Sir William Sharp, 6th Baronet

Major-General Sir William Sharp, 6th Baronet of Scotscraig, (1729-1780) was a Scottish soldier of fortune, who had a varied and ultimately successful military career but an unhappy private life.

Born on 28 January 1729 in St Andrews,[1] he was the only surviving son of Sir Alexander Sharp, 5th Baronet, (1697-1769) and his wife Margaret Hamilton (1697-1783).

[2] The British at that time were putting together a group of experienced officers to strengthen the Portuguese forces fighting Spain in the Seven Years' War, and William managed to join them.

Margaret in Scotland, who had learned about her Portuguese successor, went back to using her maiden name of Bethune, which was also used for the rest of his life by her son Alexander, who never claimed his father's baronetcy.

[2] He took over her inherited lands, cutting out her son, changed his own name to William Bethune[2] and married Isobel Morison, who gave him a daughter Isabella in 1795.