- James Matheson
Sir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet (
17 October 1796 –31 December 1878 ) born in Shiness,Lairg ,Sutherland ,Scotland , was the son of a Scottish trader inIndia . He attendedEdinburgh 's Royal High School and theUniversity of Edinburgh .He moved to
China and joined William Jardine in partnership to formJardine Matheson . He married Mary Jane Percival on9 November ,1843 . Matheson bought theIsle of Lewis in 1844 for a £190,000 and builtLews Castle .In 1845 he began an improvements programme, including drainage schemes and road construction. He increased the programme during the blight and by 1850 had spent some £329,000 on the island. Between 1851 and 1855 he assisted 1,771 people to emigrate.
Matheson became a baronet in 1851. He was
Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashburton from 1843 to 1852 and for Ross and Cromarty from 1852 to 1868. He died at the age of 82 inMenton ,France . The baronetcy became extinct on his death.External links
* [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/people/famousfirst628.html Overview of Sir James Matheson]
* [http://heritage.scotsman.com/people.cfm?id=1893222005 The Opium Wars: how Scottish traders fed the habit] from "The Scotsman "
* [http://www.culturehebrides.com/heritage/matheson/ Sir James Matheson a 19th century improver] with links to references for further study
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