Thomas Muir (political reformer)

For other people of the same name, see Thomas Muir.

Thomas Muir

Thomas Muir (often known as Thomas Muir of Huntershill) (25 August 1765 – 26 January 1799) was a Scottish political reformer.

Muir was the son of James Muir, a hop merchant, and was educated at Glasgow Grammar School, before attending the University of Glasgow to study divinity. He changed his studies though and began the study of sociology attending many of the classes of John Millar.

Millar was an advocate of parliamentary reform and a republican also. He had a profound influence on Muir who came to hold similar views. Muir was expelled from the university for trying to have John Anderson reinstated as a member of staff. Millar assisted Muir in enrolling at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1792 he joined the Faculty of Advocates as a qualified lawyer.

Muir represented many poor clients who couldn't afford legal fees and became a critic of the legal system which he felt was skewed in favour of the rich at the expense of the poor.

About the time of the French Revolution the Friends of the People Society was established, and Muir became a member. He became a leading figure as he tried to organise a nationwide convention of Friends of the People societies to co-ordinate the pressure for parliamentary reform.

Muir was arrested and charged with sedition in 1793. Released on bail, Muir was dispatched by the Friends of the People leaders to join Thomas Paine in France in an attempt to curb the violence of the revolutionaries there, and to stop the execution of Louis XVI. He decided to return to Scotland against the advice of the French and his own father. He landed in Belfast where he was made an honorary member of the United Irishmen. He then headed on to Scotland where he was recognised and given up to the authorities. He was then tried for sedition and found guilty. He was sentenced to 14 years' transportation along with other radical leaders.

The transportees (which included Thomas Fyshe Palmer) arrived in Botany Bay, Sydney, in October 1794. However, the Americans (who had not long been independent of Britain at this stage) heard of Muir and despatched a rescue ship. Muir was rescued and landed on Vancouver Island, where he was captured by the Spanish. On the trip back to Europe the ship he was on was attacked by the Royal Navy, and Muir sustained serious injuries which many felt he would die from. However he pulled through and the French organised his release from the Spanish.

Muir arrived in Bordeaux in November, 1797 and from there he moved on to Paris to join Paine with whom he would continue to agitate for parliamentary reform. At this time the radical activity in Scotland had moved on from the hands of the Friends of the People to that of the United Scotsmen who had plans to establish a provisional Scottish government with Muir as president. However, their activities were quelled and the plan never came to fruition.

Muir never recovered from the injuries he received while in Spanish custody and he died on 26 January 1799. He was the first foreigner to be given citizenship of France. Muir was a man of noble character and ideals,^{[citation needed]} who had the misfortune to be tried before a hostile jury and bench of judges at a time of popular excitement.^{[dubious – discuss]} Lord Cockburn begins his account of his trial with the words: "This is one of the cases the memory whereof never perisheth. History cannot let its injustice alone" (An Examination of the Trials for Sedition).^{[citation needed]} The only mitigating circumstances were that Muir was able to engage a cabin on his way to Australia, and that while there he was able to live quietly in retirement and was not treated as a convict.

Honours

A school in Bishopbriggs, the Thomas Muir High School which opened in 1975, was named after him. It was merged with another school in 2003 to form Bishopbriggs Academy.

References

• Serle, Percival (1949). "Muir, Thomas". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson. http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogMu-My.html#muir1. 
• Prentis, Malcolm. "Great Australian Presbyterians: The Game". Uniting Church in Australia. http://nsw.uca.org.au/presbyterian100/greataussies.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-07. 

This article incorporates text from the 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America.