John Farquhar (1751–1826) was a Scottish millionaire dealer in

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

Early life

Farquhar was born of humble parents at Bilbo, in the parish of

Crimond, Aberdeenshire Crimond is a village in Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland, located northwest of the port of Peterhead and just over from the coast. Geography The main A90 road runs through Crimond and is lined by Crimond Church with a village ...

. At 15 he had a bursary to attend

Marischal College, Aberdeen Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...

, studied there for four years, and graduated M.A. He went to London, and then sought his fortune in the East, taking a place on an

East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

as surgeon's mate. He found work in a Bengal merchant's office in

Barrackpore Barrackpore (also known as Barrackpur) is a city and a municipality of urban Kolkata of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is also a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA ...

. Picking up chemistry as a hobby, Farquhar found it a business asset.

Gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

was being manufactured at Pultah, a reach of the

Hooghly River The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, Indi ...

about two miles inland from Barrackpore. It had been found unsatisfactory, and Farquhar was chosen by

General Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

governor-general of Bengal The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

, to look into it. He was made superintendent of the factory, and ultimately became sole contractor to the government. He became wealthy, influential, and on good terms with

Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-Genera ...

In England

Farquhar returned to England in 1814, with a fortune of about £500,000. It was invested by

Hoare's Bank C. Hoare & Co., also known as Hoares, is a British private bank, founded in 1672 by Sir Richard Hoare; it is currently owned and led by the eleventh generation of his direct descendants. It is the second oldest bank in the United Kingdom and rep ...

in government funds. Stories attached to Farquhar, who spent little on himself. Farquhar was taken for a beggar in the street. On landing at

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

he is said to have walked to London in order to save coach hire, and arrived at his banker's so covered with dust and so poorly clad that the clerks allowed him to wait in the cash office until Mr. Hoare passed through, and recognised him. Farquhar took up residence in Upper Baker Street,

Portman Square Portman Square is a garden square in Marylebone, central London, surrounded by elegant townhouses. It was specifically for private housing let on long leases having a ground rent by the Portman Estate, which owns the private communal gardens. ...

. His sole attendant was an old woman, and the house was conspicuous for its neglected appearance. Though miserly in his personal habits, he was fond of attending auction sales, and bidding in them. Despite idiosyncrasies, his manners were affable and pleasant. At the same time Farquhar was princely in charitable contributions. He became a partner in the agency house of Basset, Farquhar, & Co. in the city, and purchased a share in the

Whitbread Whitbread plc is a multinational British hotel and restaurant company headquartered in Houghton Regis, England. The business was founded as a brewery in 1742, and had become the largest brewery in the world by the 1780s. Its largest division ...

brewery. His wealth, as it accumulated, was devoted partly to the purchase of estates, but more was invested. In 1822 he purchased

Fonthill Abbey Fonthill Abbey—also known as Beckford's Folly—was a large Gothic Revival country house built between 1796 and 1813 at Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire, England, at the direction of William Thomas Beckford and architect James Wyatt. It was b ...

from

William Thomas Beckford William Thomas Beckford (29 September 1760 – 2 May 1844) was an English novelist, art collector, patron of decorative art, critic, travel writer, plantation owner and for some time politician. He was reputed at one stage to be England's riches ...

for £330,000, and he occasionally resided there until the fall of the tower in December 1825, shortly after which he sold the estate. Besides knowledge of chemistry, Farquhar was an accomplished classical scholar, and also excelled in mathematics and mechanics. His beliefs included admiration of the moral system of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. He wished to expend £100,000 for the foundation of a college in Aberdeen, with a reservation in regard to religion; but lacking parliamentary sanction the scheme was not carried out.

Death and legacy

Farquhar died suddenly of

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

on 6 July 1826. His wealth amounted to about £1.5 million. He left no will, and it was divided among his seven nephews and nieces. He was buried in

St John's Wood Church St John's Wood Church is a Church of England parish church in St John's Wood, London. The church is located on Lord's Roundabout, between Lord's Cricket Ground and Regent's Park, and has a Grade II* listing. The parish is in the Archdeaconry of ...

, London with a monument to him by

Peter Rouw Peter Rouw II (17 April 1771– 9 December 1852) was a London-based sculptor specialising in bas-reliefs in marble, often in the form of mural church monuments, and in wax miniature portraits, often of a pink hue on black glass. He designed meda ...

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Farquhar, John 1751 births 1826 deaths 18th-century Scottish businesspeople 19th-century Scottish businesspeople People from Buchan Scottish expatriates in India Scottish chemists Scottish art collectors