George Heriot (died 1610)

George Heriot (1539/40 – 1610) was a Scottish goldsmith and member of the Parliament of Scotland. He is perhaps best known as the father of the philanthropist George Heriot, his eldest son.

George Heriot
Born1539/40
Died1610
NationalityScottish
OccupationGoldsmith
commissioner to parliament from edinburgh
ChildrenGeorge Heriot

Career
The grave of George Heriot (d.1610) Greyfriars Kirkyard

He was the son of the goldsmith George Heriot, who had moved to Edinburgh around the start of the sixteenth century, and Christian Kyle, an Edinburgh native.[1] Heriot was a member of an established Haddingtonshire family; his grandfather, John Heriot, had been given four hundred acres of land at Trabourn[2] by the Earl of Douglas in return for military service, which belonged to his uncle James Heriot.[3] His father worked for James V, in October 1533 he mended a silver jug for the king.[4]

He had become a freeman of the Edinburgh Incorporation of Goldsmiths by 26 June 1561 when he was elected to be a quarter-master of the Incorporation.[5] He became a burgess of the City of Edinburgh on 4 August 1562. He was elected Deacon of the Incorporation for the years 1565–67, 1575–76, 1579, 1583–85, 1586–87, 1589–91, 1594–96, 1603–04 and 1607–08 [ibid, various refs.]. He was also elected deacon-convener of the Incorporated Trades of the city on five separate occasions.[6] Heriot represented the City of Edinburgh in the Parliament of Scotland on a number of occasions between 1585 and 1607.[7] In 1596 he was one of the representatives from Edinburgh sent to meet with King James VI to placate him after a major riot that December which had caused the king to flee the city.[8] In 1597 he was appointed to a commission to set the value of foreign gold and silver money brought into the country, and in 1599 to one which studied how to reissue the circulating coinage.[9] His last parliamentary act was in 1607, when he was appointed to a commission to assess a tax for the purpose of printing Regiam Majestatem, an edition of the old laws of Scotland.[10]

He is buried against the eastern wall of Greyfriars Kirkyard and has a highly elaborate monument.

Family

He married Elizabeth Balderstone, his first wife, sometime before 1563; their first son, George, was born on 15 June 1563,[11] followed by a second son Patrick and a daughter Margaret.[12] A natural son, David, was legitimated in Edinburgh on 24 May 1593.[13] Heriot later remarried, to Christian Blawe, with whom he had sons James and Thomas (born 1603[14]), and four daughters, Christian, Sybilla, Janet and Marion.[12] Christian survived him, and remarried in 1626;[15] she was still alive in 1637.[16] On his eldest son George's marriage in 1586, Heriot gave him 1500 merks, in order that he could establish his own shop; he would go on to become jeweller and goldsmith to Queen Anne and King James VI, and amass a large fortune, which he bequeathed to establish Heriot's Hospital in Edinburgh.[11]

Of his other children, Patrick moved to Genoa, where he married into an Italian family and died sometime before 1623.[17] whilst Margaret married twice.[18] David also took up his father's business, and his son, also David, would become known as a "celebrated"[19] goldsmith; the elder David died before 21 January 1623/4,[20][21] and the younger David in 1661.[11] James succeeded as court jeweller after his brother's death,[22] and married Elizabeth Jossey or Joyce, the daughter of Robert Jousie, Keeper of the Robes, in January 1624/5.[11] Christian, Janet and Marion were all married by 1623,[23][24] whilst Sibylla married in 1626.[15]

Notes
  1. Bourne, p. 262
  2. Alternately Traburn or Trabroun; a hamlet in the parish of Gladsmuir.
  3. Bourne, p. 262. It is unclear from the source if the Earl is Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas (d. 1424) or Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas (d. 1439); the gift was confirmed in 1425, making it potentially either.
  4. James Balfour Paul, Accounts of the Treasurer: 1531-1538, vol. 6 (Edinburgh, 1905), p. 179.
  5. Jean Munro & Henry Steuart Fotheringham,Edinburgh Goldsmiths' Minutes (SRS: Edinburgh, 2006), p. 23, citing vol.I, A22, f.8r.
  6. Steven, p. 2, and Constable, pp. 6–7. The dates were 1590, 1593, 1594, 1606, and 1607.
  7. Records of the Parliament of Scotland; a list of dates is given in Constable, pp. 3–5. He was a Commissioner to the Convention of Estates seven times, in 1585, 1594, 1596, 1597, and 1598 (thrice); and a Commissioner to Parliament eight times, in 1592, 1594, 1595, 1600, 1604, 1605, and 1607 (twice).
  8. Constable, p. 4-7, includes a description of the events
  9. Constable, p. 4
  10. Constable, p. 5
  11. Handley, 2008.
  12. Steven, p. 3
  13. Midlothian: Edinburgh – Roll of Burgesses, 1406–1700 Volume 5. The Register of Marriages. Errata.
  14. Bourne, p. 262, notes that he was baptised on 29 July.
  15. Christian's new husband was one Andrew Ahannay the elder; they were married in Edinburgh on 22 June 1626. See Parish of Holyroodhouse or Canongate: register of marriages, 1564–1800 (PDF). Intriguingly, his daughter Sibilla may to have married the same man's son, the day before, per a listing in The Register of Marriages for the Parish of Edinburgh, 1595–1700 PDF.
  16. Steven, p. 60
  17. Steven, p.33
  18. Steven, p. xxvi
  19. Veitch, p.332
  20. Maitland also reproduces the Codicil to the Will of George Heriot, goldsmith, dated 21 January 1623/4, as translated from the Scots: "Item. I give and bequeath unto such of the children of my late half-brother David Heriot, as shall be unmarried at the time of my decease, one hundred pounds sterling, to be equally divided amongst them."
  21. Will of Alexander Heriott, goldsmith and son of David Sr, 18 April 1639: "the Remainder I desire shall be equally divided amongst my Brothers and Sisters liveing in Scotland Sonnes and Daughters of my deceased ffather David Heriott..." (Public Record Office: The National Archives, Catalogue Reference: Prob 11/310 Image Reference 51).
  22. Steven, p.34
  23. Steven, in Appendix VI, reproduces the younger George's will, dated 1623, which gives a note of the status of the siblings at that point.
  24. Maitland: the codicil of 21 January 1623/4, which is not in Steven, gives further notes of the status of family members Alexander Heriott (nephew, son of David), daughter of Herman Broscard (god-daughter), daughter of John Trumuld (god-daughter), children of Heriot's late half-brother David, Katherine Baird (kinswoman), Alison Heriot ("an old woman"), half-brother James, and a number of debtors, clients and servants.

References
  • Henry Steuart Fothringham [Ed.]: Edinburgh Goldsmiths' Minutes 1525–1700. Transcribed by Jean Munro, published by the Scottish Record Society, Edinburgh, 2006.
  • Handley, Stuart (2008) [2004]. "Heriot, George (1523-1624)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13078. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  • Espinasse, Francis (1891). "Heriot, George (1563–1624), founder of Heriot's Hospital, Edinburgh". Dictionary of National Biography.
Note that these articles are both about Heriot's eldest son. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article is based on the original Dictionary of National Biography entry, but the two differ on several minor points. Where they conflict, the newer article is assumed to be accurate.
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