George Haliburton (1685–1742) was an early 18th century Scottish merchant who served as

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

1740 to 1742.

Life

He was born at

Muirhouse Muirhouse is a housing estate in the north of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Location The housing estate of Muirhouse (Pennywell and Muirhouse) is bounded by Muirhouse Parkway to the North, Pennywell Road to the East, Ferry Road to the So ...

(or Muirhouselaw) north of

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 ...

in 1685, the son of Patrick Haliburton and Jane Erskine of Shielfield. He was elected

Dean of Guild A Dean of Guild, under Scots law, was one of a group of burgh magistrates who, in later years, had the care of buildings. The leader of the group was known as Lord Dean of Guild. Originally, the post was held by the head of the Guild brethren o ...

in 1739 and Lord Provost of Edinburgh in 1740 and was succeeded by John Coutts in 1742. He died on 3 September 1742 and was buried in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

. After his death two of his shops at the foot of West Bow on the

Grassmarket The Grassmarket is a historic market place, street and event space in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In relation to the rest of the city it lies in a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels. Location The Grassmarket is located direct ...

passed to John Hamilton, cordiner (shoemaker).

Family

He was married to Elizabeth Rutherford, widow of his cousin, Thomas Rutherford. They had three daughters:.Genealogical Memoirs of the Family of Sir Walter Scott p.34 *Helen *Janet, married James Nicolson, minister of

Banchory Banchory (, sco, Banchry, gd, Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee. Prehistory and archaeology In 2009, a farmer discovered a short cist ...

in 1741 *Davidona married William Dallas in 1756 and was mother to Lt General Thomas Dallas A second marriage bore him two sons, John and David, the latter of whom inherited Muirhouselaw.

References

1685 births 1742 deaths Politicians from Edinburgh Lord Provosts of Edinburgh Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard {{Scotland-politician-stub