Sir Robert Kirk Inches (c. 1845 – 2 August 1918) was a Scottish goldsmith and silversmith. He co-founded the jeweller
Hamilton & Inches
and 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 City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

from 1912 to 1916.

Early life

He was born around 1845. He was the son of Robert Inches, a printer with John Stark & Co at Old Assembly Close on the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

in Edinburgh.

Career

In 1866 he founded the jewellery firm Hamilton & Inches with his uncle, James Hamilton, at 90

Princes Street Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...

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 ...

. James retired in 1883. In 1888 Robert Inches bought the property of the watchmaker Robert Bryson & Son at 66 Princes Street and combined it into a new facility at 88/90

. The firm was "by appointment" jewellers to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. At the time, Inches lived at 2 Strathearn Road in the

Grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to a monastery Geography Australia * Grange, South Austral ...

. In 1903 he co-founded the Edinburgh Association of Goldsmiths, Silversmiths and Watchmakers, formally constituted on 5 February 1906.

Death

He died on 2 August 1918. He is buried in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

in north Edinburgh. The grave lies in the overgrown southern section south of the old railway line, to the south-east of the tunnel access.

Recognition

He was knighted by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

during his period as Lord Provost. His full-length portrait by

George Fiddes Watt :'' Not to be confused with George Frederic Watts''. George Fiddes Watt (15 February 1873 – 22 November 1960) was a Scottish portrait painter and engraver. Biography Watt studied art at Gray's School of Art, Edinburgh and the Royal Scottis ...

is held by the

City of Edinburgh Council The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland. In its current form, the counci ...

Personal life

He married Mary Gray Morison 8 June 1868 in Edinburgh and they had seven children. Isabella Morison Inches (1869-1959), Robert Inches (1871 -1900), John Morison Inches (1873-1914), Charles Moore Inches (1875-1946), Edward James Inches (1877-1934), George Hamilton Inches (1880-1881) and Mary Augusta Raeburn Inches (1883-1945). Robert and Edward both of served in the First World War. Edward took over the company upon his father's death. Edward's son (Robert) Campbell Inches took the firm over in 1934, and in 1950 the company came under the control of Ian Hamilton Inches. In 1952 the company moved to 87 George Street. In 1992 it was bought by

Asprey Asprey International Limited, formerly Asprey & Garrard Limited, is a United Kingdom-based designer, manufacturer and retailer of jewellery, silverware, home goods, leather goods, timepieces and a retailer of books. Asprey's flagship re ...

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 ...

but retained its historic name for trading.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inches, Robert Kirk 1918 deaths Businesspeople from Edinburgh Lord Provosts of Edinburgh Scottish goldsmiths Scottish silversmiths Scottish jewellers Scottish knights 1845 births 19th-century Scottish businesspeople