Laurence Pullar
FRSE FRGS
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
FRSGS LLD (1838–1926) was a 19th-century Scottish businessman, geographer and philanthropist. A close friend of
Sir John Murray he appears to have done much to fund and/or underwrite the cost of the
Challenger Expedition
The ''Challenger'' expedition of 1872–1876 was a scientific program that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the naval vessel that undertook the trip, .
The expedition, initiated by Wi ...
.
Life
![Scottish geographical magazine (1885) (14597429968)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Scottish_geographical_magazine_%281885%29_%2814597429968%29.jpg)
He was born on 13 September 1838 at 36 Mill Street in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
the son of
John Pullar (1803–1878) a dyer who later founded Pullars of Perth and who was Provost of Perth 1867 to 1873. He later became a principal partner in the company, and ran the huge Keirfield Manufacturing Works on the south side of
Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan ( sco, Brig Allan, gd, Drochaid Ailein), also known colloquially as ''Bofa'', is a town in the Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. Overlooked by the National Wallace Monument, it lies on the ...
, assisted by his younger brother
Edmund Pullar.
A keen amateur geographer, Pullar's name attaches to an impressive bathymetric chart of
Loch Assynt
Loch Assynt ( gd, Loch Asaint) is a freshwater loch in Sutherland, Scotland, east-north east of Lochinver.
Situated in a spectacular setting between the heights of Canisp, Quinag and Beinn Uidhe, it receives the outflow from Lochs Awe, Ma ...
dated 1885, and he appears to have been a competent surveyor and draughtsman. In this task he appears to have utilised the same equipment as later used by Sir John Murray and entitled by Sir John "Pullar's Sounding Machine".
In 1895 Sir John Murray awarded him a Challenger Medal for his contributions to the Challenger Expedition. The Medal reads "in recognition of his generosity in the promotion of scientific research".
In 1897 Pullar funded the four year survey of Scottish fresh water lochs by Sir John Murray, but on condition that Murray employed his son, Frederick, on the project (who proved more than able). The study resulted in the publication of the "Bathymetrical Survey of Scottish Fresh-Water Lochs" (1908).
In 1903 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were
Sir John Murray,
Alexander Buchan,
George Chrystal
George Chrystal FRSE FRS (8 March 1851 – 3 November 1911) was a Scottish mathematician. He is primarily know for his books on algebra and his studies of seiches (wave patterns in large inland bodies of water) which earned him a Gold Meda ...
and
Sir Arthur Mitchell.
He died in
Bridge of Allan
Bridge of Allan ( sco, Brig Allan, gd, Drochaid Ailein), also known colloquially as ''Bofa'', is a town in the Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. Overlooked by the National Wallace Monument, it lies on the ...
on 22 December 1926 and was buried in Logie Kirkyard, east of
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
with his son
Frederick Pullar and other family members. The double sided memorial has a bronze by sculptor
George Frampton
Sir George James Frampton, (18 June 1860 – 21 May 1928) was a British sculptor. He was a leading member of the New Sculpture movement in his early career when he created sculptures with elements of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, often combinin ...
.
Family
He was married to Ellen Ferguson Pattison. Their children included
Frederick Pullar tragically drowned in 1901.
Laurence's siblings included
James Frederick Pullar and Sir
Robert Pullar.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pullar, Laurence
1838 births
1926 deaths
People from Perth, Scotland
Scottish philanthropists
Scottish businesspeople
Scottish geographers
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh