Sir Thomas Blaikie of Kingseat (11 February 1802 – 25 September 1861) was a Scottish businessman who twice served as Lord Provost of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, from 1839 to 1847 and 1853 to 1856.

Life

Born in

, he was the son of John Blaikie (1756–1826), a plumbing merchant and his wife Helen Richardson (1765–1844). His older brother was James Ogilvie Blaikie (1786–1836). He was educated at

Aberdeen Grammar School Aberdeen Grammar School is a state secondary school in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of thirteen secondary schools run by the Aberdeen City Council educational department. It is the oldest school in the city and one of the oldest grammar school ...

and then went to

Marischal College Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...

. On the death of his father he took over his company, J. Blaikie & Co. Blaikie was elected

Lord Provost of Aberdeen The Lord Provost of Aberdeen is the convener of the Aberdeen City local authority in Scotland. They are elected by the city council and serve not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. They are equivalent in m ...

five times and served from 1839 until 1847 and again from 1853 until 1856. In the latter year, he was created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

. In 1855 he was living at 32 Bonaccord Terrace in Aberdeen.Aberdeen Post Office Directory 1855 Another point of interest in Sir Thomas' life, was the first conflict of interest case, Aberdeen Railway Co v Blaikie Brothers. Blaikie Brothers were an engineering company specialising in Iron work. A notable piece of work they carried out was the renovation of Crathie Suspension Bridge near Balmoral Castle in 1885. This work was contracted by Queen Victoria. Thomas died in 1861 and was buried in the churchyard of the

Kirk of St Nicholas The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the ''"Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting"''. It is also known as ''"The Mit ...

on Union Street in

. The grave lies on the west wall towards the south-west.

Family

On 13 November 1828, he married Agnes Dingwall (1806–1885), the fifth daughter of the Postmaster Alexander Dingwall. The Barque ''Agnes Blaikie'' was presumably named in her honour. They had 10 children; John, Janet, Helen, Agnes Dingwall, Jane, Margaret Jopp, Ann Thomson, Thomas, George Thomson & Emily. Incidentally, Agnes Dingwall Bateson (née Blaikie), was the mother of Sir Alexander Dingwall Bateson, high court judge, and

Harold Dingwall Bateson Harold Dingwall Bateson (2 May 1855 – 29 October 1927) was an English rugby union international player. Personal history Bateson was born in Liverpool, Lancashire. He was the son of William Gandy Bateson and Agnes Dingwall Bateson (née Blaiki ...

, England Rugby player.

Recognition

The figurehead of Thomas Blaikie in Aberdeen Maritime Museum is thought to be from a ship bearing his name and likely the sister-ship of the more famous ship, the Agnes Blaikie, named after his wife.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blaikie, Thomas 1802 births 1861 deaths Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Knights Bachelor Lord Provosts of Aberdeen

Life

Family

Recognition

See also

References

External links