Robert Reid (1773–1865) was a Scottish businessman, topographer and antiquary.

Life

The youngest son of John Reid, a

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

dealer, cabinet-maker and builder in the

Candleriggs Candleriggs is a street in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is located in the Merchant City area of the city centre. Candleriggs was historically the area of the old city of Glasgow where candlemakers plied their trade, at a safe distance fr ...

district of

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 ...

, he was born there on 27 January 1773, and was educated at

Glasgow grammar school The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the choir school of Glasgow Cathedral in around 1124, and is the oldest school in Scotland, and t ...

and 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 , ...

. In 1793 he went into business as a

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...

manufacturer, and in 1800 became a partner with his brother John as a wholesale mahogany dealer. On his brother's death he took over the business, adding to it that of cabinet-making and upholstery. His shop was at 93 Stockwell Street, east of

St Enoch Square St. Enoch Square is a public square in Glasgow, Scotland, situated south of the junction of Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, two of the city's busiest shopping streets. History The Square sits on land that once was the western part of Glas ...

and his house was at Kingston Place. In 1832 he sold off his stock-in-trade and retired from business. During the last years of his life Reid resided at Strahoun Lodge on the island of

Cumbrae Great Cumbrae ( sco, Muckle Cumbrae; gd, Cumaradh Mòr; also known as Great Cumbrae Island, Cumbrae or the Isle of Cumbrae) is the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland. The island is s ...

, where he died on 7 June 1865.

Works

Under the pseudonym "Senex", Reid contributed for many years articles on local memorabilia to the ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

''. They were later collected and published, as ''Glasgow Past and Present'' in three volumes: two volumes appeared in 1851 and the third in 1856. Reid's ''Glasgow and its Environs'' was issued in 1864, and both works, with additions by other writers, were reprinted in three volumes at Glasgow in 1884: the third volume, by Reid, contained a short autobiography. He was also author of ''Fragments regarding the Ancient History of the Hebrides'', Glasgow, 1850. In his final year he wrote ''Old Glasgow and Irs Environs''.Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Portraits in the New Galleries of Art in Corporation Buildings

Family

Reid married, in 1809, a daughter of Robert Ewing, a merchant of London, and they had three sons. She died in 1826.

References

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Robert 1773 births 1865 deaths Businesspeople from Glasgow Scottish antiquarians Writers from Glasgow People educated at the High School of Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow