Colonel Sir John Hepburn

John Hepburn was born c1598, the 2nd son of George Hepburn of Athelstaneford near Haddington, East Lothian. His mother, Helen was also a Hepburn, from Smeaton. They were a staunch Roman Catholic family. In his youth he travelled around France, and in 1620 left Scotland to serve as a mercenary in the Thirty Years War, in support of Elizabeth of Bohemia. At the battle of White Mountain he commanded a company of Pikemen, and held the rank of captain in 1622 fighting at Bergen op Zoom and Fleurus. The army he was serving in was disbanded in 1623 and he took his men to fight in the army of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. He was appointed colonel in 1625, and fought in Prussia against a Polish army at Mewe. There were many Scotsmen serving in the Swedish army, and four Scottish colonels were knighted in 1627, Hepburn amongst them. He held a high command in Gustav’s army in Pomerania and won a victory at Colberg in 1630. He relieved allied forces at Rugenwalde Castle and was appointed governor there. His unit gained a reputation as an elite force, known as the Green Brigade. They had success at Landsberg/Warthe in April 1631 and again at Frankfurt on the Oder and the Battle of Breitenfeld in which Hepburn was wounded. Later that year he fought in Bavaria and joined forces with English mercenaries. After a disappointing campaign in which disease and desertion reduced the army, Hepburn argued with the Swedish King and they parted company in July 1632. He and some other Scottish officers returned to Scotland. The raising of the Régiment d’Hebron dates from 26 Jan 1633.On that date Sir John Hepburn was commissioned to raise a regiment of Scotsmen to serve in France. Most of these soldiers had served with Sir John for several years in the pay of Gustavus Adolphus. This commission was the result of an agreement between King Charles I of Britain and King Louis XIII of France. To the French, Hepburn was known as Le Chevalier Hébron and generally regarded as one of the finest soldiers in Christendom. This was recognised by King Louis who promoted him to Maréchal de Camp. Unfortunately his new career ended at the siege of Saverne where he was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck. His date of death is recorded as either the 8th or 21st July 1636. A memorial plaque is on the wall of Toul Cathedral, Lorraine.