Sir James Nasmyth, 2nd Baronet
Sir James Nasmyth, 2nd Baronet (c. 1704 – 4 February 1779), also known as Naesmyth, of Dawyck and Posso, Peebleshire, was a Scottish botanist and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1732 and 1741.
Early life
[edit]Nasmyth was the eldest son of Sir James Nasmyth, 1st Baronet, lawyer of Dawyck and Posso, and his wife Barbara Pringle, daughter of Andrew Pringle of Clifton, Roxburgh.[1] He succeeded to the baronetcy when his father died in 1720. He married Jean Keith, daughter of Thomas Keith.[2]
Career
[edit]At the 1727 general election, Nasmyth contested Peeblesshire, a seat with about 20 voters which was controlled by the Earls of March. [3] He lodged a petition after he was defeated by the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) John Douglas, claiming that the Sheriff of Peebles had been biased. The petition was rejected.[3]
When Douglas died in 1731, Nasmyth contested the seat again at the resulting by-election on 28 April 1732, against the former MP Sir Alexander Murray, Bt. By this time William Douglas, 2nd Earl of March had died, and the 3rd Earl was only 6 years old. Nasmyth won the seat with the support of the Deputy Sheriff, and Murray's petition was rejected.[3]
Two separate election meetings were held at the 1734 general election, so the deputy sheriff made a double return of both Nasmyth and Murray. Murray withdrew his petition,[3] and on 7 February 1735 Nasmyth was declared to have been elected. He voted consistently with the government, and retired from the House of Commons at the 1741 general election.[3]
Nasmyth planted 809 hectares of mixed woodlands on the Dawyck estate. He discovered the upright beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck') and funded several plant-collecting expeditions to Asia and North America.[4]
Later life and legacy
[edit]For his botanical work, Nasmyth was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1767.[5]
Nasmyth died on 4 February 1779 leaving two sons. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son James.
References
[edit]- ^ Lea, R. S. (1970). R. Sedgwick (ed.). "NASMYTH, Sir James, 2nd Bt. (c.1704-79), of Dawyck and Posso, Peebles". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ Cokayne, George Edward, ed. (1904), Complete Baronetage volume 4 (1665-1707), vol. 4, Exeter: William Pollard and Co, retrieved 9 October 2018
- ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. M. (1970). R. Sedgwick (ed.). "Peeblesshire". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ Young, Alice (2017), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at Dawyck Guidebook, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, p. 3, ISBN 978-1-910877-18-0,
- ^ http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/about-us/fellowship/Fellows1660-2007.pdf [bare URL PDF]
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- 1700s births
- 1779 deaths
- 18th-century Scottish botanists
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies
- British MPs 1727–1734
- British MPs 1734–1741
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