John Cope (British Army officer)

Sir
John Cope
Cope, as Colonel, 39th Foot
Governor of Limerick
In office
1751 – 28 July 1760
Commander-in-Chief, Scotland
In office
August 1743 – September 1745
Personal details
Born(1688-07-00)July 1688
Camden, London, England
Died28 July 1760(1760-07-28) (aged 72)
London, England
Resting placeSt James's Church, Piccadilly[1]
RelationsSir John Cope, 6th Baronet
EducationWestminster School
Military service
Allegiance Great Britain
Branch British Army
Years of service1707–1751
RankLieutenant general
Unit7th Dragoons
Battles/wars

Sir John Cope KB MP (July 1688 – 28 July 1760) was a British soldier, and Whig Member of Parliament, representing three separate constituencies between 1722 and 1741. He is now chiefly remembered for his defeat at Prestonpans, the first significant battle of the Jacobite rising of 1745 and which was commemorated by the tune "Hey, Johnnie Cope, Are Ye Waking Yet?", which still features in modern Scottish folk music and bagpipe recitals.

His military service included the wars of the Spanish and Austrian Successions. As with many of the senior officers present at Dettingen in 1743, victory resulted in promotion, and he was appointed military commander in Scotland shortly before the 1745 Rising. Although exonerated by a court-martial in 1746, Prestonpans ended his career as a field officer.

In 1751, he was appointed governor of the Limerick garrison, and deputy to Viscount Molesworth, commander of the army in Ireland. He died in London on 28 July 1760.

  1. ^ The Register Book for Burials. In the Parish of St James in Westminster in the County of Middlesex. 1754-1812. 5 August 1760.