Alexander Ramsay (''

circa Circa is a word of Latin origin meaning 'approximately'. Circa or CIRCA may also refer to: * CIRCA (art platform), art platform based in London * Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup * Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear com ...

'' 1777 – 18 May 1847) was a Scottish builder and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Life

He was born in

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 1777. He rebuilt

Craigend Castle Craigend Castle is a ruined country house, located to the north of Milngavie, in Stirlingshire, central Scotland. Early history The lands of Craigend were part of the Scottish feudal barony, Barony of Mugdock Castle, Mugdock in medieval times, b ...

, near

Milngavie Milngavie ( ; gd, Muileann-Ghaidh) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Milngav ...

, for James Smith of Craigend, in a

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. Craigend was built on land that Smith's father had purchased from the

Duke of Montrose Duke of Montrose (named for Montrose, Angus) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The title was created anew in 1707, for James Graham, 4th Marquess of Montrose, great-grandson of famed James Graham, 1st Marquess ...

, and which formerly formed part of the

Mugdock Castle Mugdock Castle was the stronghold of the Clan Graham from the middle of the 13th century. Its ruins are located in Mugdock Country Park, just west of the village of Mugdock in the parish of Strathblane. The castle is within the registration count ...

estate. The house was completed in 1812, but was gutted and partly demolished in 1968. The ruins form a picturesque part of

Mugdock Country Park Mugdock Country Park is a country park and historical site located partly in East Dunbartonshire and partly in Stirling, in the former county of Stirlingshire, Scotland. It is around north of Glasgow, next to Milngavie (from which the park is easi ...

. He lived at 16 Upper Grey Street in southern Edinburgh.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1846-7 He is buried in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

, Edinburgh, against the south wall. The monument records Ramsay's death on 18 May 1847.

References

1770s births 1847 deaths Scottish architects Scottish businesspeople 19th-century Scottish people Burials at Warriston Cemetery Architects from Edinburgh {{Scotland-architect-stub