George Seton of Careston

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This so ...

FSA (25 June 1822 – 14 November 1908) was a Scottish

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

Early life

Seton was born in Perth, Scotland, the son of Captain George Seton, an officer in the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

, and his wife, Margaret Hunter. The family lived at Potterhill,

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, east across the

River Tay The River Tay ( gd, Tatha, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing') is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates i ...

from Perth. Seton was educated at

Edinburgh High School The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

, then studied law at

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, and Exeter College, and finally

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, from which he graduated in 1845.

Later life

Seton qualified as an advocate, passing the

Scottish bar The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a constit ...

in 1846. Although Seton did practice as an advocate he soon focussed upon various other public offices: firstly as secretary to the Registrar General for Scotland (from 1854) and as Superintendent of the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

examinations in Scotland (from 1862). As an advocate he lived at worked from 13 Coates Crescent in Edinburgh's West End. Seton was one of the founders of the St Andrew Boat Club, the first vice-chairman of the Society for Improving the Condition of the Poor, a fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usua ...

. He was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

in 1872 his proposer being

Philip Kelland Philip Kelland PRSE FRS (17 October 1808 – 8 May 1879) was an English mathematician. He was known mainly for his great influence on the development of education in Scotland. Life Kelland was born in 1808 the son of Philip Kelland (d.1847), ...

. However, his real love was

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

, and in 1863 he published ''The Law and Practice of Heraldry in Scotland''. He retired in 1889. In later life he lived at "St Benets", 42 Greenhill Gardens in south-west Edinburgh. The house was designed by John Henderson in 1860. The house was later acquired by the Roman Catholic Church and serves as the home for the Cardinal. George Seton died in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

on 14 November 1908, aged 86.

Family

In 1849 he married Sarah Elizabeth Hunter (d.1883), second daughter of

James William Hunter James William Hunter of Thurston Manor FRSE (May 1783 – 3 December 1844) was a Scottish landowner, inventor and agricultural improver. His main claim to fame is the improvement to the mechanical odometer in 1827, creating a single-handed and sin ...

. Their son George Seton was a tea-planter in

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then set up business in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Tall soldiers

Over in height, Seton served in the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a per ...

and in 1859 raised his own company of volunteer grenadier artillerymen, all of whom were over 6 feet tall.

Works

* ''Genealogical Tables of the Kings of England and Scotland'' (1845) * ''Treatment of Social Evils'' (1853) * ''Sketch of the History and Imperfect Condition of the Parochial Records of Scotland'' (1854) * ''The Law and Practice of Heraldry in Scotland'' (1863) * ''Gossip about Letters and Letter Writers'' (1870) * ''The Convent of St Catherine of Sienna in Edinburgh'' (1871) * ''The Social Pyramid'' (1878) * '' St Kilda Past and Present'' (1878) * ''Amusements for the People'' (1880) * ''The Life of Alexander Seton, Earl of Dunfermline'' (1888) * ''The House of Moncrieff'' (1890) * ''History of the Family of Seton'' (2 vols., 1896)

References

* T. F. Henderson, "Seton, George (1822–1908), genealogist and historian," ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Seton, George Scottish philanthropists Scottish genealogists George 1822 births 1908 deaths Members of the Royal Company of Archers 19th-century British philanthropists People from Bridgend, Perth and Kinross