Laurence Pullar

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 Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

FRSGS LLD (1838–1926) was a 19th-century Scottish businessman, geographer and philanthropist. A close friend of Sir John Murray he appears to have done much to fund and/or underwrite the cost of the

Challenger Expedition The ''Challenger'' expedition of 1872–1876 was a scientific programme that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the naval vessel that undertook the trip, . The expedition, initiated by W ...

Life

He was born on 13 September 1838 at 36 Mill Street in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

the son of John Pullar (1803–1878) a dyer who later founded Pullars of Perth and who was Provost of Perth 1867 to 1873. He later became a principal partner in the company, and ran the huge Keirfield Manufacturing Works on the south side of

Bridge of Allan Bridge of Allan (, ), also known colloquially as ''Bofa'', is a former spa town in the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area in Scotland, just north of the city of Stirling. Overlooked by the National Wallace Monument, it lies on th ...

, assisted by his younger brother Edmund Pullar. A keen amateur geographer, Pullar's name attaches to an impressive bathymetric chart of

Loch Assynt Loch Assynt () is a freshwater loch in Sutherland, Scotland, north-east of Lochinver. Situated in a spectacular setting between the heights of Canisp, Quinag, and , it receives the outflow from Loch Awe, Inchnadamph, Lochs Awe, , and Loch Leit ...

dated 1885, and he appears to have been a competent surveyor and draughtsman. In this task he appears to have utilised the same equipment as later used by Sir John Murray and entitled by Sir John "Pullar's Sounding Machine". In 1895 Sir John Murray awarded him a Challenger Medal for his contributions to the Challenger Expedition. The Medal reads "in recognition of his generosity in the promotion of scientific research". In 1897 Pullar funded the four year survey of Scottish fresh water lochs by Sir John Murray, but on condition that Murray employed his son, Frederick, on the project (who proved more than able). The study resulted in the publication of the "Bathymetrical Survey of Scottish Fresh-Water Lochs" (1908). In 1903 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) 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 establis ...

. His proposers were Sir John Murray, Alexander Buchan,

George Chrystal George Chrystal FRSE FRS (8 March 1851 – 3 November 1911) was a Scottish mathematician. He is primarily known for his books on algebra and his studies of seiches (wave patterns in large inland bodies of water) which earned him a Gold Meda ...

and Sir Arthur Mitchell. He died in

on 22 December 1926 and was buried in Logie Kirkyard, east of

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

with his son Frederick Pullar and other family members. The double sided memorial has a bronze by sculptor George Frampton.

Family

He was married to Ellen Ferguson Pattison. Their children included Frederick Pullar tragically drowned in 1901. Laurence's siblings included James Frederick Pullar and Sir Robert Pullar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pullar, Laurence 1838 births 1926 deaths People from Perth, Scotland Scottish philanthropists Scottish geographers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish businesspeople 20th-century Scottish businesspeople Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society