Sir Robert Dundas, 1st Baronet of Beechwood (30 June 1761 – 4 January 1835) was a Scottish landowner and lawyer.

Life

He was born on 30 June 1761, the son of Elizabeth (née Turnbull) and the Rev Robert Dundas of

Humbie Humbie is a hamlet and rural parish in East Lothian, Scotland lying in south-east of the county, approximately south-west of Haddington and south-east of Edinburgh. Humbie as it is known today was formed as the result of the union between Kei ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

. Descended from a legal dynasty, he was trained as a lawyer, probably at 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 ...

, and with a legal apprenticeship under James Balfour, and became a

Writer to the Signet The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of document ...

in 1785. He was Principal Clerk of Session to the Edinburgh High Courts 1817 to 1830. In 1820, he was Deputy to the

Lord Privy Seal of Scotland The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal. The office has rema ...

. In 1820, upon the death of his uncle General Sir David Dundas, he inherited the estate of Beechwood near

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

in western

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 1824, he acquired the huge Dunira estate in

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

, but appears to have passed it immediately to his son, David Dundas. The estate had belonged to the late

Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18t ...

who had died in 1811. Lord Melville was his second cousin, once removed, being both descended from

James Dundas, Lord Arniston Sir James Dundas, Lord Arniston (1620–1679) was a Scottish politician and judge.Although styled Lord Arniston like his son this was not an hereditary title but one assumed by them on becoming an ordinary lord of session (judge). He served as ...

(albeit from different marriages). Dundas was created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

of Beechwood in the

County of Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh ...

on 24 August 1821. In 1823, he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

, his proposer being

Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet of Edinburgh FRSE (24 December 1766 – 18 September 1829) was a Scottish landowner and politician. He served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh. Life William was the s ...

during his second term 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 ...

. He died at his Edinburgh townhouse, 32 Heriot Row.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office directory 1835–36. on 4 January 1835.

Family

He married Matilda Cockburn, daughter of Janet Rennie and her husband,

Archibald Cockburn Archibald Cockburn (1738 in Edinburgh, Midlothian – 20 June 1820) was a Scottish judge. He lived at Caroline Park House north of Edinburgh. Family Son of Archibald Cockburn of Cockpen and wife (m. 17 August 1735) Martha Dundas, daughter ...

(1738–1820), descended in the female line from the Dundas family. They had seven daughters and one son, David Barnett Dundas. Their daughter, Robina Mary Dundas (d. 1905), married her distant cousin Vice Admiral Henry Dundas, son of

Robert Dundas of Arniston Robert Dundas of Arniston (6 June 1758 – 17 June 1819) was a Scottish judge. Dundas served as Solicitor General for Scotland between 1784 and 1789 and as Lord Advocate from 1789 to 1801. He sat as Member of Parliament for was M.P. for Edinbu ...

. Their daughter Jane Dundas married George Whigham of Lochpatrick; they would become the parents of David Dundas Whigham, who in turn was the grandfather of

Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll Ethel Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (''née'' Whigham, formerly Sweeny; 1 December 1912 – 25 July 1993) was a Scottish heiress, socialite, and aristocrat who was most famous for her 1951 marriage and much-publicised 1963 divorce fro ...

Artistic recognition

He was painted by

Sir Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was an innkeeper at t ...

, one of Britain's foremost portrait painters of his day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dundas, Robert 1761 births 1835 deaths Scottish lawyers Scottish landowners Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh