Sir Henry Raeburn - Robert Hodshon Cay - Google Art Project

Robert Hodshon Cay FSSA LLD (7 July 1758 – 31 March 1810) was Judge Admiral of Scotland overseeing naval trials. He was husband of the artist Elizabeth Liddell, father of

John Cay John Lidell Cay FRSE PRSSA (31 August 1790 – 13 December 1865) was a Scottish advocate, pioneer photographer and antiquarian. He served as the Sheriff of Linlithgowshire 1822–65. He was the maternal uncle of James Clerk Maxwell. He was ...

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

and maternal grandfather of

James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and scientist responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and ligh ...

Life

Cay was born on 7 July 1758 at Charlton Hall in

North Charlton North Charlton is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Eglingham in Northumberland, in England. It is situated between Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the A1. In 1951 the civil parish had a population of 90. On 1 A ...

in Northumberland, the son of Frances Hodshon of

Lintz Burnopfield is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated north of Stanley and Annfield Plain, close to the River Derwent and is 564 feet above sea level. There are around 4,553 inhabitants in Burnopfield. It is located 7 miles from ...

(1730-1804) and John Cay DL JP. In 1776 he is recorded as winning a gold medal for horsemanship at the Edinburgh Riding School. He studied law at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

graduating in 1778, and was admitted to the Scottish Bar in 1780. By 1800 he had risen to be the principal judge in the High Court of the Admiralty in Scotland (usually termed Judge Admiral). In 1788 he was also created a Commissary of

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 1793 he moved to 1 George Street, occupying the upper two levels of a large Georgian tenement on the corner of St Andrew Square in

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street ...

. The house is now demolished. He was a Trustee of Charlotte Chapel on Rose Street and can be presumed to have worshipped there. He is known to have been a friend of Rev Daniel Sandford who oversaw worship at the chapel. He was a member of the

Scottish Society of Antiquaries 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 ...

. 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 ...

awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1803. In this year he moved to 11 Heriot Row, which was then a new house). He died at home, 11 Heriot Row in

on 31 March 1810. He is buried in

Restalrig Restalrig () is a small residential suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland (historically, an estate and independent parish). It is located east of the city centre, west of Craigentinny and to the east of Lochend, both of which it overlaps. Restalrig ...

Churchyard in eastern Edinburgh. The grave lies just north of the church, with his father. His principal estate remainder Charlton Hall in Northumberland which he had inherited from his father.

Artistic recognition

Cay was painted by

Sir Henry Raeburn Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Biography Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a fo ...

. This portrait is now with the Museum of Fine Arts in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. A copy of this by Isabella Cay (1850-1934) (thought to be his granddaughter) hangs in the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation museum.

Family

On 26 September 1789 he married amateur pastellist Elizabeth Liddell, daughter of John Liddell of

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, North East England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon T ...

. Their children were: *

* Frances Hodshon Cay (mother of

) *Jane Cay *Robert Dundas Cay (

's lawyer)http://www.pastellists.com/Articles/Cay.pdf *Albert Cay *Robert (died young) *Elizabeth (died young) *George (died at 6 weeks) buried in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cay, Robert Hodshon 1758 births 1810 deaths Alumni of the University of Glasgow 19th-century Scottish judges Lawyers from Edinburgh