Moses Steven of Bellahouston

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1806–1871) was a 19th Scottish advocate and philanthropist.

Life

He was born in Polmadie House in

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

on 21 December 1806 the son of Moses Steven (sic) of

Polmadie Polmadie (; gd, Poll Mac Dè, lit=Son of God pool) is a primarily industrial area of Glasgow in Scotland. Situated south of the River Clyde, Polmadie is close to residential neighbourhoods including Govanhill (to the west) and Toryglen (south-e ...

(1748-1831). His father was originally a farmer in

Drymen Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred aroun ...

but had become a very successful linen merchant in

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 ...

under the name of Buchanan, Stevens & Co. In 1824 his father bought the

Bellahouston Bellahouston ( gd, Baile Ùisdean, sco, Hughstoun) is a district in the southwest of Glasgow. It is bordered by Dumbreck, Ibrox, Pollokshields, Craigton. History Bellahouston Estate in the parish of Govan was purchased in 1726 by James Row ...

estate from the heirs of Thomas Rowan. The ancient house of Dumbreck House on the site was replaced by a new villa known as Bellahouston House. He studied law 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 , ...

and qualified as an advocate in 1828. In 1847 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposer was John Shank More. During his life he funded Bellahouston Church and created a new parish there. He died in Bellahouston House on 27 June 1871. He is buried with his parents in

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 ...

. The stone lies on the west wall but mentions only his father. He never married and lived with his sisters, Grizel (d.1888) and Elizabeth (d.1892). On the death of Elizabeth, Moses wishes came in to force. Neither sister had married but he wished them to remain at Bellahouston for the remainder of their lives. His will then gave the Bellahouston estate to the city of Glasgow, creating Bellahouston Park, Glasgow's largest public park (176 acres). In 1899 18 acres were split off to create Bellahouston Golf Course. The monies also allowed the formation of the Bellahouston Trust whose numerous philanthropic donations included £10,000 towards the initial cost of the famous

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Moses 1806 births 1871 deaths People from Govan Alumni of the University of Glasgow Scottish lawyers Scottish philanthropists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 19th-century British philanthropists