William McDowall III of Garthland

Profile & Legacies Summary

17^th Nov 1749 - 1810

Biography

West India merchant and politician. Son of William McDowall II (c. 1719-1784) and Elizabeth Graham. His grandfather Col. William McDowall I moved to Nevis c. 1700 and became a prominent planter there, returning to Scotland in 1724 and establishing himself as a successful West India merchant, dying in 1748. His father William McDowall II was MP for Renfrewshire 1768-1774. Owner of property in Grenada and St Kitts as well as extensive lands in west-central Scotland which he bequeathed in trust to William McDowall (1770-1840, q.v. under William McDowall the younger of Castle Semple), son of his brother James.

Will of William McDowall of Garthland proved 24/50/1817.

Sources

http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/mcdowall-william-1749-1810; http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/mcdowall-william-1719-84#family-relations [both accessed 27/03/2015].

PROB 11/1592/456.

Further Information

Absentee?

British/Irish

Spouse

died unmarried

Occupation

Politician and merchant

Associated Estates (2)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

SD - Association Start Date
SY - Association Start Year
EA - Earliest Known Association
ED - Association End Date
EY - Association End Year
LA - Latest Known Association

1817 [EA] - 1829 [LA] → Previous owner

Mount Alexander [ Grenada | St Patrick ]

1777 [EA] - 1777 [LA] → Mortgagee-in-Possession

Mount Alexander [ Grenada | St Patrick ]

Inferred from Douglas Hamilton’s ‘Scottish Trading in the Caribbean: The Rise and Fall of Houstoun & Co.’, in Ned C. Landsman (ed), Nation and Province in the First British Empire: Scotland and the Americas, 1600-1800 (Bucknell University Press, 2001): ''In July 1777, Alexander Houstoun & co. took over the ownership of the Mount Alexander estate from their debtor Alexander Wilson.'