![Forglen House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Forglen_House.JPG)
Robert John Abercromby (14 June 1850 – 24 July 1895) was the seventh Scottish
Abercromby baronet. He held the estates of Birkenbog and
Forglen, as well as land in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. He served as Vice-
Lord-Lieutenant of
Banffshire, and
Justice of the Peace and
Commissioner of Supply
Commissioners of Supply were local administrative bodies in Scotland from 1667 to 1930. Originally established in each sheriffdom to collect tax, they later took on much of the responsibility for the local government of the counties of Scotland. ...
for both
Aberdeenshire and Banffshire.
Ancestry
Abercromby was the son of George Samuel Abercromby (1824–1872) and Agnes Georgina, the daughter of John Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Kilmaine. The couple had three other sons, George Cosmo, Cavendish Douglas and Douglas Charles, and two daughters.
Life
Abercromby was born in London on 14 June 1850 but spent his formative years at
Forglen House
Forglen House is a mansion house that forms the centrepiece of the Forglen estate in the parish of Forglen, north-west of Turriff, Aberdeenshire, in the north-east of Scotland. The lands were given to the abbots of the Abbey of Arbroath by Kin ...
in
Turriff
Turriff () is a town and civil parish in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies on the River Deveron, about above sea level, and has a population of 5,708. In everyday speech it is often referred to by its Scots name ''Turra'', which is derived f ...
,
Aberdeenshire, after his father succeeded to the family estates in Scotland and Ireland in the year 1855. He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
. In November 1872 he inherited the estates from his father, becoming the 7th in the line of
Abercromby baronets
The Abercromby Baronetcy, of Birkenbog in the County of Banff, was a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 20 February 1636 for Alexander Abercromby, who subsequently represented Banffshire in the Scottish Parliament. His ...
.
Forglen House was the main
family seat
A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families ...
and Abercromby continued programmes of improvement to the house and policies that had been initiated by his forebears. The Abercrombys also owned land in Ireland after
the 5th Baronet bought most of the town of
Fermoy
Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the Dá ...
from the estate of fellow Scotsman
John Anderson after his death in 1820. The 7th baronet is recorded as the owner of 434 acres of land in
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...
during the 1870s and Fermoy House is listed as the family seat in Ireland.
Inchdrewer Castle
Inchdrewer Castle is a 16th-century tower house in the parish of Banff, Aberdeenshire, in the north-east of Scotland. Situated on a slight rise south-west of Banff, it looks across to Banff Bay. Originally owned by the Currour family, it was p ...
also formed part of his inheritance and
MacGibbon and Ross
David MacGibbon (2 April 1831 – 20 February 1902) and Thomas Ross (10 November 1839 – 4 December 1930) were Scottish architects. Their practice, MacGibbon and Ross was established in 1872 and continued until 1914. They are best known today fo ...
list it in his ownership in 1887.
Abercromby served on several committees, including being Convenor of the County Lunacy Board, Chairman of the Parochial Board (when these became
civil parishes
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...
he was unopposed as Chairman of the new committee) and a member of the Banff County Road Board. He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Banffshire from 1874, then Vice-
Lord-Lieutenant of Banffshire from 1892. From 1876 he was also
Deputy Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire. He also undertook the roles of
Justice of the Peace and
Commissioner of Supply
Commissioners of Supply were local administrative bodies in Scotland from 1667 to 1930. Originally established in each sheriffdom to collect tax, they later took on much of the responsibility for the local government of the counties of Scotland. ...
for both Banffshire and Aberdeenshire, although he was less active within the jurisdiction of the latter.
On 26 June 1883 Abercromby married Florence Anita Eyre Coote (23 December 1860 – 4 December 1946), the only daughter of Eyre Coote and the granddaughter of
the British Army officer of the same name, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. The youngest child, Robert Alexander Abercromby, was born almost three weeks after Abercromby's death and later, after the death of
his brother, became the 9th baronet.
Death and legacy
Abercromby had been in poor health for several years before he died. He and his wife stayed in
Ceylon during the winter of 1894 to avoid the extreme Scottish weather. His health appeared to have improved after they returned to the UK but he was taken ill in July. Despite a successful stomach operation, he died on 24 July 1895. Abercromby is buried in the mausoleum within the policies of Forglen House.
The estate passed to his eldest son,
George William Abercromby (born 18 March 1886), who at the time was nine years old.
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abercromby, Robert
1850 births
1895 deaths
People educated at Eton College
19th-century English nobility
Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
People from Turriff
Deputy Lieutenants of Banffshire
Deputy Lieutenants of Aberdeenshire
Scottish justices of the peace