Sir Robert Chieslie of Dalry (sometimes spelled Cheislie, Chiesley or Chishley) (c. 1650 – c. 1705) was a Scottish 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 the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the ...

from 1694 to 1696. Given the rarity of the name he is probably Robert Cheislay listed as MP for Edinburgh within the Scottish Parliament from 1692 to 1702.

Life

He was the son of Walter Chieslie of Dalry, a wealthy Edinburgh burgess and his wife, Katherine Tod (d.1679), daughter of Sir Archibald Tod, twice Provost of Edinburgh in the mid 17th century. In 1661 his father built Dalry House, around a mile west of the city (now enveloped by the city and standing on Orwell Place). Contemporary plasterwork in the house shows allegiance to King Charles II. In 1675 Walter ran paper mills in Dalry on the banks of the

Water of Leith The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uisge Lìte'') is the main river flowing near central Edinburgh, Scotland, and flows into the port of Leith where it flows into the sea via the Firth of Forth. Name The name ''Leith'' may be of Britt ...

. In 1694 Robert succeeded Sir John Hall of Dunglass as

. He was succeeded in turn in 1696 by Sir Archibald Muir. Although usually titled "Chieslie of Dalry" a 1695 Act of Parliament names him as "Chiesley of Bonnington", apparently referring to

Bonnington House Bonnington House is a 19th-century country house near Wilkieston, around west of the city centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a category A listed building. The house was built in 1622, and was the home of the Foulis Baronets of Colinton. Si ...

near

Ratho Ratho ( gd, Ràthach) is a village in the Rural West Edinburgh area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Its population at the 2011 census was 1,634 based on the 2010 definition of the locality. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian. Ratho Stati ...

. The document, setting up the "Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies", lists Robert and his brother James Chiesley (a merchant in London) together with around 30 other stockholders, in creating the company, which was involved in the slave trade. Other signatories include

Adam Cockburn, Lord Ormiston Adam Cockburn, Laird of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston (1656 – 16 April 1735), was a Scottish administrator, politician and judge. He served as Commissioner for Haddington Constabulary in the parliaments of 1681-2 and 1689, and in the conventions ...

. These investors were all bankrupted by the

Darien scheme The Darien scheme was an unsuccessful attempt, backed largely by investors of the Kingdom of Scotland, to gain wealth and influence by establishing ''New Caledonia'', a colony on the Isthmus of Panama, in the late 1690s. The plan was for the co ...

. Chieslie is thought to be one of the handful who lost his mind due to the huge loss. The Edinburgh Bedlam was nicknamed "Darien House" from 1700 as it is said to have had at least two occupants linked to the scheme. As Robert Chieslie disappears from all records after 1698 but is not recorded as dead he fits the bill as one of the inmates leading to the legend. This also links to a history of mental health issues in his family (see below). He died in the early 18th century and 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 ...

in the tomb of his mother, Lady Chieslie. Had he lived until the

Union of 1707 The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the te ...

he would have been richly compensated for the Darien loss.

Family

He was brother to John Chieslie or Chiesley, who murdered

George Lockhart, Lord Carnwath Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath (c. 1630 – 1689) was a Scottish advocate, judge and commissioner to parliament who was murdered. Life In 1644 he purchased from Sir Thomas Hope the mansion of Robert Gourlay on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, v ...

by shooting him in the back in 1689, Chieslie being unhappy regarding a legal judgement he gave awarding his wife a large sum of money. His niece, John's daughter, was

Rachel Chiesley, Lady Grange Rachel Chiesley (baptised 4 February 1679 – 12 May 1745), usually known as Lady Grange, was the wife of Lord Grange, a Scottish lawyer with Jacobite sympathies. After 25 years of marriage and nine children, the Granges separated a ...

, wife of

James Erskine, Lord Grange James Erskine, Lord Grange (167920 January 1754) was a Scottish advocate, judge and politician. He served as Lord Justice Clerk and a Lord of Justiciary. The son of Charles Erskine, Earl of Mar, by his spouse Lady Mary, eldest daughter of Georg ...

and an outlandish figure in her own right. As his nearest relative, she would have received the agreed compensation "owed" to the Company of Scotland in 1707 as agreed in the Act of Union 1707. His brother James Chiesley moved 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 ...

and traded there as a merchant. He was one of the "English" signatories to the Company of Scotland in 1685 (all but two of the signatories were Scots by birth). He appears to be grandfather or great uncle of Rev John Chieslie, minister of

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

from 1768 to 1789.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; (vol. ?) p. 7

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chieslie, Robert Scottish merchants Lord Provosts of Edinburgh Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard