John Slezer
John Abraham Slezer (before 1650 – 1717) was a Dutch-born military engineer and artist.
Life
He was born in
House of Orange.[1]
He arrived in the
Theatrum Scotiae, a series of engravings
of views of castles, abbeys, towns, and seats of the nobility he encountered whilst travelling throughout Scotland in his capacity as Captain of the Artillery Company.
He was raised to the rank of Captain in 1688 and imprisoned later that year as a supporter of
Mary II, but was released the following year. He published the first volume of Theatrum Scotiae in 1693, but sales were poor and he applied to the Government for a grant to proceed with a continuation of the work that was to be called Scotia Ilustrata. This never materialised, however, and increasing financial difficulties forced Slezer to spend the last years of his life in the Holyrood Abbey sanctuary to avoid debtors' prison.[3]
He died on 24 June 1714.[4]
Family
He married Jean Straiton, a native of Dundee.[5]
See also
References
- Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .
- "Who was John Slezer?". Slezer's Scotland. National Library of Scotland. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
Notes
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Slezer.
- Slezer's Scotland, on-line edition of Theatrum Scotiae
- John Slezer, page on University of Edinburgh Library web site