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Merchiston Tower
Merchiston Tower, also known as Merchiston Castle, was probably built by Alexander Napier, the 2nd Laird of Merchiston around 1454. It serves as the seat for Clan Napier. It was the home of John Napier, the 8th Laird of Merchiston and the inventor of logarithms, who was born there in 1550. The tower stands at the centre of Edinburgh Napier University's Merchiston campus. History The lands surrounding the castle were acquired before 1438 by Alexander Napier (1st Laird of Merchiston), and remained in the Napier family for most of the following five centuries. Merchiston Castle was probably built as a country house, but its strategic position and the turbulent political situation required it to be heavily fortified – with some walls as much as six feet thick – and it was frequently under siege. During restoration in the 1960s, a 26-pound cannonball was found embedded in the Tower, thought to date from the struggle in 1572 between Mary, Queen of Scots, and supporters of her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Merchiston
Merchiston ( ) is a residential area around Merchiston Avenue in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Location Merchiston Avenue is 1.3 miles Southwest of the West End of Edinburgh's principal street, Princes Street. Other areas near Merchiston include Morningside to the southeast, Burghmuirhead (including Holy Corner and Church Hill) to the east and Bruntsfield to the northeast. History The first known reference to Merchiston is found in the 1266 Exchequer Rolls of Scotland. At this point Merchiston consisted of one of a number of independently owned estates to the southwest of the Burgh Muir. Alexander Napier, a wealthy Edinburgh merchant and provost of the city, acquired the estate from King James I in 1436. He or his son, also Alexander Napier, were responsible for the construction of Merchiston Tower (or Castle) in the mid 15th century. Merchiston Tower was later the home of John Napier, 8th Laird of Merchiston and the inventor of logarithms. The tower was sold ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James David Marwick
Sir James David Marwick FRSE (15 July 1826 – 24 March 1908) was a Scottish lawyer, historian and town clerk. He served as Town Clerk of Glasgow for thirty-one years, during which time the entire city was transformed. Its powers and amenities were improved by by-laws and Acts of Parliament, and Marwick directed the city of Glasgow's development for much of the second half of the 19th century. Biography A son of William Marwick, a merchant from Kirkwall, Orkney, and his wife, Margaret Garioch, James was born at 95 Kirkgate in central Leith, where his father then worked as a baker. James was educated in Kirkwall Grammar School and then studied law at the University of Edinburgh. He was then apprenticed to James B Watt solicitor at 9 York Place in Edinburgh. He was admitted a procurator at Dundee in 1852, and became a solicitor before the Supreme Courts six years later. In 1855 he founded the Edinburgh legal firm of Watt & Marwick. As the address of this firm is also 9 York Place ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edinburgh City Council
The City of Edinburgh Council is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is Subdivisions of Scotland#Council areas, the second most populous local authority area in Scotland. In its current form, the council was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, to replace the City of Edinburgh District Council of the Lothian region, which had, itself, been created in 1975. The history of local government in Edinburgh, however, stretches back much further. Around 1130, David I of Scotland, David I made the town a royal burgh and a burgh council, based at the Old Tolbooth, Edinburgh, Old Tolbooth is recorded continuously from the 14th century. The council is currently based in Edinburgh City Chambers with a main office nearby at Waverley Court. History Before 1368 the city was run from a pretorium (a Latin term for Tolbooth), and later from around 1400 fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Watson's College
George Watson's College is a co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a Scottish education in the eighteenth century#School building, hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871, and was merged with its sister school George Watson's Ladies College in 1974. It is a Merchant Company of Edinburgh school and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History Foundation The school was established according to the instructions of George Watson (accountant), George Watson (1654–1723) who bequeathed the bulk of his fortune of £12,000 – a vast sum in 1723 – to found a school for the provision of post-primary boarding education. Unlike his father, John Watson, George was not a member of the Merchant Company of Edinburgh, but he was impressed by their co-founding and running of the Merchant Maiden Hospital and so h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier
Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier and 1st Baron Ettrick, (15 September 1819 – 19 December 1898) was a Scottish polyglot, diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as the British Minister to the United States from 1857 to 1859, Netherlands from 1859 to 1860, Russia from 1861 to 1864, Prussia from 1864 to 1866 and as the Governor of Madras from 1866 to 1872. He also acted as the Viceroy of India from February to May 1872. Francis Napier was born on 15 September 1819 to William Napier, 9th Lord Napier and had his early education through private tutors. He joined the Trinity College, Cambridge in 1835 but did not complete his graduation. Instead, he mastered foreign languages and served as a diplomat in foreign missions. In 1866, he was appointed Governor of Madras and served from 1866 to 1872. On the assassination of the Earl of Mayo, the then Viceroy of India in February 1872, Napier was appointed to act temporarily as the Viceroy of India and served from February to May ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School is an independent boarding school for boys in the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has around 470 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 7 and 18 as either boarding or day pupils; it was modelled after English public schools. It is divided into Merchiston Juniors (ages 7–13), Middle Years (ages 13–16) and a Sixth Form. History In 1828 Charles Chalmers started a small school in Park Place on a site now occupied by the McEwan Hall. In May 1833, Charles Chalmers took a lease of Merchiston Castle (the former home of John Napier, the inventor of logarithms) — which at that time stood in rural surroundings — and moved the school. It is from here that the school name is derived. Over time, the number of pupils grew and the Merchiston Castle became too small to accommodate the school. The governors decided to purchase 90 acres of ground at the Colinton House estate, four miles south-west of Edinburgh. Building began in 1928 includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Napier, 9th Lord Napier
William John Napier, 9th Lord Napier, Baron Napier () FRSE (13 October 1786 – 11 October 1834) was a British Royal Navy officer and trade envoy in China. Early life Napier was born in Kinsale, Ireland, on 13 October 1786.Laughton, J. K.. "Napier, William John, ninth Lord Napier of Merchistoun (1786–1834)". ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004 ed.). Oxford University Press. . He was the son of Francis Napier, 8th Lord Napier (1758–1823) and the father of Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier and 1st Baron Ettrick (1819–1898). He enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1803 and served - with distinction - as a midshipman on HMS Defiance at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). He later served as lieutenant under Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald. Career In 1818 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir David Brewster, Sir George Steuart Mackenzie, and John Playfair. A peer of Scotland, Lord Napier was an elected Scottish re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 and officially opened in 1583, it is one of Scotland's four ancient universities and the sixth-oldest university in continuous operation in the English-speaking world. The university played an important role in Edinburgh becoming a chief intellectual centre during the Scottish Enlightenment and contributed to the city being nicknamed the " Athens of the North." Edinburgh is ranked among the top universities in the United Kingdom and the world. Edinburgh is a member of several associations of research-intensive universities, including the Coimbra Group, League of European Research Universities, Russell Group, Una Europa, and Universitas 21. In the fiscal year ending 31 July 2021, it had a total income of £1.176 billion, of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest include planets, natural satellite, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxy, galaxies, and comets. Relevant phenomena include supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation. More generally, astronomy studies everything that originates beyond atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere. Cosmology is a branch of astronomy that studies the universe as a whole. Astronomy is one of the oldest natural sciences. The early civilizations in recorded history made methodical observations of the night sky. These include the Babylonian astronomy, Babylonians, Greek astronomy, Greeks, Indian astronomy, Indians, Egyptian astronomy, Egyptians, Chinese astronomy, Chinese, Maya civilization, Maya, and many anc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Blair (astronomer)
Robert Blair FRSE (1748 – 22 December 1828) was a Scottish astronomer. Life He was born in Garvald, East Lothian, the son of Rev Archibald Blair, the local minister. In 1773 he was apprenticed to Dr Francis Balfour, a naval surgeon, and served in the Royal Navy in the West Indies. On return to Scotland he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and qualified as a doctor in 1785. Robert Blair was the first Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh (1785 until death). He invented the aplanatic lens and also coined this term. This was a significant step in reducing the aberration in optical systems In optics, aberration is a property of optical systems, such as lenses, that causes light to be spread out over some region of space rather than focused to a point. Aberrations cause the image formed by a lens to be blurred or distorted, with t .... He also experimented with hollow lenses, holding different solutions. He was elected a Fellow of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Hope, 2nd Earl Of Hopetoun
John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun (7 September 1704 – 12 February 1781) was the son of Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun and Lady Henrietta Johnstone. He married on 14 September 1733 to Anne Ogilvy, daughter of James Ogilvy, 5th Earl of Findlater (son of James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater) and Lady Elizabeth Hay. He married, secondly, Jane Oliphant (died 16 March 1767), daughter of Robert Oliphant, on 30 October 1762. He married, thirdly, Lady Elizabeth Leslie (died 10 April 1788), daughter of Alexander Melville, 5th Earl of Leven and Elizabeth Monypenny, on 10 June 1767. John Hope succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Hopetoun in 1742. In 1747 he was appointed Curator bonis (Trustee in Lunacy) for his half-uncle, the George Vanden-Bempde, 3rd Marquess of Annandale, 4th Earl of Annandale and Hartfell. Children by first marriage to Lady Anne Ogilvy include * Elizabeth Hope (born 1739 – died 7 April 1756) * James Hope-Johnstone, 3rd Earl of Hopetoun (born 23 August 1741 – died ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Hope-Weir
The Hon. Charles Hope-Weir (or Hope-Vere) (8 May 1710 – 30 December 1791) was a Scottish politician. Life Born The Hon. Charles Hope, he was the second son of Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun and Lady Henrietta Johnstone, daughter of William Johnstone, 1st Marquess of Annandale. In 1730 he inherited the Craigiehall estate, in the parish of Dalmeny, West Lothian, from his uncle, the 2nd Marquess of Annandale. He adopted the name Hope-Weir, and the arms of the Weir family, on his marriage in 1733 to Catherine Weir, daughter and heiress of the Weir Baronets of Blackwood, Lanarkshire. The family name was later changed to Hope-Vere. On 13 May 1743 he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Linlithgowshire, a seat he held until 1769, when he stepped down. He was appointed Governor of Blackness Castle in 1744. He later held the posts of Commissary General of the Musters in Scotland, and Ranger of Ettrick Forest.Wood, pp. 150–151 In 1754, with the encouragement of his uncle, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
