Sir Archibald Alison, 1st Baronet, (29 December 179223 May 1867) was a Scottish

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

(attorney) and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. He held several prominent legal appointments. He was the younger son of the

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

cleric and author Archibald Alison. His elder brother was the physician and social reformer

William Pulteney Alison William Pulteney Alison FRSE FRCPE FSA (12 November 1790 – 22 September 1859) was a Scottish physician, social reformer and philanthropist. He was a distinguished professor of medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He served as president ...

Background

He was born at the

parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, pa ...

at Kenley, Shropshire, to the Rev. Archibald Alison and his wife

Dorothea Gregory Dorothea Gregory (baptised 4 June 1754, died 7 July 1830) was the Lady's companion to the leading intellectual Elizabeth Montagu for a decade. They fell out when Montagu insisted that she marry her nephew and heir. Gregory married another, missi ...

, daughter of John Gregory, and granddaughter of James Forbes, 17th Lord Forbes. In 1800 his parents moved the family back to Edinburgh, as his father thought that he could give his sons a better education and more independent careers in Scotland. After studying under a private tutor, and at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, he was, in 1814, admitted to the

Faculty of Advocates The Faculty of Advocates () is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a const ...

, at which he ultimately attained some distinction, becoming in 1834 Sheriff of Lanarkshire. In 1853, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. Alison actively opposed the abolition of slavery in the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. Following the United Kingdom's

Slavery Abolition Act 1833 The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which abolished slavery in the British Empire by way of compensated emancipation. The act was legislated by Whig Prime Minister Charl ...

and the

Slave Compensation Act 1837 The Slave Compensation Act 1837 ( 1 & 2 Vict. c. 3) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, signed into law on 23 December 1837. Together with the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4. c. 73), it authorized the Commissione ...

he benefited from a Government payout of more than £4,000 (equivalent to £346,000 in 2015).

Writings

When travelling in France in 1814 he conceived the idea of his expansive ''History of Europe from the commencement of the French revolution to the restoration of the Bourbons''. This multi-volume set is usually regarded as Alison's chief historical work and is considered to be the first scholarly English-language study of the French Revolution. Published in ten volumes between 1833 and 1843, ''History of Europe'' was revised and reprinted many times throughout the century, including numerous foreign language editions. The work is one of vast industry, "contain nga wealth of information communicated in a vigorous though wordy style."

Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creat ...

satirises the author in ''

Coningsby Coningsby is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Lindsey Non-metropolitan district, district in Lincolnshire, England, it is situated on the A153 road, adjoining Tattershall on its western side, north west of Bost ...

'' as Mr. Wordy, who wrote a history to prove that Providence was on the side of the Tories. Such criticism notwithstanding, ''History of Europe'' proved to be a huge commercial success. By 1848 100,000 copies had been sold in the United States. It was translated into French, German, and even Arabic, in which language 2,000 copies were published "under the auspices of the Pasha of Egypt." Alison's book collection grew exponentially while he wrote the ''History'' as he acquired more and more source material over the years. By the 1840s, the author's collection had grown into an enormous library worth, in his estimation, £4,000 — a massive sum for that period. Alison evidently "feared that 'one of the race of critics' would discover an obscure book, pronounce it indispensable, and charge him with neglecting it." Alison also composed a comprehensive survey of the military campaigns of the

Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was a British army officer and statesman. From a gentry family, he ...

, as well as two standard works on the criminal law of Scotland.

Rector

He was elected Lord Rector successively of

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 been the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. The building was constructed for and is on long-term lease fr ...

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, and of the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

. On 25 June 1852 he was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, during

Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869), known as Lord Stanley from 1834 to 1851, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served three times as Prime Minister of the United K ...

's administration.

Family and death

In 1825, he married Elizabeth Glencairn Tytler (1799-1874), the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Duff Tytler (1760-1849); the children from the marriage were Archibald, Frederick and Ella Frances Catherine who married

James Charlemagne Dormer Lieutenant General The Honourable Sir James Charlemagne Dormer (26 January 1834 – 3 May 1893) was a British Army officer. Military career Dormer was the younger son of Joseph Thaddeus Dormer, 11th Baron Dormer. He became Chief of Staff of arm ...

. Both sons became distinguished British military officers. The 1st Baronet's autobiography was published in 1883; his portrait was painted by

Robert Scott Lauder Robert Scott Lauder (25 June 1803 – 21 April 1869) was a Scottish artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy. Life and work Lauder was born at Silvermills, Ed ...

. Alison died at Possil House,

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, at the age of 74, and was interred in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He enjoyed great popularity in Glasgow. His funeral was attended by a crowd of from 100,000 to 150,000 people.Stephen (1885), p. 290. His grave lies amid the "Lord's Row" against the western wall, and is modest in comparison to most in this section. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his elder son,

Sir Archibald Alison, 2nd Baronet General Sir Archibald Alison, 2nd Baronet (21 January 1826 – 5 February 1907) was a Scottish soldier who achieved high office in the British Army in the 1880s. He was a descendant of the Alison family presented by Francis Galton in ''Heredita ...

Works

* ''History of Europe from the Commencement of the French Revolution in 1789 to the Restoration of the Bourbons in 1815'' (1833–1843, 10 vol.) (The 10th edition of the work was reprinted in 1973 by AMS Press in hardcover; in 2010, the 1st edition was reprinted by Cambridge University Press as part of their Cambridge Library Collection series.) * ''Principles of the Criminal Law of Scotland'' (1832) * ''Practice of the Criminal Law of Scotland'' (1833) * ''Principles of Population, and Their Connection with Human Happiness'' (1840, 2 vol.) * ''England in 1815 and 1845'' (1845) * ''Free Trade and a Fettered Currency'' (1847) * ''The Military Life of John, Duke of Marlborough'' (1848) * ''Essays; Political, Historical and Miscellaneous'' (1850, 3 vol.) *
Vol. I
*
Vol. II
*
Vol. III
* ''History of Europe from the Fall of Napoleon in 1815 to the Accession of Louis Napoleon in 1852'' (1852–1859, 8 vol.) * ''The Currency Laws'' (1859) * ''Lives of Lord Castlereagh and Sir Charles Stewart'' (1861) * ''Some Account of My Life and Writings: An Autobiography'' (1883, 2 vol.) *
Vol. I
*
Vol. II
Articles
"The Increase of Crime,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LV (1844)
"Causes of Increase of Crime,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVI (1844)
"Lamartine,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVI (1844)
"Guizot,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVI (1844)
"Homer, Dante, and Michael Angelo,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVII (1845)
"British History during 18th Century,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVII (1845)
"Virgil, Tasso, and Raphael,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVII (1845)
"Hannibal,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVII (1845)
"Marlborough. No. I,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVIII (1845)
"Montesquieu,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVIII (1845)
"Humboldt,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVIII (1845)
"Marlborough. No. II,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LVIII (1845)
"Marlborough. No. III,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LIX (1846)
"The Roman Campagna,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LIX (1846)
"The Fall of Rome,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LIX (1846)
"Marlborough's Dispatches, 1708–1709"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LX (1846)
"The Romantic Drama,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LX (1846)
"Marlborough's Dispatches, 1710–1711"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LX (1846)
"Marlborough's Dispatches, 1711–1712"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LX (1846)
"The British Theatre, Part I,"
''The Dublin University Magazine,'' Vol. XLVIII (1846)
"The British Theatre, Part II,"
''The Dublin University Magazine,'' Vol. XLVIII (1846)
"Eugene, Marlborough, Frederick, Napoleon, and Wellington,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXI (1847)
"Lessons from the Famine,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXI (1847)
"M. De Tocqueville,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXI (1847)
"Thirty Years of Liberal Legislation,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIII (1848)
"Fall of the Throne of the Barricades,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIII (1848)
"The Revolution in Europe,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIII (1848)
"How to Disarm the Chartists,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIII (1848)
"The Navigation Laws,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIV (1848)
"Continental Revolutions—Irish Rebellion—English Distress,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIV (1848)
"The Year of Revolutions,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXV (1849)
"Free Trade at its Zenith,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXVI (1849)
"The Year of Reaction,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXVII (1850)
"The Ministerial Measures,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXVII (1850)
"Free-trade Finance,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXVII (1850)
"Chateaubriand's Memoirs,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXVIII (1850)
"Ledru Rollin on England,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXVIII (1850)
"Foreign Affairs,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXVIII (1850)
"Ancient and Modern Eloquence,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXVIII (1850)
"The Currency Extension Act of Nature,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIX (1851)
"Biography,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIX (1851)
"The Dangers of the Country—External,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIX (1851)
"The Dangers of the Country—Our Internal Dangers,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIX (1851)
"The Dinner to Lord Stanley,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIX (1851)
"Æschylus, Shakespeare and Schiller,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXIX (1851)
"The Census and Free Trade,"
''Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine,'' Vol. LXX (1851)

References

External links

* * *
Works by Archibald Alison
at

Hathi Trust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...

Works by Archibald Alison
at

JSTOR JSTOR ( ; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources founded in 1994. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary source ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alison, Archibald 1792 births 1867 deaths Nobility from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom English economists Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Rectors of the University of Aberdeen Rectors of the University of Glasgow Burials at the Dean Cemetery Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Members of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish Episcopalians 19th-century Scottish historians Scottish sheriffs Scottish biographers 19th-century Scottish judges