View source for Lambert Playfair

{{Short description|British soldier, diplomat, naturalist and author}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
[[File:The grave of Robert Lambert Playfair, Cathedral Cemetery, St Andrews.jpg|thumb|The grave of Robert Lambert Playfair, Cathedral Cemetery, St Andrews]]
'''Sir (Robert) Lambert Playfair''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG}} (21 March 1828 – 18 February 1899) was a British soldier, diplomat, naturalist and author.

==Early life==
Lambert Playfair was a grandson of [[James Playfair (minister)|James Playfair]], principal of the [[University of St Andrews]], and son of George Playfair (1782–1846), chief inspector-general of hospitals in Bengal, and his wife Jessie Ross. Lambert was born in [[St Andrews]] when his parents were at home on leave, and left there to be educated when they returned to India. His elder brother, Lyon, became [[Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair]]. Another brother was Dr [[William Smoult Playfair]], who became involved in a notorious court case, [[Arthur Octavius Kitson|Kitson v. Playfair]].

==Career and later life==
Playfair was a military cadet at [[Addiscombe College]], then joined the [[Madras Army]] in 1846 at the age of 18. He became an artillery officer and with the rank of Captain was appointed to the Madras Staff Corps in 1858.<ref>{{London Gazette |city=e |issue=7305 |date=27 February 1863 |page=281}}</ref> He was promoted to Major in 1866,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=23192 |date=30 November 1866 |page=6650}}</ref> and left the army with the honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1867.<ref>{{London Gazette |city=e |issue=7802 |date=29 November 1867 |page=1413}}</ref>

Playfair was assistant Political Agent at [[Aden]] 1854–62, then Political Agent, then Consul, at [[Sultanate of Zanzibar|Zanzibar 1862–67]], and was appointed Consul-General in Algeria in 1867.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=23267 |date=25 June 1867 |page=3540}}</ref> His territory was extended to Algeria and Tunis in 1885.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=25465 |date=28 April 1885 |page=1917}}</ref> He was knighted KCMG in the [[1886 Birthday Honours|Queen's Birthday Honours of 1886]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=25592 |date=29 May 1886 |page=2635}}</ref> He retired in 1896 and was given an [[Honorary degree|honorary doctorate]] by the University of St Andrews. 

He is buried in the churchyard of [[St Andrews Cathedral]] with his wife Agnes Webster Ranken (1832–1918) and eldest daughter Agnes Mary Playfair. The grave lies at the foot of his parents' grave.

==Publications==
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=i0oOAAAAQAAJ ''A History of Arabia Felix or Yemen from the commencement of the Christian era to the present time; Including an account of the British settlement of Aden''] (Bombay, 1859)
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=0MuvB8UEfk8C ''The Fishes of Zanzibar''], with [[Albert Günther]] (London, 1866)
*''Travels in the Footsteps of [[James Bruce|Bruce]] in Algeria and Tunis'' (1877)
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=Qpp6QwAACAAJ ''Handbook to the Mediterranean: its cities, coasts, and islands''] (London, 1881)
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=f8QvQwAACAAJ ''The Scourge of Christendom: Annals of British relations with Algiers prior to the French Conquest''] (London, 1884)
*''Bibliography of the Barbary States, Algeria, Cyrenaica and Morocco'' (1889)
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=JOTangEACAAJ ''A Bibliography of Morocco from the Earliest time to the end of 1891''] (London, 1892)

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==See also==
*[[:Category:Taxa named by Lambert Playfair]]

==References==
*[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U189952 PLAYFAIR, Sir Robert Lambert], ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2015 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2015)
*{{cite DNBSupp |wstitle=Playfair, Robert Lambert |last=Carlyle |first=Edward Irving}}
*[https://pacific.st-andrews.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=%28RefNo==%27PLFR%27%29 Archive catalogue: Playfair family], University of St Andrews
*[http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS168223828&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0 Obituary], ''The Times'', London, 20 February 1899, page 10
*{{cite ODNB|first1 = E. I.|last1= Carlyle|title=Playfair, Sir Robert Lambert (1828–1899)|first2= Lynn|last2= Milne| id = 22369}}

==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Robert Lambert Playfair}}
*[http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/imu/imu.php?request=display&port=45175&id=94f9&flag=start&offset=0&count=10&listcount=20&view=list&sitter=Sir%20Robert%20L.%20Playfair Portraits], University of St Andrews Photographic Collection
*[https://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/robert-lambert-playfair-and-his-account-of-aden-a-new-acquisition-adds-to-substantial-archive/ Robert Lambert Playfair and his ‘Account of Aden’: a new acquisition adds to substantial archive], Special Collections of the University of St Andrews

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Playfair, Lambert}}
[[Category:1828 births]]
[[Category:1899 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Addiscombe Military Seminary]]
[[Category:Madras Staff Corps officers]]
[[Category:British diplomats]]
[[Category:British writers]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:People from St Andrews]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Fife]]