Sir John Smith of Grothill and Kings Cramond (c. 1600 – c. 1675) was a 17th-century Scottish landowner and 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 ...

from 1643 to 1646.

Life

He was the son of Robert Smith and Gillis Mowbray, a daughter of John Mowbray of Barnbougle. In 1634 he is first referred to as "John Smith of Grothill" in the purchase of the Southfield estate (south of Edinburgh) from William Adamson of

Craigcrook Craigcrook is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, best known for Craigcrook Castle. It is fairly affluent, and lies on the north east slopes of Corstorphine Hill. It is near Clerwood, and Blackhall. Davidson's Mains lies to the north, separated f ...

(his close neighbour).''Ancient and Modern State of the Parish of Cramond'', by J P Wood Grant alternatively places him at Groat Hall, a mansion to the west near

Craigleith Craigleith ( gd, Creag Lìte) is a small island in the Firth of Forth off North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ''Creag Lìte'' meaning "rock of Leith". It is at its highest point. Geography and geolo ...

. As a burgess of Edinburgh he and one other (Hugh Kennedy of Ayr) were dispatched to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to settle the Treaty of London in 1641. He was also involved in the drafting of the

Solemn League and Covenant The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians in 1643 during the First English Civil War, a theatre of conflict in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. On 17 August 1 ...

in 1643. In 1643 he succeeded Sir Alexander Clerk of Pittencrieff as Lord Provost of Edinburgh. The time of this is critical as it immediately precedes Scotland's involvement in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

and is said to have been a tactical election. In his capacity as Provost, in 1645, with his brother-in-law Sir William Gray, he met the captain of an Algerian ship who had an armed ship placed within Leith Roads. The pirate demanded the provost's son as a hostage, but Smith had only a daughter, and furthermore that daughter was stricken with the plague which swept Edinburgh in that year. Gray's daughter Egidia, had died of the plague earlier that year. However, the "Moor" offered to cure Smith's daughter: if he failed he would leave; if he succeeded a ransom should be paid. Smith took some days to decide, while the "moor" lodged in a house at the head of the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...

. However, the physician who appeared was not the moor, but Andrew Gray son of Master Gray of Kinfauns, who had for many years been serving the Emperor of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

where his sister was one of the emperor's wives. Andrew Gray had fled Edinburgh at the time of rioting due to the coronation of King Charles I, and had been living in exile. The story tells that he saved her life and then married her. Gray and his wife settled on the Canongate in the building now known as Morocco Land. He was succeeded as Provost by Sir Archibald Tod. His most important task in this period was representing the city of Edinburgh during the creation of the

in 1643: the document which gives name to the Covenanters. Although beyond his term of office he also appears on the Treaty of 1650 (with Charles II) presumably due to ongoing negotiation in its terms. In 1651 he took over from James Steuart of Coltness as Collector General of Excise (together with John Wauchope) a highly unpopular role during these periods of high taxation. In 1676 John Inglis of Cramond purchased Kings Cramond from the "creditors of John Smith of Grothill" implying Smith was deceased and his estate was broken. Grothill (Grotil) House is first shown in a map in

John Adair John Adair (January 9, 1757 – May 19, 1840) was an American pioneer, slave trader, soldier, and politician. He was the eighth Governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both the U.S. House and Senate. A native of South Carolina, Ada ...

's 1682 map of central Scotland. It stood south-east of

Drylaw Drylaw is an area in the north west of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, located between Blackhall and Granton. It forms the community of Drylaw–Telford. Drylaw used to belong to the younger branch of the Foresters of Corstorphine. Former ...

House. The original Kings Cramond House stood on what is now Barton Avenue West. It was demolished around 1800 and replaced by a huge mansion by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his o ...

known as Barton House and owned by the Ramsays of Barnton, a banking family. The second mansion was demolished in 1920 and redeveloped as large villas. Groathill House was demolished in 1925 to create Telford Road, the main link between Ferry Road and Queensferry Road.

Family

His sister Egidia Smith (aka Geida or Geils), married Sir William Gray of Pittendrum, an Edinburgh merchant and son of Andrew Gray, 7th Lord Gray. Their six sons and twelve daughters including Andrew Gray. Their daughter Agnes married John Dundas of

Dundas Castle Dundas Castle is a 15th-century castle, with substantial 19th-century additions by William Burn, in the Dalmeny parish of West Lothian, Scotland. The home of the Dundas family since the Middle Ages, it was sold in the late 19th century and is cur ...

and

Newliston Newliston is a country house near Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located south-west of Kirkliston, and west of the city centre. The house, designed by Robert Adam in the late 18th century, is a category A listed building. The 18th-century gardens, ...

. Following the death of John Dundas she married Archibald Primrose, Lord Rosebery. Her daughter Elizabeth married John,

Earl of Stair Earl of Stair is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for the lawyer and statesman John Dalrymple, 2nd Viscount of Stair. Dalrymple's father, James Dalrymple, had been a prominent lawyer; having served as Lord President ...

. Another sister, Agnes Smith was second wife to

John Byres of Coates Sir John Byres of Coates (1569–1629) was a 16th/17th century Scottish banker and merchant who served as Treasurer and Old Provost for Edinburgh Town Council. Old Provost is the equivalent of Deputy Provost. Byers Close on the Royal Mile ...

, Treasurer of the Council while he was Provost. John Smith married Jonet Eleis. His sons Robert Smith of Southfield (born 1631), and John Smith younger inherited his properties. The estate was broken and sold from 1676, John Smith sold Grothill in 1683.'Smith in Scotland', ''Notes and Queries'', 4th series (12 October 1872), p. 290.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John of Grothill Scottish landowners Businesspeople from Edinburgh Lord Provosts of Edinburgh 1600s births 1670s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain