John Melville (lord provost)
Sir John Melville FRSE WS (1802 – 5 May 1860) was a Scottish lawyer and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1854 to 1859. Melville Drive in Edinburgh is named after him.
Life[edit]
He was born in Kirkcaldy in Fife the son of Isabella Rule of Kennoway and her husband, George Melville, a lawyer. The family moved to Edinburgh in his youth, residing first at 5 Broughton Place[1] then 3 Nelson Street[2] nearby. He studied law at the University of Edinburgh.
He was apprenticed to Alexander Manners WS based at 12 Nicolson Square.[3] He qualified WS in 1827 and set up his own partnership Melville & Lindesay WS.
In 1849 he was Chief Magistrate of Edinburgh.[4] He was also created a town councillor in 1853.
In 1857 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[5]
Melville was knighted in 1859 by Queen Victoria at the end of his period as Lord Provost.
He died at home 15 Heriot Row on 5 May 1860. He is buried in Newington Cemetery in the south of the city, and is also commemorated on his parents' gravestone in East Preston Street Burial Ground.
Family[edit]
In 1838 he married Jane Marshall (1801 - 7 Feb 1873) sister of David Marshall, a prominent Edinburgh accountant. His son, George Fisher Melville (21 May 1841 - 12 July 1917), was an advocate.
Artistic recognition[edit]
His portrait by James Edgar was painted (in his official robes) in 1859. It is held by the City of Edinburgh Council and is rarely displayed.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1810
- ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1819
- ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1820
- ^ Caledonian Mercury 18 October 1849
- ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ "Sir John Melville (1802–1860), WS, Lord Provost of Edinburgh (1845–1859) | Art UK". artuk.org.
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