Macvey Napier (born Napier Macvey) (11 April 1776 – 11 February 1847) was a Scottish solicitor, legal scholar, and an editor of the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

''. He was Professor of Conveyancing at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Life

Macvey was born on 12 April 1776 in

Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; ; ) is a town and a Burgh of Barony (The Baron of Kirkintilloch) in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. Historically ...

the son of John Macvey a merchant in the town. His mother's maiden name was Napier. He studied law first at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

then at the University of Edinburgh before befriending the publisher Archibald Constable in 1798. Constable later asked Napier to write for the ''

Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'', ...

'' with articles beginning from 1805 and became an editor in 1814. He in turn recruited several eminent authorities to write in the 6th edition and its supplement, as well as in the 7th edition of the ''Britannica''. He was editor of the ''Review'' from 1829. From 1805 to 1837 he acted as Librarian to the Signet Library, the law library for Edinburgh solicitors. From 1816 to 1824 he lectured in legal

conveyancing In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of real property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien. A typical conveyancing transaction has two major phases: the exchange of contract ...

, and in 1825 became a professor of conveyancing at the University of Edinburgh. He was inducted into the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge in 1817 In 1812 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 ...

. In 1817 he had a public fall out with Professor John Wilson in a series of letters published in

Blackwood's Magazine ''Blackwood's Magazine'' was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by publisher William Blackwood and originally called the ''Edinburgh Monthly Magazine'', but quickly relaunched as ''Blackwood's Edinb ...

under the title of ''Hypocrisy Unveiled''. In 1829 he replaced Francis Jeffrey as principal editor of ''The Edinburgh Review''. In the 1830s he is listed as living and operating from 39 Castle Street in Edinburgh's New Town, a 3-storey townhouse within a four-storey and attic block. It was previously the home of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

. He died in Edinburgh on 11 February 1847, and is buried in St John's Episcopal Churchyard at the east end of

Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...

Family

Napier married Catharine Skene (d.1828) in 1797 and they had seven sons and three daughters. One son, Macvey, edited his father's papers for publication;Selections from the correspondence of the late Macvey Napier, ed. M. Napier (1879)
/ref> Alexander became vicar of Holkham, Norfolk; John died in the West Indies; David Skene was a merchant in Singapore and gave

George Coleman George Edward Coleman (born March 8, 1935) is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master. Early life Coleman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was ...

his first important commission to build a large Palladian residence in 1826; and

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

went to Singapore as a lawyer in 1833.

Works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, Macvey 1776 births 1847 deaths Contributors to the Encyclopædia Britannica Fellows of the Royal Society Scottish solicitors People from Kirkintilloch Principal Clerks of Session and Justiciary Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Scottish encyclopedists Scottish book editors Alumni of the University of Glasgow Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish librarians Academics of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish historians Scottish legal scholars Historians of England Scottish biographers Scottish magazine editors

Life

Family

Works

See also

References