Sir David Wedderburn, 1st Baronet (10 March 1775 – 7 April 1858) was a Scottish businessman and
Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
politician. He was
Postmaster General for Scotland 1823-31 and a member of two London militias before that.
Family background
Wedderburn was the oldest surviving son of
John Wedderburn (1729–1803, styled 6th Baronet) of
Ballindean and his first wife Margaret Ogilvy, daughter of David Ogilvy (styled
Lord Ogilvy) and
Margaret Ogilvy. Both his father's and his mother's family had been
attainted after the
Jacobite rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...
, losing their titles, but his father continued to style himself as a baronet.
His father had escaped to Jamaica after the execution of his own father,
Sir John Wedderburn, 5th Baronet of Blackness
Sir John Wedderburn, 5th Baronet of Blackness, (1704–1746) was a Perthshire gentleman who joined the 1745 rebellion of Charles Edward Stuart. He was captured at the Battle of Culloden, taken to London, and convicted of treason. He was hanged, ...
, and had established a successful business based on
slave sugar, trading with his brother and cousins in their London
trading house Wedderburn, Webster & Co.
His mother died two weeks after his birth. When he was five years old, his father re-married, giving him as stepmother Alice Dundas,
[Wedderburn biographical details at www.stanford.edu](_blank)
Retrieved June 2012 who was related to
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1791 to 1794 and First Lord of the Admirality from 1804 to 1805. He ...
, the Tory politician. David Wedderburn had two full sisters, Margaret and Jean, and according to the Legacies of British Slave-ownership project, seven half-siblings. The eldest, James, died young.
[Legacy of British Slave-owners](_blank)
John Wedderburn of Balindean (1729 - 13th Jun 1803) John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
(1789–1862) succeeded David as the second baronet. (Genealogist
Joseph Foster writes that the second baronet's children included
David
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
(1835-1882) and
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
(1838-1918), the third and fourth baronets respectively; the eldest son John had joined the Bengal Civil Service and died in the
Indian Mutiny of 1857.) Alexander (1791-1839) was a soldier. The four girls were Maria, Susan, Louisa Dorothea, and Anne. On 9 February 1803, aged 16, Louisa married General
John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun. Anne married
Sir John Hope, 11th Baronet Hope of Craighall.
Business and politics
In 1796 David Wedderburn joined the business, at 35
Leadenhall Street
__NOTOC__
Leadenhall Street () is a street in the City of London. It is about and links Cornhill, London, Cornhill in the west to Aldgate in the east. It was formerly the start of the A11 road (England), A11 road from London to Norwich, but th ...
in London, and made large profits. In 1803, he inherited his father's estates in Jamaica and at Ballindean, and was
made a baronet,
of Ballindean in Perthshire.
He was elected at a by-election in 1805 as the
Member of Parliament (MP) for the
Perth Burghs. He had the support of the
9th Earl of Kellie, but was opposed by
Sir David Scott, 2nd Baronet
Sir David Scott, 2nd Baronet, Royal Guelphic Order, KH (25 July 1782 – 18 June 1851) of Dunninald Castle, Scotland, was a Scottish Tories (British political party), Tory politician.
Biography
Early life
David Scott was born on 25 July 1782,
...
, son of the deceased MP
David Scott (of Dunninald). Scott had the support of the powerful
Lord Melville, but by the time he began his canvassing, Wedderburn was too far ahead to be dislodged. He was re-elected unopposed at the next three general elections.
In the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
he voted as a loyal Tory, though after 1812 he did not attend Parliament frequently. He is believed to have never spoken in the Commons.
Wedderburn left Wedderburn, Webster & Co in 1816 and retired from Parliament at the
1818 general election. He sold the Ballindean estate in 1820 to
William Trotter for 67 000. He served as
Postmaster General for Scotland from 1823 to 1831.
He is buried in
Inveresk churchyard. The grave lies midway along the western boundary of the original churchyard, backing onto the Victorian cemetery.
Marriage and legacy
He married Margaret Brown (1775-1845). They had two sons, but both died before Sir David, so the title went to his half-brother, Sir John Wedderburn,
son of Alice Dundas.
See also
*
Clan Wedderburn
References
External links
*
His entry at History of Parliament Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wedderburn, David
1775 births
1858 deaths
Nobility from Perth and Kinross
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies
UK MPs 1802–1806
UK MPs 1806–1807
UK MPs 1807–1812
UK MPs 1812–1818
Tory MPs (pre-1834)
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Dundee constituencies
201
David
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
18th-century Scottish businesspeople
19th-century Scottish businesspeople