Sir Robert Gordon, 3rd Baronet (1647–1704) was a Scottish courtier and politician.

Life

Born 7 March 1647, was the eldest son of

Sir Ludovick Gordon, 2nd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only a ...

Gordonstoun Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. It is named after the estate owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 17th century; the school now uses this estate as its campus. It is locate ...

in Drainie,

Elginshire Moray; ( gd, Moireibh ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It ...

, by his first wife Elizabeth, daughter and coheiress of Sir Robert Farquhar of Mounie in Daviot,

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area incl ...

; his grandfather was

Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun (14 May 1580 – 1656) was a Scottish politician and courtier, known as the historian of the noble house of Sutherland. Early life Born at Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Sutherland, on 14 May 1580, he was the fourth ...

. He travelled in continental Europe, learning mechanics and chemistry. Gordon represented

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire ( ...

in the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holy ...

of 1672–4, sat in the convention of 1678, in that of 1681–2, and again in 1685–6. He was knighted in 1673 and succeeded to the baronetcy in September 1685. James II made him a gentleman of his household, and took an interest in his scientific inventions. On 3 February 1686 Gordon was elected

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematic ...

. He died in 1704.

Works and legacy

In April 1687 Gordon communicated to the Royal Society, by the king's command, ''Receipt to cure Mad Dogs, or Men or Beasts bitten by Mad Dogs'' (''Phil. Trans.'' xvi. 298). The year after his death his widow erected a mausoleum to his memory on the site of the old church of Ogston, immediately to the east of the mansion of Gordonstoun. An underground chamber at Gordonstoun was shown as his laboratory, and he lived in popular traditions of the neighbourhood as "Sir Robert the warlock".

Family

Gordon was twice married: #On 23 February 1676, to Margaret, widow of Alexander Sutherland, 1st Lord Duffus, and daughter of William Forbes, 11th Lord Forbes. She died in April 1677, leaving a daughter. #To Elizabeth, only daughter of Sir William Dunbar, bart., of Hempriggs,

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placename ...

; they had a family of three sons and four daughters. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son

Sir Robert Gordon, 4th Baronet Sir Robert Gordon, 4th Baronet (1696–1772) was a Scottish landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1722. Gordon was the eldest son of Sir Robert Gordon, 3rd Baronet of Gordonstown and his second wife Elizabeth Dun ...

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Robert 1647 births 1704 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1669–1674 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1678 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1681–1682 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1685–1686 Fellows of the Royal Society Knights Bachelor