Sir James Hunter Blair and family by David Allan 1785

Sir James Hunter Blair, 1st Baronet FRSE (February 1741 – 1 July 1787) was a Scottish banker, landowner and politician.

Life

Born John Hunter in

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...

, the son of a merchant,Monuments and monumental inscriptions in Scotland: The Caledonian Society of Scotland John Hunter of Mainholm and Millquarter and his wife, Anne Cunninghame. In 1756 he was apprenticed to Messrs

Coutts Coutts & Co. is a London-headquartered private bank and wealth manager. Founded in 1692, it is the eighth oldest bank in the world. Today, Coutts forms part of NatWest Group's wealth management division. In the Channel Islands and the Isle of ...

, bankers in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

and in 1763 became a partner in the banking company of Sir

William Forbes Billy, Willie or William Forbes may refer to: Financiers *Sir William Forbes, 6th Baronet (1739–1806), Scottish banker *William Forbes of Callendar (1756–1823), Scottish coppersmith and landowner *William Howell Forbes (1837–1896), American b ...

, and acquired the estate of Robertland. After his marrying Jean Blair, the daughter and heiress of John Blair of Dunskey in

Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...

in 1770, the family name became Hunter Blair when she inherited her father's estate in 1777. Hunter Blair was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

from 1780 to 1784 and

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 the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the ...

from 1784 to 1786. As Lord Provost, he carried through various reforms, including the beginning of work on rebuilding the University and the construction of South Bridge, over the

Cowgate The Cowgate ( Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, which lies below the ele ...

. The foundation stone of this bridge was laid by Lord Haddo, as

Grand Master Mason This is a list of Grand Master Masons of the Grand Lodge of Scotland: # 1736–1737: William St Clair of Roslin # 1737–1738: George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie # 1738–1739: John Keith, 3rd Earl of Kintore (G.M. of England; 1740) # 1739 ...

of Scotland in 1785, after Parliament had passed an Act giving permission for the plans to be executed. This connection gives rise to the names Hunter Square and Blair Street immediately west of South Bridge. By negotiation his Edinburgh seat as MP was passed to

Sir Adam Fergusson, 3rd Baronet Sir Adam Fergusson, 3rd Baronet of Kilkerran, FRSE LLD (7 May 1733 – 25 September 1813) was a Scottish advocate and politician. He was described as able but humourless. Together with contemporaries such as Robert Dundas he was part of what was c ...

of Kilkerran, in the election of August 1784. In November 1783 Blair was a founder member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His Edinburgh home was on George Street, then a new Georgian townhouse in the centre of Edinburgh's First New Town. His country house was Dunskey House in Ayrshire. He had interests in an estate in Tobago. Blair 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 14t ...

of Dunskey in the County of Wigtown on 27 June 1786. Hunter Blair cordially received

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

when the poet first arrived in Edinburgh. On his death, Burns drafted an elegy, beginning: "he lamp of day, with ill-presaging glare", which extols rather laboriously Blair's public virtues. Burns called it "just mediocre", but Ferguson describes it as "the disastrous Elegy on the Death of Sir James Hunter Blair". Hunter Blair was an enthusiastic Freemason. Hunter Square and Blair Street in Edinburgh are both named after him. Blair died in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, but he is buried in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

in Edinburgh. His widow, Lady Hunter Blair, lived at 34 Queen Street in Edinburgh which he had purchased as a new house shortly before death. She is shown as owner of large tracts of land to the north which later became Queen Street Gardens.

Legacy

Due to his standing in Edinburgh at the time of the creation of South Bridge in the 1780s, both Blair Street and Hunter Square, at the north end of the bridge are named after him.

Family

After 1777, when his wife succeeded her brother to Dunskey estates, Hunter assumed and added the name of Blair to his own. He married Jane (or Jean) Blair of Dunskey in 1770. They had 14 children including Sir

David Hunter Blair, 3rd Baronet Sir David Hunter-Blair, 3rd Baronet (1778–1857) was a Scottish plantation owner in Jamaica. He also held the office of King's Printer in Scotland. Life The second son of Sir James Hunter-Blair, 1st Baronet (1741–1787), he succeeded his unmarri ...

FRSE (1778–1857). Dunskey Estate is currently used as a wedding and film venue.

Family

There were 10 sons and four daughters of the marriage. The sons, excluding four who died young, were: * John Hunter Blair, 2nd Baronet (1772–1800) *

FRSE (1778–1857) * Thomas Hunter Blair (1782–1849), later Major-General * Robert Hunter Blair * Forbes Hunter Blair * James Hunter Blair. * Anne Hunter Blair (d. 1854), who married William Mure of Caldwell (d. 1831), son of William Mure (1718–1776), and father of William Mure (1799–1860) * Clementina Hunter Blair * Jane Hunter Blair * Jemima Hunter Blair.

References

;Attribution

External links

Burns' association with Hunter Blair
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter Blair, James 1741 births 1787 deaths Scottish bankers Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain Scottish landowners Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Politics of Edinburgh Scottish knights British MPs 1780–1784 18th-century Scottish businesspeople People from Ayr Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard Councillors in Edinburgh Lord Provosts of Edinburgh Scottish civil servants Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Founder Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Life

Legacy

Family

Family

See also

References

External links