lieutenant colonel that year. Monro also said he died soon after in the Palatinate. More information is provided on him from the church records and Dickson's own grave stone in Dornstettin, which is in the district of Freudenstadt in Wurtemburg. These record that Lieutenant Colonel James 'Dikson' of Laudin in Scotland died of plague in the town on 20 September 1635 after being a prisoner of the Bavarian Colonel Hans Heinrich von Haslang. The inscription on the tombstone reads "Alhie ligt gegraben der woledle, gestrenge, veste und manhafte Her Jacob Dikson von Laudin aus Schotland. Der koeniglichen Cron Schweden des hochloeblichen Alten Gelben Regimente bestalter Obrister Leutenambt. Den 26. Septemb. zwischen 9. und 10 Ur in Got entschlafen Proverbxx: Der Jungling starck ist Ihr Preis" This translates (roughly) as: Here lies buried the noble, stern, firm and brave Sir James Dickson of Laudin in Scotland. The appointed Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Crown of Sweden's worthy Old Yellow Regiment. Passed away on 26 September between 9 and 10 o'clock. Proverb (Motto): "Youth - strong is Her Price". Although the headstone reads 26 September, the church journal records the date as the 20th. Peter Engerisser has provided the following helpful background: After the battle of Noerdlingen on 6 September 1634, less than 300 men of the Yellow Regiment (ex Lars Kagg's) under Lieutenant Colonel Wulf von Scoenbeck survived the battle and escaped to Frankfurt am Main. There, in late September, a new Yellow Regiment was constituted by Duke Bernhard of Weimar under the command of the newly promoted Colonel Schoenbeck. This regiment included parts of the old Yellow Regiment, Duke Bernhard's (Blue) Life Regiment, Joachim von Mitlaff's Regiment and Bartholemaus von Zerotin's Red Regiment. It is at this point that Dickson was probably promoted to lieutenant colonel of the new regiment. In the summer of 1635 the Yellow Regiment was put into garrison in the town of Kaiserslautern in the Palatinate. After a two day siege by Imperial-Bavarian troops under Count Gallas, the town surrendered on 7/17 July 1635. Most of the regiment was killed and the officers (including Scoenbeck and Dickson) taken prisoner. As the Imperial-Bavarian army made their retreat from the Rhine, Dickson died in Dornstettin. This information is drawn from the following sources: Church Register Dornstetten: Local Chronicle Dornstetten: Julius Mankell, Uppgifter roerande svenska krigsmaktens styrka, sammsattning och foerdelning (Stockholm, 1865), p.202.Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1629/22; 1631/22; 1632/28; R. Monro, His Expedition with the worthy Scots regiment called Mackeyes (2 vols., London, 1637), II, List of the Scottish Officers in Chief.
We thank Peter Engerisser for his most helpful contribution to this article.
Service record
- SWEDEN, JAMES SPENS
- Arrived 1629-01-01, as CAPTAIN
- Departed 1630-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, JAMES LUMSDEN
- Arrived 1631-01-01, as CAPTAIN
- Departed 1631-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, JAMES SPENS
- Arrived 1632-01-01, as CAPTAIN
- Departed 1632-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, YELLOW REGIMENT, DORNSTETTIN (Szczecin)
- Arrived 1634-09-01, as LIEUTENANT COLONEL
- Departed 1635-09-20, as LIEUTENANT COLONEL
- Capacity OFFICER, PRISONER, purpose MILITARY