James Smith of Jordanhill

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James Smith of Jordanhill

James Smith of

biblical critic and man of letters
. An authority on ancient shipbuilding and navigation, his works included "Newer Pliocene" (1862) and "Voyage and Shipwreck of St Paul" (1848).

He is remembered as a competent yachtsman. His most notable yacht was named "Wave".[1]

Life

The magnificent Jordanhill House
James Smith of Jordanhill in old age

James Smith was born on 15 August 1782 at Jordanhill House near Glasgow, the son of a West Indies merchant Archibald Smith of Jordanhill (1749-1821)[2] and his wife, Isobel Ewing (1755-1855). In 1800 he was a Captain in the Renfrewshire militia.[2]

Smith was educated at

Andersonian University
, Glasgow.

He was elected a Fellow of the

Wernerian Society, a member of the Highland Society
(1823), and a founder of the Glasgow Yacht Club.

In 1822 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of London. He was also a Fellow of the Geological Society of London.[3]

He died on 17 January 1867 at Jordanhill House.

Family

Mary Smith (née Wilson) of Jordanhill, Mezzotint based on a portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn

On 25 August 1809 Smith married Mary Wilson (granddaughter of Alexander Wilson and niece of Patrick Wilson) in 1809. Their children were:[4]

  • Archibald Smith of Jordanhill
    (1813-1872)
  • Christina Laura Smith, married to Walter Buchanan of Shandon, M.P.
  • Isabella Smith (1806-1897), married to Henry Gore-Booth
  • Mary Joanna Guthrie Smith (-1840)
  • Louisa Smith (-1863), married to William Hamilton of Minard Castle
  • Sabina Douglas Clavering Smith, married to Rev. Robert Paisley, DD. of St. Nininans, co Stirling

His cousin was the insurance broker and philanthropist

Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1822 to 1824.[1]

Publications

Trivia

Smiths Court on Brunswick Street in Glasgow was named after the family.[2]

Jordanhill House was acquired by Glasgow Corporation in 1911 for use a training college and demolished in 1961.[7]

Artistic recognition

His portrait by Sir John Watson Gordon is held by the Trades House Museum in Glasgow.

References

  1. ^ a b "James Smith of Jordanhill 15th Aug 1782 - 17th Jan 1867, Legacies of British Slave-ownership". www.ucl.ac.uk.
  2. ^ a b c https://www.tradeshousemuseum.org/uploads/4/7/7/2/47723681/old_g_asgow_exhibition_1894.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  3. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  4. ^ Burke, Bernard (30 June 1879). "A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Great Britain & Ireland". London, Harrison – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "The Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul (1848 edition) | Open Library". Open Library.
  6. ^ Smith, James (30 June 1862). "Researches in newer Pliocene and Post-tertiary geology". Glasgow, J. Gray – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ "TheGlasgowStory: Jordanhill House".
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