Henry Monteith of Carstairs (1764–1848) was a Scottish businessman and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

politician who twice served as Lord Provost of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

from 1814 to 1816 and 1818 to 1820, and as MP for

Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...

1820 to 1826 and 1830 to 1831.

Life

He was born the sixth son of James Monteith (b. 1734) a merchant-weaver making

cambric Cambric or batiste, is a fine dense cloth. It is a lightweight plain-weave fabric, originally from the commune of Cambrai (in present-day northern France), woven greige (neither bleached nor dyed), then bleached, piece-dyed, and often g ...

on Bishop Street in the

Anderston Anderston ( sco, Anderstoun, gd, Baile Aindrea) is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is on the north bank of the River Clyde and forms the south western edge of the city centre. Established as a village of handloom weavers in the early 18th cent ...

district of

, and his wife, Rebecca Thomson. His eldest brother, John Monteith, had Scotland's first steam-driven power loom factory in

Pollokshaws Pollokshaws ( sco, Powkshaws) is an area on the South side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is bordered by the residential neighbourhoods of Auldhouse to the east, Eastwood and Hillpark to the south and Shawlands to the north, with the Gl ...

. The family were originally from the

Aberfoyle Aberfoyle may refer to: *Aberfoyle, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland *Aberfoyle, Stirling, Scotland * Aberfoyle, Ontario, Canada *Aberfoyle, Texas Aberfoyle is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Hunt County, Texas, Hunt Count ...

area and had fought off raids from Rob Roy. He studied at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

graduating in 1776. Trained in the family weaving business he owned his own factory Henry Monteith & Company by 1785. In 1802 he opened a second factory making

handkerchief A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wi ...

s in the

Barrowfield Barrowfield is a neighbourhood of Glasgow, Scotland, close to Celtic Park, home of Celtic F.C., which lies immediately to the east. It is bounded by the A89 road (Gallowgate) to the north and the A74 (London Road) to the south. History Being ...

district, and when James died later that year also took over his power loom factory in Pollokshaws. His workforce peaked in 1804 with a huge 6000 employees. In May 1820 in his role as Lord Provost, he had to make provisions for the "

Radical War The Radical War, also known as the Scottish Insurrection of 1820, was a week of strikes and unrest in Scotland, a culmination of Radical demands for reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which had become prominent in the ear ...

" of the Scottish workforce, employing militia to counteract this insurrection. In the same capacity he oversaw the hanging of James Wilson on 30 August 1820 on the alleged charge of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. He was succeeded as Lord Provost by John Thomas Alston. He lived at Westbank House on Renfrew Road in Glasgow. In 1820 he came to an arrangement with the Fullerton family (whose daughter he later married) to acquire their estate in

Carstairs Carstairs (, Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Tarrais'') is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Carstairs is located east of the county town of Lanark and the West Coast Main Line runs through the village. The village is served by Carstairs r ...

and commissioned

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred ...

to design a country seat for him, known as

Carstairs House Carstairs House, also known as Monteith House, is a country house south-west of Carstairs South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The house is protected as a category A listed building. History Carstairs House was designed by the Edinburgh architect Wil ...

, which was completed 1823/4. His most controversial parliamentary action was his involvement in the Jamaican slave trials of 1826. He died at Carstairs House in December 1848. He is buried in the

Ramshorn Cemetery The Ramshorn Cemetery is a cemetery in Scotland and one of Glasgow's older burial grounds, located within the Merchant City district, and along with its accompanying church, is owned by the University of Strathclyde. It has had various names ...

in central

. The grave, flanked by short granite columns, lies on the west outer side of the central enclosure. He also has a very large memorial on the northern slope of the

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...

overlooking

Glasgow Cathedral Glasgow Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Ghlaschu) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The cathedral was the seat of the Archbisho ...

. Carstairs House was bought by Sir James King, also a former Lord Provost of Glasgow, in 1899. It was renamed Monteith House in his memory on the late 20th century. Monteith Row in Glasgow was also named in his memory.

Family

He was married twice: in 1788 to Christian Cameron and in 1826 to Sarah Fullerton of Carstairs. He was father to Janet b. 1789, Rebecca b. 1790 d. 1868, Jean b. 1792, Christina b. 1792, Agnes b. 1799, Mary Henry b. 1801 d. 1878, Henry b. 1803, Robert b. 1804, John b. 1807, Catherine b. 1808, James b. 1809 d. 1809. Christina is the Mother of children listed. Henry also fathered Henry Monteith b. 1822 d. 1903 by Janet Hodge b. 1802. Henry and Janet never married, she is said to have been a member of staff at his home in Carstairs.

Artistic Recognition

He was portrayed by Sir

Henry Raeburn Sir Henry Raeburn (; 4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Biography Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a f ...

.Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Portraits in the New Galleries of Art in Corporation Buildings

References

Citations

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Monteith, Henry 1764 births 1848 deaths Alumni of the University of Glasgow Burials at the Glasgow Necropolis Lord Provosts of Glasgow Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies Politicians from Glasgow Scottish businesspeople Scottish Tory MPs (pre-1912) UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1830–1831