Hon. Duncan Robertson MD

Uncle of Duncan Robertson (q.v.) and owner of Friendship estate in St Elizabeth until his death in 1824.

1. Son of James Robertson, who "owned a small estate on the south bank of Loch Tay [Scotland]", apparently forced to leave his estate in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, moving to Callendar.

2. Doctor of medicine. Went to Jamaica, “where he spent a useful life”: became a member of the Legislative Council (hence title of Honourable). Returned to Scotland, 1819. Purchased the estate of Broomage, and changed the name to Carronvale. Made substantial amendments to the estate and house. On his death in 1824, Carronvale left to his to his eldest son, Duncan Stewart, and Roehill (in Gaelic, Cnoc na h-Earb) to James, his younger son. Both Duncan Stewart and James became army officers, Duncan Stewart serving in India and elsewhere, James in the first Sikh War, Crimean War and in India during the Rebellion of 1857. On the death of Duncan Stewart Robertson of Carronvale, the estate was sold by his trustees, as his will provided that everything should be divided between his two children. The purchaser of the estate was John Bell Sherriff, merchant in Glasgow, who became the owner in April, 1857.

3. Duncan Robertson, surgeon, married Ann Finlason, widow, both of St Elizabeth, 30/11/1787. She was the Ann Luttman of Westmoreland, spinster, who had married Thomas Finlason, planter, at St Elizabeth, 23/08/1774. Duncan Robertson acquired half of Friendship estate through his marriage to Ann and apparently bought the other half from Ann's brother. Mrs Ann Robertson was buried at Friendship, 20/07/1813. His children Duncan Stewart and James were with his second wife, Susan Anne Jane Stewart, daughter of Captain (later Colonel) Robert Stewart, junior, of Fincastle, whom he married 15/11/1817 at Dull, Perthshire, Scotland.

4. Duncan Robertson of Carron Vale and of Friendship, St Elizabeth, Jamaica, died in Edinburgh 12/02/1824.

1. James Peter Robertson Personal Adventures and Anecdotes of an Old Officer (1906) pp. 1-3, available at https://archive.org/stream/personaladventu01robegoog#page/n23.

2. John Charles Gibson, Lands and Lairds of Larbert and Dunipace Parishes (Glasgow, Hugh Hopkins, 1908), pp. 79-82. Text transcript available at: http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/john-charles-gibson/lands-and-lairds-of-larbert-and-dunipace-parishes-sbi/page-7-lands-and-lairds-of-larbert-and-dunipace-parishes-sbi.shtml [accessed 19/02/2011].

3. St Elizabeth, Jamaica, parish register (familysearch.org - unindexed Baptisms, marriages, burials 1705-1820); James Peter Robertson Personal Adventures and Anecdotes of an Old Officer (1906) pp. 2-3. Note the date of his second marriage was reported as 23/11/1818 (sic) in the Perthshire Courier of 03/12/1818 (it was reported, without date, in the Suffolk Chronicle of 12/12/1818).

4. Perthshire Chronicle 27/02/1824.

We are grateful to Neil Barrow and Paul Hitchings for their help with compiling this entry.