Crauford Tait WS (8 April 1766 – 2 May 1832) was a 17th/18th century Scottish lawyer, improver and landowner and also a contemporary and friend of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

Life

He was born in Blairlogie in central Scotland on 8 April 1766 the son of John Tait WS and his wife Charlotte Murdoch. His father was a lawyer in

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street ...

from its first construction around 1770. His father purchased the Harvieston estate just east of

Tillicoultry Tillicoultry ( ; Scottish Gaelic: Tulach Cultraidh, perhaps from older Gaelic ''Tullich-cul-tir'', or "the mount/hill at the back of the country") is a town in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Tillicoultry is usually referred to as Tilly by the loc ...

in 1780 and in 1787 the house was twice visited by

during which time he befriended Burns. During the summer visit they took a trip to the Cauldron Linn on the River Devon near

Rumbling Bridge Rumbling Bridge is a small village built on both side of a gorge of the River Devon, which formed the boundary between the historic counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire and is now within the combined Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland, w ...

which trip Burns described as one of the best days of his life. His father had offices in an

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

townhouse at 28 Queen Street and Crawford both trained and practiced there. He inherited the Harvieston estate in 1800 on the death of his father. He retained a substantial townhouse at 2 Park Place in Edinburgh which enabled his children to be educated there. In 1804 he employed John Paterson to rebuild Harviestoun in the

Adam style The Adam style (or Adamesque and "Style of the Brothers Adam") is an 18th-century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practised by Scottish architect William Adam and his sons, of whom Robert (1728–1792) and James (173 ...

. In 1805 he purchased

Dollar Glen Dollar Glen is a small glen (valley) owned by the National Trust for Scotland. It is located in the Ochils that dramatically mark the Scottish Highlands, Highland fault. It is near the town of Dollar, Scotland in the county of Clackmannanshire. It ...

and

Castle Campbell Castle Campbell is a medieval castle situated above the town of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland. It was the lowland seat of the earls and dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, from the 15th to the 19th century, and was visited ...

, from his wife's uncle, consolidating the castle and leaving it as a romantic ruin as was the fashion of the day (Castle Campbell was visible from Harvieston). In 1810 he was responsible for organising the section of the new turnpike road between Dollar and Tillicoultry (linking

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

Kinross Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinross's origins are connect ...

and now known as the A91). When the new road was created the old road (just north of the house) became redundant other than as an access to the house. He died on 2 May 1832 and was buried in the family burial enclosure: "Tait's Tomb" south-east of Harvieston House. Harvieston House was demolished in 1971 to avoid rates.

Family

He was married to Susan Campbell, daughter of Lord Ilay Campbell. Their ten children included

Archibald Campbell Tait Archibald Campbell Tait (21 December 18113 December 1882) was an Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England and theologian. He was the first Scottish Archbishop of Canterbury and thus, head of the Church of England. Life Tait was bor ...

who became

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

. His granddaughter Edith Murdoch Tait (1858-1936) married Randall Davidson who (partly due to Tait's influence) was later also

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tait, Crauford 1766 births 1832 deaths Scottish lawyers Scottish landowners Robert Burns