William Aiton (9 January 1760 – 8 July 1847) was a Scottish law agent, agriculturalist and

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of the county of

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. He was an authority on all matters bearing on Scottish husbandry. He was born at

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, in 1760, a neighbourhood which he left in 1785 to go to

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, where he practised for many years as a law agent. He next went to Hamilton, where he held office as one of the sheriff-substitutes of the county from 1816 up to 1822. He died in 1847. At no period did his income exceed a hundred a year, and yet out of this, with a family of twelve children, he educated four sons for liberal professions, often sending them his last guinea when they were students at college.

Works

Aiton's works are: *''A Treatise on Moss-earth'', Ayr, 1811. *''General View of the Agriculture of the County of Ayr'', Glasgow, 1811. *''General View of the Agriculture of the County of Bute'', Glasgow, 1816. *''A History of the Rencounter at Drumclog and Battle at Bothwell Bridge'', Hamilton, 1821. *''An Inquiry into the Pedigree of the Hamilton Family'', Glasgow, 1827. *''Inquiry into the House of Aiton in Scotland'', Hamilton, 1830.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aiton, William Scottish lawyers Scottish sheriffs 1760 births 1847 deaths People from Kilmarnock Scottish agriculturalists