LEARMONTH, THOMAS [SSNE 2911]

Surname

LEARMONTH, LERMONTH, LERMONT, LERMOND, LERMUND, LERMUNDH, LEIRMONT, LEARMOND, LEERMONTH

First name

THOMAS

Title/rank

LT. CAPTAIN

Nationality

SCOT

Social status

OFFICER

Text source

Thomas Learmonth served first as an ensign with John Meldrom's [SSNE 572] regiment between 1629-30. He was a reformed lieutenant with Peter Murray's troop in 1634-5 and served in the same capacity with Alexander Gordon's [SSNE 2499] dragoon regiment 1635, where he became a lieutenant captain in 1636. The fact he does not appear on Swedish muster-rolls between 1632-1633 suggests he was elsewhere. It is at this time that a man of the same name appeared in the Russian army under the comand of the Swedish colonel, Alexander Leslie [SSNE 2916], who had been sent to the Russians by Gustav II Adolf to open a front against the Poles in what has become known as the Smolensk War (1632-1634). It has been suggested by the Russian historian, Vasilii Storozhev that Learmonth was in the regiment of one James Wilson/Williamson/Wallace, and was paid 10 rubles per month, though the latter individual is yet to be traced. Of course, the two Learmonths may have been seperate individuals. In anycase, while in Russian service Thomas Learmonth may have served with his kinsman George Learmonth [SSNE 3968]. Many of the survivors of the Smolensk campaign returned to Sweden while others took up Polish service.

Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1629/11; 1630/23; 1634/26; 1635/2,29-31; 1636/20-23; 1637/14-17; 1638/21; D. Fedosov, The Caledonian Connection (Aberdeen, 1996), p.67

Thanks to Tatiana Molchanova for translating the following source Vasilii Storozhev, Georg Lermont. The Progenitor of the Russian Lermontov Family (Moscow, 1894), p.14 

Service record

SWEDEN, JOHN MELDROM'S SCOTTISH INFANTRY

Arrived 1629-01-01, as ENSIGN

Departed 1634-12-31, as REF. LIEUTENANT

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

RUSSIA, SMOLENSK, ALEXANDER LESLIE

Arrived 1632-01-01, as ENSIGN?

Departed 1634-06-30

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, ALEXANDER GORDON

Arrived 1635-01-01, as LIEUTENANT

Departed 1638-12-31, as LT. CAPTAIN

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY