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Charles Brydon (23 September 1859 - 31 December 1906) was a Scottish painter.

Life
His father was James Brydon (c. 1830 - 27 September 1900), a blacksmith from Edinburgh.

His mother was Louisa Wilson (26 January 1828 - 9 March 1865) from Saltoun, East Lothian. James and Louisa married on 24 December 1865 in Edinburgh.

Charles Brydon was born on 23 September 1859 in Edinburgh. The family was brought up at 17 Canning Place in Newington, Edinburgh.

At the age of 20 he had moved out of the family home with his brother Thomas; and both were lodging at 24 Lauriston Street in Edinburgh. Charles was noted as an artist on the census; Thomas, a blacksmith.

By the 1891 census, Charles was lodging alone, now with the Sanderson family at 4 Torphichen Place, Edinburgh.

In 1900 he was a witness in a strange case involving a house that was sold without a lock. Brydon was actually painting Queensferry Covenanters House for the purposes of helping a sale and was given the lock by a joiner, Peter McLaren, working on the house, who said he had to ask the original owner, a Miss McKiver, what to do with it. Brydon thought to give it to the Town Clerk as he knew the house was for sale, but on the joiner's return he gave it back to him. Not known to Brydon, there was an issue between McLaren and McKiver, and also the new owner of the house a Mr Macdonald who argued that he shouldn't have offered as much money for the house without a lock. The defendant, McLaren the joiner, won a small settlement by claiming that the lock should have been part of the house sale, which the judge agreed with.

By the 1901 census he was still a lodger, now at 382 High Street, Linlithgow with Helen Speirs and her daughter. He was deemed a landscape painter.

Death
He died on Monday 31 December 1906 in Linlithgow in the afternoon. The death certificate is officially recorded as 1907 however the Edinburgh Evening News of Tuesday 01 January 1907 confirms the date of death as the last day of 1906: DEATH OF AN EDINBURGH ARTIST. At Linlithgow yesterday, Mr Charles Brydon, artist, was found dead, seated in a chair in his own house, High Street, Linlithgow. The deceased went from Edinburgh to Linlithgow some years ago, and during his residence he painted a large number of landscape and other pictures. He had been especially happy in his depicting of some of the old landmarks of the quaint burgh, and its surroundings, of which there are many. The deceased was genial and kindly disposed, and Was well known in the locality.

From the Northern Whig of Wednesday 02 January 1907: Charles Brydon, the well-known Scotch artist, has been found dead in his house in Linlithgow. A young lad, having occasion to call, found Mr. Brydon seated in the chair dead.

From the Linlithgowshire Gazette of Friday 04 January 1907: THE LATE MR CHARLES BRYDON, ARTIST.— To not few in our town and beyond its confines the news the death, so suddenly, of Mr Charles Brydon, artist, will have brought feelings of sincere regret. Mr Brydon, who was unmarried and lived alone, was it appears, found dead in the house occupied by him at the west end of the town on Monday forenoon. The deceased came to Linlithgow from Edinburgh some twelve years ago, and devoted himself to his profession. During his residence he produced numerous paintings, his subjects including well-known and familiar landmarks of the town, as well rural scenes and bits of landscape. Many of the pictures were from time to time purchased by leading citizens, and will probably now more than ever regarded with a peculiar and pathetic interest. This, at all events, is to be the case in reference to those productions of his brush which depict some of the quaint corners and old-time buildings of the ancient burgh. Deceased was a Freemason, and at one time very enthusiastic in matters relating to the craft. He was 46 years of age, and son of the late Jas. Brydon, blacksmith, Edinburgh. The funeral took place to Linlithgow Cemetery yesterday.