John Abercromby, 5th Baron Abercromby of

Tullibody Tullibody ( gd, Tulach Bòide), is a town set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies north of the River Forth near to the foot of the Ochil Hills within the Forth Valley. The town is south-west of Alva, north-west of Alloa and east-n ...

(15 January 1841 – 7 October 1924) was a Scottish soldier and

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

Life

Abercromby was born in

House as the son of George Abercromby, 3rd Baron Abercromby, and Louisa Penuel Forbes, and had two brothers and a sister. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

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 ...

as a

boarder A boarder may be a person who: *snowboards *skateboards *bodyboards * surfs *stays at a boarding house *attends a boarding school *takes part in a boarding attack The Boarder may also refer to: * ''The Boarder'' (1953 film), a 1953 Soviet drama ...

. Around 1860 he received a commission in the Rifle Brigade but resigned in 1870 having risen no higher than Lieutenant. During this period he saw no conflict but was posted in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

for a year. After leaving the army in 1870 he devoted himself to languages, travel, and folklore. In 1904 he introduced the term beaker into the archaeological lexicon to describe the copper age drinking vessels being found all over western Europe. He moved to

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 1895 living at 62 Palmerston Place. In 1898 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were Lt Col Frederick Bailey, Alexander Buchan,

John McLaren, Lord McLaren John McLaren, Lord McLaren, FRSE (17 April 1831 – 6 April 1910) was a British Liberal politician and judge. In the scientific world he is remembered as a mathematician and astronomer. Life The son of Duncan McLaren, a former Provost of Edin ...

, and

Peter Guthrie Tait Peter Guthrie Tait FRSE (28 April 1831 – 4 July 1901) was a Scottish mathematical physicist and early pioneer in thermodynamics. He is best known for the mathematical physics textbook ''Treatise on Natural Philosophy'', which he co-wrote wi ...

. In 1911 he was still living at 62 Palmerston Place in

's fashionable West End. He received an honorary doctorate from 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 ...

with an honorary

Doctorate of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...

(LLD) in later life. On 3 October 1917, following the death of his elder brother George, he succeeded as the fifth Lord Abercromby. Prior to this he was styled the Hon. John Abercromby. He supported the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usua ...

and served as its president from 1913 to 1918. His will provided for the foundation of the

Abercromby Chair of Archaeology Abercromby Professorship of Archaeology is a chair at the University of Edinburgh. It was endowed in the will of John Abercromby, 5th Baron Abercromby (1841–1924), who left instructions to establish a chair in prehistoric archaeology at the univ ...

at Edinburgh University, a post occupied by

Vere Gordon Childe Vere Gordon Childe (14 April 189219 October 1957) was an Australian archaeologist who specialised in the study of European prehistory. He spent most of his life in the United Kingdom, working as an academic for the University of Edinburgh and ...

and

Stuart Piggott Stuart Ernest Piggott, (28 May 1910 – 23 September 1996) was a British archaeologist, best known for his work on prehistoric Wessex. Early life Piggott was born in Petersfield, Hampshire, the son of G. H. O. Piggott, and was educated t ...

. He died on 7 October 1924 and is buried in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

in Edinburgh at its east side, close to the main entrance. Tullibody House was demolished following a fire in 1961.

Family

Abercromby married his Swedish cousin, Adele Wilhelmina Marika von Heidenstern, on 26 August 1876. They had one daughter, Edla Louisa Montague Abercromby (b. 1877), who married Georges N. Nasos in 1906. John and Adele divorced in 1879 after only three years of marriage. As he had no son, the Barony of Abercromby became extinct on his death. Tullibody House

Works

* * *
vol. 1vol. 1vol. 2vol. 2
**Much of this material was first published as a series of articles by

The Folklore Society The Folklore Society (FLS) is a national association in the United Kingdom for the study of folklore. It was founded in London in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts an ...

in ''Folklore'' as 'Magic Songs of the Finns' : v.1 (1890), 17–46, 331–48; v.2 (1891), 31–49; v.3 (1892), 49–66; v.4 (1893), 27–49. *
vol. 1vol. 2

References

Sources

* * Letter of John Abercromby to Joseph Déchelette © Ville de Roanne - Musée Joseph Déchelette - Bibliothèqu
http://www.memo-roanne.fr/
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abercromby, John 5th Baron Abercromby 1841 births 1924 deaths People educated at Harrow School 5 Scottish archaeologists Scottish soldiers Rifle Brigade officers Younger sons of barons Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Burials at the Dean Cemetery

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland