Archibald Smith of Jordanhill

1749 - 1821


Biography

Glasgow merchant, partner in Leitch & Smith and James Finlay & Co. Purchased Jordanhill 1821. Son of James Smith of Craigend.

  1. Anthony Cooke shows Archibald Smith leaving an estate of £69,160 including share of stock in Leitch and Smith of £62,237.

  2. Archibald Smith's son James Smith (1782-1867) and grandson Archibald Smith (1813-1872) have entries in the ODNB as geologist and mathematician respectively. In turn, subsequent generations include civil servants, politicians and financiers. See the Oxford DNB entries for James and Archibald Smith for further details. One of the children of Archibald Smith (1813-1872) and his wife, Susan Emma Parker, was Charles Stewart Smith (1859–1934), a British naval officer and diplomat, who was actively involved in the suppression of the slave trade in East Africa and held consular positions there and in Spain and Russia.


Sources

  1. Anthony Cooke, 'An elite revisited: Glasgow West India merchants, 1783-1877', Journal of Scottish Historical Studies 32.2 2012 pp. 127-165, at p. 164, Inventory CC 10/7/4/2357 11/10/1822; additional inventory CC 10/7/4/236 31/10/1822, further inventory SC 36/48/19/143 10/08/1824.

  2. George Fairfull Smith, 'Smith, James, of Jordanhill (1782–1867), geologist and biblical historian', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, https://0-doi-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/10.1093/ref:odnb/25823; E. I. Carlyle, revised by Adrian Rice, 'Smith, Archibald (1813–1872), mathematician', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, https://0-doi-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/10.1093/ref:odnb/25775.
    For Charles Stewart Smith see Everybody Wiki: Charles Stewart Smith.

We are grateful to Bill Farebrother for his assistance with compiling this entry.


Further Information

Absentee?
British/Irish
Spouse
Isabella Ewing
Children
James; Archibald
Wealth at death
£69,160
Occupation
West India merchant

Associated Estates (3)

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
1800 [EA] - → Mortgage Holder

Leitch & Smith had advanced £25,000 to Robert Mackay & Co. in 1800 on mortgage.

Mullen, Stephen Scott (2015) The ‘Glasgow West India interest: integration, collaboration and exploitation in the British Atlantic World, 1776-1846. PhD thesis, Glasgow 2015 pp. 164-166, 215.

1800 [EA] - → Mortgage Holder

Leitch & Smith had advanced £25,000 to Robert Mackay & Co. in 1800 on mortgage.

Mullen, Stephen Scott (2015) The ‘Glasgow West India interest: integration, collaboration and exploitation in the British Atlantic World, 1776-1846. PhD thesis, Glasgow 2015 pp. 164-166, 215.

1810 [EA] - 1811 [LA] → Not known

Millennium Hall was shown against Leitch & Smith for 1810-11 (Jamaica Almanacs 1811 and 1812). The Glasgow merchant firm had a branch in Kingston Jamaica.


Legacies Summary

Commercial (2)

Founding Partner
 
Founding partner
 
notes →
Shown as founding partner by...

Physical (1)

Country house
Jordanhill [Purchased] 
description →
Purchased in 1800 by Archibald Smith who 'shortly after... added considerably to the house and greatly improved its appearance.'...

Relationships (4)

Business partners
Father → Son
Brothers
Brothers
Notes →
Also business...

Addresses (1)

Jordanhill, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Central Scotland, Scotland