Duncan MacNaughton WS FRSE (2 March 1892 – 1 October 1973) was a 20th-century Scottish lawyer and astronomer and archaeologist. Also disguising a secret parallel love of astrology he wrote under the name of Maurice Wemyss on astrological matters.

Life

He was born on 2 March 1892 the son of Peter MacNaughton, a solicitor in the Supreme Courts. The family lived at 3 Danube Street in

Stockbridge, Edinburgh Stockbridge is a suburb of Edinburgh, located north of the city centre, bounded by the New Town and by Comely Bank. The name is Scots ''stock brig'' from Anglic ''stocc brycg'', meaning a timber bridge. Originally a small outlying village, ...

. He was privately educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...

1900–1910. He then studied law at the

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 15 ...

graduating with an MA around 1913. He was apprenticed as a lawyer to Thomas Hunter (later Sir Thomas Hunter) Notary Public at 29 Dundas Street. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he enlisted as a Private in the 9th battalion

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regime ...

. He was wounded in 1915. He then received a commission and served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the

Gordon Highlanders Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gord ...

. He qualified as a Writer to the Signet in 1919 and joined the famous Edinburgh firm of JS and JW Fraser Tytler, descended from

Patrick Fraser Tytler Patrick Fraser Tytler FRSE FSA(Scot) (30 August 179124 December 1849) was a Scottish advocate and historian. He was described as the "Episcopalian historian of a Presbyterian country". Life The son of Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhous ...

, and based at 22 Young Street 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 Stree ...

. In 1943 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were

George James Lidstone George James Lidstone FIA FSA FRSE (1870-1952) was a British actuary who made several contributions to the field of statistics. He is known for Lidstone smoothing and Lidstone series. He served as President of the Faculty of Actuaries from 192 ...

, William Michael Herbert Greaves, Sir William Wright Smith, and James Watt. He died in Edinburgh on 1 October 1973.

Publications

As Duncan MacNaughton: *''A Scheme of Babylonian Chronology'' *''A Scheme of Egyptian Chronology'' As Maurice Wemyss: *''The Wheel of Life: or Scientific Astrology'' (1920) *''More Notable Nativities and Famous Nativities'' (1943)

References

1892 births 1973 deaths People educated at Edinburgh Academy Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Scottish astronomers Scottish lawyers Scottish astrologers 20th-century astrologers {{Scotland-scientist-stub