Archibald Ingram (1699–1770) was an 18th-century tobacco lord who served as

Lord Provost of Glasgow The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Glasgow is the convener of the Glasgow City Council. The Lord Provost serves both as the chair of the city council and as a figurehead for the entire city, and is elected by the city councillors from among i ...

from 1762 to 1764.

Ingram Street Ingram Street is a major thoroughfare in the city of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The street runs east from Queen Street through the Merchant City until it meets High Street. History The street was formerly known as Back Cow Lone. ...

in the city centre was named in his honour in 1781.

Life

He was born in or near Glasgow in 1699. He began trading in tobacco around 1720 and (as was common) began his own plantations. In 1742 he gained a younger partner, his brother-in-law John Glassford, and in 1750 they created Ingram & Glassford, a powerful trading company. They made their fortune as

Tobacco Lords The Tobacco Lords were a group of Scottish merchants active during the Georgian era who made substantial sums of money via their participation in the triangular trade, primarily through dealing in slave-produced tobacco that was grown in the T ...

, with plantations in the east coast of America. He was involved in the creation of the Glasgow Arms Bank and the

Pollokshaws Pollokshaws () is an area on the South side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is bordered by the residential neighbourhoods of Auldhouse, Glasgow, Auldhouse to the east, Eastwood, Glasgow, Eastwood and Hillpark, Glasgow, Hillpark to the south ...

Calico Printing Company and the Inkle Company. He was described as the father of the calico printing industry in Scotland, specifically created as a "return product" for the ship returning to America for more tobacco. From 1752 he was the financial backer of the Foulis Academy created by the printers

Andrew Foulis Andrew Foulis (171218 September 1775) was a Scottish printer, brother of Robert Foulis. They worked in partnership as printers to the University of Glasgow publishing many books in Latin and Greek. Biography Andrew Foulis was the son of a Gla ...

and Robert Foulis. The Academy was created on the

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

in an upper room owned by the Glasgow College. In 1757 he sold 3 acres of land at Gallowmuir to the Town council for £1695 (Scots). Prior to being elected Lord Provost in 1762 he was

Dean of Guild A Dean of Guild, under Scots law, was one of a group of burgh magistrates who, in later years, had the care of buildings. The leader of the group was known as Lord Dean of Guild. Originally, the post was held by the head of the Guild brethren of ...

to the city from 1757. He died in Glasgow in 1770. He is thought to be buried in the

Ramshorn Cemetery The Ramshorn Cemetery is a cemetery in Scotland and one of Glasgow's older burial grounds, located within the Merchant City district, and along with its The Ramshorn, accompanying church, is owned by the University of Strathclyde. It has had v ...

(near

). As he died before the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

of 1776 he avoided the financial ruin which befell most of his peers. Without his financial support the Foulis Academy failed in 1774.

References

1699 births 1770 deaths Businesspeople from Glasgow Lord provosts of Glasgow Scottish slave owners British tobacconists {{Scotland-bio-stub