Robert Corse (or Cross) of Corse (1639–1705) was a 17th-century Scottish merchant who traded sugar and tobacco in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and was a Baillie and

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 ...

of the City Council. He lost a fortune due to his involvement in the Company of Scotland.

Life

He was born in 1639 one of seven children of John Corse (b.1601) and his wife, Margaret Jack.Robert Corse
My Heritage Robert built (and lived in) in the original (17th century)

Auchintoshan Auchentoshan distillery ( ) is a Single malt Scotch, single malt Scotch whisky, whisky distillery in the west of Scotland. The name Auchentoshan is from Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic () and translates as "corner of the field". The distillery is also ...

House. Corse was

in Glasgow City Council. As a businessman he was partners with the Luke family: owning the Easter Sugar House, and at that time, this would normally also mean owning sugar plantations and slaves in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. He also traded in tobacco, indicating tobacco plantations in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

and/or

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. In June 1681 he is paid £280 (which was then a very large sum) by George Johnstoune to cover the cost of French wine sent to the

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover. History The Dukedom of Albany was first granted ...

. He was elected a Baillie in October 1681. In November 1681 he is ordered to pay Francis Polanus £10 for rescuing two brethren and a sister from slavery by the Turks. In 1695 he is one of the 30 men setting up the "Company of Scotland Trading in Africa and the Indies" generally known as the Company of Scotland. The 30 men raised £400,000 for a venture now generally called 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 ...

, to colonise

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. The scheme was a failure and the men lost everything. Corse was the only Glaswegian in this mainly Edinburgh-based idea. Robert died a poor man in 1705. However, his fellow stock-holders, in particular Patrick Johnston,

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 ...

, brokered a deal with the English, whereby if the Scots gave up their parliament and came under English rule, all stockholders of the Company of Scotland would be fully compensated. This was part of the terms of the

Act of 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 ...

. Corse's sons received his share of the compensation in 1707.

Family

In 1663 he married Joanet Peadie (1640-1700). They had ten children. Janet was sister of James Peadie of Ruchill, later Provost of Glasgow. His daughter Isobel Cross (1670-1728) married James Luke (1672-1726), the son of his Glasgow business colleague, John Luke of Claythorn. They had a son John Luke (1698-1750). His son John Cross (1671-1732) was later also Dean of Guild.

References

1639 births 1705 deaths Businesspeople from Glasgow Scottish merchants {{Scotland-bio-stub