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| {{Short description|Scottish merchant and |
{{Short description|Scottish merchant and philanthropist (1668–1731)}} | ||
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| | birth_place = Aberdeen | | birth_place = Aberdeen | ||
| | death_date = {{death year and age|1731|1668}} | | death_date = {{death year and age|1731|1668}} | ||
| | alma_mater = ], ] | |||
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| '''Robert Gordon''' (1668–1731) was a Scottish merchant and philanthropist.<ref name="v583">{{cite book | last=Bela | first=Teresa | last2=Calma | first2=Clarinda | last3=Rzegocka | first3=Jolanta | title=Publishing Subversive Texts in Elizabethan England and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth | publisher=BRILL | publication-place=Leiden ; Boston | date=2016-07-11 | isbn=978-90-04-32080-2 | page=30}}</ref><ref name="e480">{{cite book | last=Lockhart | first=Brian R. W. | title=Robert Gordon's Legacy | publisher=Black & White Publishing | publication-place=Edinburgh | date=2007 | isbn=1-84502-157-6 | oclc=166315663}}</ref> He is most well known for his founding of a charitable hospital which later evolved into a school and then a university in ].<ref name="v583"/><ref name="l813">{{cite book | last=Bajer | first=Peter Paul | title=Scots in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 16th to 18th Centuries | publisher=BRILL | publication-place=Leiden Boston | date=2012-03-02 | isbn=978-90-04-21247-3 | page=170}}</ref><ref name="e480"/> | |||
| {{refimprove|date=October 2021}} | |||
| '''Robert Gordon''' (1668–1731) was a Scottish merchant and school founder. | |||
| == Biography == | == Biography == | ||
| === Early life === | === Early life === | ||
| Robert Gordon was born in ]. He was the only son of Arthur Gordon who married Isabella Menzies of Balgownie. When Arthur Gordon, a well-respected advocate in the ] courts, died in 1680, he left his twelve-year-old son the sum of 20,000 ] (about £1,100, {{Inflation|index=UK|value=1100|start_year=1680|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}). | Robert Gordon was born in ]. He was the only son of Arthur Gordon (1625-1680) who married Isabella Menzies of Balgownie.<ref name="l813"/> He was baptised in 1688.<ref name="l813"/> When Arthur Gordon, a well-respected advocate in the ] courts, died in 1680, he left his twelve-year-old son the sum of 20,000 ] (about £1,100, {{Inflation|index=UK|value=1100|start_year=1680|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).<ref name="l813"/> | ||
| When Gordon reached the age of sixteen he became a ] of the City of Aberdeen. Among other benefits, this entitled him to follow a merchant's trade in the town. During the next few years he attended ], graduating in 1689. | When Gordon reached the age of sixteen he became a ] of the City of Aberdeen. Among other benefits, this entitled him to follow a merchant's trade in the town. During the next few years he attended ], graduating in 1689. | ||
| === Career === | === Career === | ||
| Soon after graduating, he left Aberdeen, travelling far and wide around Northern Europe before finally settling in ] (also known as Danzig) where he established himself as a merchant trader. Over the next few decades he built a highly successful business and soon became wealthy. By 1692, he was rich enough to donate a large sum of money to his old college and by 1699, it appears that he was providing low interest loans to landowners in Aberdeenshire who needed ]. | Soon after graduating, he left Aberdeen, travelling far and wide around Northern Europe before finally settling in ] (also known as Danzig) where he established himself as a merchant trader. Over the next few decades he built a highly successful business in Gdansk and soon became wealthy.<ref name="v583"/> By 1692, he was rich enough to donate a large sum of money to his old college and by 1699, it appears that he was providing low interest loans to landowners in Aberdeenshire who needed ]. | ||
| Gordon was a loyalist to the early ] cause in Scotland and at times, gave significant financial support to the Stuart court in exile.<ref name="o518">{{cite book | last=Macinnes | first=Allan I. | last2=German | first2=Kieran | last3=Graham | first3=Lesley | title=Living with Jacobitism, 1690-1788 | publisher=Routledge | publication-place=London | date=2014 | isbn=978-1-84893-470-2 | page=106}}</ref><ref name="k757">{{cite book | last=Leydier | first=Gilles | title=Scotland and Europe, Scotland in Europe | publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing | date=2009-03-26 | isbn=978-1-4438-0704-3 | page=40}}</ref> | |||
| === Return to Aberdeen, death, and legacy === | === Return to Aberdeen, death, and legacy === | ||
| Little more is known about his time on the ] but by 1720 at the latest, he returned to Aberdeen a very wealthy man. However he had never married and had no heirs. Consequently, he decided that his fortune would be used to found 'a hospital for maintenance, aliment, entertainment and education of young boys' and wrote his will to that effect. He started work on the project in 1730. He died shortly thereafter |
Little more is known about his time on the ] but by 1720 at the latest, he returned to Aberdeen a very wealthy man.<ref name="l813"/> However he had never married and had no heirs.<ref name="l813"/> Consequently, he decided that his fortune would be used to found 'a hospital for maintenance, aliment, entertainment and education of young boys' and wrote his will to that effect. He started work on the project in 1730. He died shortly thereafter but the project had started and the funding remained, with £10,300 left to the town council of Aberdeen to administer.<ref name="l813"/> Owing to his foresightedness, so work continued on the hospital. His death was recorded as being on 28 April 1731.<ref name="l813"/> | ||
| Construction of the building was completed in 1743. However, before it could be used for its intended purpose, it was taken over by the ] to use as a barracks for the ] troops on his visit to Aberdeen in 1746 to put down the ] rising, and so the hospital did not open until 1750. During the nineteenth century the hospital developed in two different directions. The first, aimed at ] led directly to the modern private school, ]. The second, aimed at ], developed in combination with external technical institutes such as ], into an institution which achieved university status in |
Construction of the building was completed in 1743. However, before it could be used for its intended purpose, it was taken over by the ] to use as a barracks for the ] troops on his visit to Aberdeen in 1746 to put down the ] rising, and so the hospital did not open until 1750. | ||
| During the nineteenth century the hospital developed in two different directions. The first, aimed at ] led directly to the modern private school, ]. The second, aimed at ], developed in combination with external technical institutes such as ], into an institution which achieved university status in 1992 as ].<ref name="l813"/> | |||
| == Bibliography == | == Bibliography == | ||
| Line 31: | Line 35: | ||
| * {{cite DNB|wstitle=Gordon, Robert (1665–1732)|volume=22}} | * {{cite DNB|wstitle=Gordon, Robert (1665–1732)|volume=22}} | ||
| {{refend}} | {{refend}} | ||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| {{The Robert Gordon University |state=collapsed}} | {{The Robert Gordon University |state=collapsed}} | ||
Latest revision as of 01:15, 23 May 2024
Scottish merchant and philanthropist (1668–1731)
| Robert Gordon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1668 Aberdeen |
| Died | 1731 (aged 62–63) |
| Alma mater | Marischal College, University of Aberdeen |
Robert Gordon (1668–1731) was a Scottish merchant and philanthropist. He is most well known for his founding of a charitable hospital which later evolved into a school and then a university in Aberdeen.
Biography
Early life
Robert Gordon was born in Aberdeen. He was the only son of Arthur Gordon (1625-1680) who married Isabella Menzies of Balgownie. He was baptised in 1688. When Arthur Gordon, a well-respected advocate in the Edinburgh courts, died in 1680, he left his twelve-year-old son the sum of 20,000 merks (about £1,100, equivalent to £224,931 in 2023).
When Gordon reached the age of sixteen he became a Burgess of the City of Aberdeen. Among other benefits, this entitled him to follow a merchant's trade in the town. During the next few years he attended Marischal College, graduating in 1689.
Career
Soon after graduating, he left Aberdeen, travelling far and wide around Northern Europe before finally settling in Gdańsk (also known as Danzig) where he established himself as a merchant trader. Over the next few decades he built a highly successful business in Gdansk and soon became wealthy. By 1692, he was rich enough to donate a large sum of money to his old college and by 1699, it appears that he was providing low interest loans to landowners in Aberdeenshire who needed working capital.
Gordon was a loyalist to the early Jacobite cause in Scotland and at times, gave significant financial support to the Stuart court in exile.
Return to Aberdeen, death, and legacy
Little more is known about his time on the Baltic Sea but by 1720 at the latest, he returned to Aberdeen a very wealthy man. However he had never married and had no heirs. Consequently, he decided that his fortune would be used to found 'a hospital for maintenance, aliment, entertainment and education of young boys' and wrote his will to that effect. He started work on the project in 1730. He died shortly thereafter but the project had started and the funding remained, with £10,300 left to the town council of Aberdeen to administer. Owing to his foresightedness, so work continued on the hospital. His death was recorded as being on 28 April 1731.
Construction of the building was completed in 1743. However, before it could be used for its intended purpose, it was taken over by the Duke of Cumberland to use as a barracks for the Hanoverian troops on his visit to Aberdeen in 1746 to put down the Jacobite rising, and so the hospital did not open until 1750.
During the nineteenth century the hospital developed in two different directions. The first, aimed at secondary education led directly to the modern private school, Robert Gordon's College. The second, aimed at tertiary education, developed in combination with external technical institutes such as Gray's School of Art, into an institution which achieved university status in 1992 as Robert Gordon University.
Bibliography
- Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney, eds. (1890). "Gordon, Robert (1665–1732)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 22. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
References
- ^ Bela, Teresa; Calma, Clarinda; Rzegocka, Jolanta (11 July 2016). Publishing Subversive Texts in Elizabethan England and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Leiden ; Boston: BRILL. p. 30. ISBN 978-90-04-32080-2.
- ^ Lockhart, Brian R. W. (2007). Robert Gordon's Legacy. Edinburgh: Black & White Publishing. ISBN 1-84502-157-6. OCLC 166315663.
- ^ Bajer, Peter Paul (2 March 2012). Scots in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 16th to 18th Centuries. Leiden Boston: BRILL. p. 170. ISBN 978-90-04-21247-3.
- Macinnes, Allan I.; German, Kieran; Graham, Lesley (2014). Living with Jacobitism, 1690-1788. London: Routledge. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-84893-470-2.
- Leydier, Gilles (26 March 2009). Scotland and Europe, Scotland in Europe. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-4438-0704-3.
| The Robert Gordon University | ||
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| Governance | ||
| Academic | ||
| Other | ||
