Charles Lawson of Borthwick Hall (1795–1873) was a Scottish nurseryman and merchant, noted for the introduction of foreign crops into the United Kingdom. He served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1862 to 1865.

Life

He was born in Edinburgh, son of the seed merchant Peter Lawson and his wife Patricia Grant. The family live at 19 Blair Street, a street joining the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

to the Cowgate. He was educated at Edinburgh High School and Edinburgh University. His father died in 1821, and Charles then took over the family business Peter Lawson & Son. In Edinburgh he lived at 35 George Square. In 1851 he purchased Borthwick Hall near

Gorebridge Gorebridge is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. Gorebridge has an annual Gala Day which always takes place on the 3rd Saturday in June. This is much like a town fair, with rides and games. The gala day has a tradition of picking ...

in Midlothian. He was connected to the huge Lawson-Donaldson Seed Warehouse off the The Shore, Leith, Shore in Leith. Successful on a national scale, Lawson became a specialist in grass seeds and conifers. The ''Cupressus lawsoniana'' was named after him. Went spectacularly bankrupt by 1873 after unwise investment in guano from San Domingo. [1]

Artistic recognition

He was portrayed in office by John Graham Gilbert.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Charles 1795 births 1873 deaths Nurserymen Businesspeople from Edinburgh Lord Provosts of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish businesspeople People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh