No-one reading this article is likely to have heard of Major Robert Macpherson of Benchar – nor is there any reason why they should, for Robert’s entire existence is enshrined in two letters, a will and a sword.Yet Robert Macpherson perfectly encapsulates the importance of India to the highland gentry at large.
Benchar (pronounced Benachar, modern spelling, Banchor) was a small estate in Badenoch in the central highlands, lying just west of the modern village of Newtonmore on the north side of the Spey. Born in 1774, Robert was the youngest child of Andrew Macpherson of Benchar and his wife Isabel (‘Tibbie’) Macpherson. The family belonged to the upper echelons of clan Macpherson, and Andrew, who died in 1787, had been a prominent figure in all local and clan affairs since before the 1745 rising. Tibbie came from an even more prominent clan family, the Invereshie Macphersons, who owned a significant estate just a few miles to the east on the other side of the Spey. By the late 18th century, however, the once prominent Benchar family had fallen on hard times.
Like many of the highland gentry, the Benchar sons served in the military, the only real prospect of a professional career, and, for those stationed in India, a rare opportunity to accumulate substantial wealth. Robert’s older brothers John, Evan and Graeme had
