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John Harrison (historian)

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John Harrison CBE LLD (17 August 1847–10 July 1922) was a Scottish merchant, master tailor and historical author. He was Master of the Edinburgh Merchant Company and Chairman of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.

Life

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The grave of John Harrison, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh

He was born at 19 St Patrick Square in Edinburgh[1] on 17 August 1847 the son of Jane Archbald and George Harrison a prominent merchant and later Lord Provost of Edinburgh and owner of Harrison and Sons, a high quality clothier. He was educated at the High School in Edinburgh.

His most famous work, The Scot in Ulster, was originally published in sections in the Scotsman newspaper.[2]

He lived at "Rockville" on Napier Road in Edinburgh, the masterpiece by Edinburgh architect Sir James Gowans.[3]

In 1917 aged 70 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were John Horne, Cargill Gilston Knott, Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker and Sir James Walker. In 1918 he was created a Commander of the Order of the Bath (CBE). The University of Edinburgh awarded him an honorary doctorate (LLD) in 1919.[4]

He died on 10 July 1922. He is buried in Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh. The grave lies against the north wall of the first northern extension.

Family

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In 1879 he married Helen Georgina Roberts (1856–1949). They had several children including Helen Roberts Harrison MBE ARRC (1888–1969) and Alexander (Sandy) Harrison CBE (1890-1988).

Publications

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  • Oure Tounis Colledge: Sketches of the History of the Old College of Edinburgh (1884)
  • The Scot in Ulster (1888)
  • The Company of Merchants of Edinburgh and its Schools 1694–1920 (1920)
  • The History of the Monastery of the Holyrood and of the Palace of Holyrood House (1919)

References

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  1. ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1847
  2. ^ Thompson, Mark. "'The Scot in Ulster' by John Harrison (1888) - digital edition now available // 125 years old next year". Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  3. ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1910-11
  4. ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2017.


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