Regent Morton's House, Blackfriars Street Edinburgh

Right Hon John Grieve FRSE FSA (d.1803) was a Scottish merchant and politician 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 the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the ...

1782 to 1784. He was highly influential in the “Mound Project” linking Edinburgh's Old and New Towns. He was also a co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783.

Life

He is thought to have been born around 1740. He entered local politics as a Town Councillor in 1765. He served as the City Treasurer 1769 to 1771, a Bailie 1771 to 1779. In 1773 in Peter Williamson's first Edinburgh Post Office directory he is listed as living at the head of Roxburgh Close on the Royal Mile. He served as

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 ...

from 1779 to 1782. In 1782 he succeeded

David Steuart David Gordon Steuart (January 26, 1916 – November 5, 2010) was a Saskatchewan politician, cabinet minister and senator. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, the son of Francis J. Steuart and Abbie Cory Thomas, Steuart moved to Prince Albert with ...

as Lord Provost, the highest position available in local politics in Scotland. Whilst some records show this as ending in 1784, he curiously writes an open letter in 1788 to all magistrates of Scottish Towns signing it as "Lord Provost of Edinburgh". Grant states he served a second term as provost 1786/7 and also cites him (in 1783) as one of the main promoters of the concept of the

Mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher ...

to better connect the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh. He served as president of the

Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh The Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh was a learned society based in Edinburgh, Scotland "for the cultivation of the physical sciences". The society was founded in 1771 as the Physico-Chirurgical Society but soon after changed its name to the ...

1767–77. In 1784 he attended the

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray, ...

, representing

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

. He was then living at Strachans Close on the Royal Mile. He lived at traded (with his brother Alexander) at the head of Fleshmarket Close on the Royal Mile. He resided 200m to the east in a house accessed from Strichen's Close but contained within the fabric of Regent Morton's House on Blackfriars Wynd. Around 1800 he moved to a new house at 38 Princes Street where he is listed as a Commissioner of Excise.Grant's Old and New Edinburgh vol.2 p.255 He died on 19 April 1803. He is 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 ...

Artistic Recognition

Grieve was drawn by the caricaturist John Kay, flanked by city guards George Gordon and George Robertson, in 1787.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grieve, John 1740 births 1803 deaths Politicians from Edinburgh Lord Provosts of Edinburgh Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh