Sir William Dick of Braid (1580–1655) was a 17th-century Scottish landowner, banker and merchant who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1638 to 1640.[1] His fortunes took him from being "the richest man in Scotland" in 1650 to his death as a pauper a few years later.[2]
William Dick of Braid in 1640William Dick of Braid's Coat of ArmsWilliam Dick coinage
William Dick's house off the Royal Mile now known as Adam Bothwell's House369 High Street, Royal Mile, Edinburgh
He was born in 1580 at Braid Castle, then south-west of Edinburgh (now enveloped by the city) close to what is now Hermitage of Braid.[3] He was the son of John Dick and his wife, Margaret Stewart. John Dick had much land in Orkney and had also assembled much wealth trading with Denmark.[4] William had an income of £3000 per annum from farm rentals in Orkney.[5]
As a banker in 1617 he loaned £66,666 to the treasurer-depute Gideon Murray for the visit of James VI and I to Scotland, indicating his enormous wealth and power.[6] In 1639 he loaned the Covenanting Army under James Graham, Marquess of Montrose a staggering £200,000 (£24 million in current terms).[7]
He had an Edinburgh townhouse on the Royal Mile between Byers Close and Advocates Close, immediately opposite St Giles Cathedral. Much of this building (which he built in 1630) still survives (behind a new office on Advocates Close) and is known by the name of an earlier occupier of the site as Adam Bothwell's House.[8] Dick would have had offices, his "bank", here at 369 High Street.[9] An interior from around 1630 may have been added by Dick as it includes a built in safe within the timber panelling. He acquired this building from John Byres of Coates, also a banker.[10] He had a large warehouse in the Luckenbooths close to his house on Byers Close, next to St Giles Cathedral.[11]
In 1638 he succeeded John Hay of Lands as Provost of Edinburgh. He was succeeded in turn in 1640 by Alexander Clerk of Pittencrieff.[12] He was knighted in 1641 by King Charles I of England, to whom he had loaned at least £20,000.[7] In 1641 he gave 100,000 Scots merks to the Covenanter Army to enable it to continue as a force, and additionally paid for 10,000 soldiers in the Scots army to enforce the Protestant presence in Ulster.[13]
In 1642 he leased the Edinburgh customs house (near the Netherbow) at a cost of 202,000 merks per annum.[14]
During the English Civil War his Royalist sympathies came home to roost when Cromwell's troops camped at the Braid and demanded compensation for his loyalist support. He was forced to pay £65,000 representing the bulk of his wealth[15] He afterwards went to London to try to recover this money. His efforts instead ended with his being heavily fined by the Cromwellian authorities.
He died on 19 December 1655. Although some records state he died in prison, he had been confined in private lodgings in Westminster in London. A collection was required to pay for his funeral and his grave had no stone memorial and is lost.[4]
Following his death his Edinburgh property was sold to John Keith, 1st Earl of Kintore.[4] The Royal Mile house was misidentified as Adam Bothwell's house around 1870 during the renewal of interest in "romantic history" by Victorian writers and is a category A listed building.[16][17] All that survives of Braid Castle is the doocot and remnant boundary walls and foundations amongst the trees in the Braid Woods.
William Dick of Braid's downfallSir William Dick of Braid - imprisonmentWilliam Dick of Braid's burial
The Lamentable Estate and Distressed Case of Sir William Dick, published in 1657, contains the petition of his family and other papers, the originals of which are included in the Lauderdale Papers, Addit. MS. 23113. His case is set forth in verse as well as in prose, and is pathetically illustrated by three copperplates, one representing him on horseback superintending the unloading of one of his rich argosies, the second as fettered in prison, and the third as lying in his coffin surrounded by disconsolate friends who do not know how to dispose of the body. The tract, of which there is a copy in the British Museum, is much valued by collectors, and has been sold for 52l. 10s.[2]
Acts of the Parliament of Scotland
Balfour's Annals
Spalding's Memorials
Gordon's Scots Affairs
State Papers, Dom. Ser. 1652-3
Douglas's Baronage of Scotland, i. 269-70
Notes and Queries, 3rd ser. vi. 457.
Referencesedit
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Dick, William (DNB00)
^Smith, Jane Stewart (1898). The Grange of St. Giles, the Bass, and the other baronial homes of the Dick-Lauder family. Edinburgh : Printed for the author by T. and A. Constable. pp. 45–57. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
^John Imrie & John Dunbar, Accounts of the Masters of Works, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1982), pp. xxxii-xxxiii, 84, 89-93: Julian Goodare, State and Society in Early Modern Scotland (Oxford, 1999), p. 130: W. MacNeill and P. MacNeill, 'The Scottish Progress of James VI', SHR, 75 (1996), pp. 47-50: John Spottiswoode, History of the Church of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1850), p. 239.
^ ab"Sir William Dick of Braid from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info.
^Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh, by Gifford, McWilliam and Walker
^"Edinburgh, High Street, 3 Advocate's Close, Adam Bothwell's House | Canmore". canmore.org.uk.
^The Closes and Wynds of the Old Town, The Old Edinburgh Club
^Jane Stewart Smith, The Grange of St. Giles (Edinburgh, 1898).
^"Dean House (Site of) | Castle in Edinburgh parish, Midlothian". Stravaiging around Scotland.
May 14, 2024
william, dick, braid, 1580, 1655, 17th, century, scottish, landowner, banker, merchant, served, lord, provost, edinburgh, from, 1638, 1640, fortunes, took, from, being, richest, scotland, 1650, death, pauper, years, later, 1640, coat, arms, william, dick, coin. Sir William Dick of Braid 1580 1655 was a 17th century Scottish landowner banker and merchant who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1638 to 1640 1 His fortunes took him from being the richest man in Scotland in 1650 to his death as a pauper a few years later 2 William Dick of Braid in 1640 William Dick of Braid s Coat of Arms William Dick coinage Contents 1 Life 2 Family 3 Bibliography 4 ReferencesLife edit nbsp William Dick s house off the Royal Mile now known as Adam Bothwell s House nbsp 369 High Street Royal Mile Edinburgh He was born in 1580 at Braid Castle then south west of Edinburgh now enveloped by the city close to what is now Hermitage of Braid 3 He was the son of John Dick and his wife Margaret Stewart John Dick had much land in Orkney and had also assembled much wealth trading with Denmark 4 William had an income of 3000 per annum from farm rentals in Orkney 5 As a banker in 1617 he loaned 66 666 to the treasurer depute Gideon Murray for the visit of James VI and I to Scotland indicating his enormous wealth and power 6 In 1639 he loaned the Covenanting Army under James Graham Marquess of Montrose a staggering 200 000 24 million in current terms 7 He had an Edinburgh townhouse on the Royal Mile between Byers Close and Advocates Close immediately opposite St Giles Cathedral Much of this building which he built in 1630 still survives behind a new office on Advocates Close and is known by the name of an earlier occupier of the site as Adam Bothwell s House 8 Dick would have had offices his bank here at 369 High Street 9 An interior from around 1630 may have been added by Dick as it includes a built in safe within the timber panelling He acquired this building from John Byres of Coates also a banker 10 He had a large warehouse in the Luckenbooths close to his house on Byers Close next to St Giles Cathedral 11 In 1638 he succeeded John Hay of Lands as Provost of Edinburgh He was succeeded in turn in 1640 by Alexander Clerk of Pittencrieff 12 He was knighted in 1641 by King Charles I of England to whom he had loaned at least 20 000 7 In 1641 he gave 100 000 Scots merks to the Covenanter Army to enable it to continue as a force and additionally paid for 10 000 soldiers in the Scots army to enforce the Protestant presence in Ulster 13 In 1642 he leased the Edinburgh customs house near the Netherbow at a cost of 202 000 merks per annum 14 During the English Civil War his Royalist sympathies came home to roost when Cromwell s troops camped at the Braid and demanded compensation for his loyalist support He was forced to pay 65 000 representing the bulk of his wealth 15 He afterwards went to London to try to recover this money His efforts instead ended with his being heavily fined by the Cromwellian authorities He died on 19 December 1655 Although some records state he died in prison he had been confined in private lodgings in Westminster in London A collection was required to pay for his funeral and his grave had no stone memorial and is lost 4 Following his death his Edinburgh property was sold to John Keith 1st Earl of Kintore 4 The Royal Mile house was misidentified as Adam Bothwell s house around 1870 during the renewal of interest in romantic history by Victorian writers and is a category A listed building 16 17 All that survives of Braid Castle is the doocot and remnant boundary walls and foundations amongst the trees in the Braid Woods Provost Dick is mentioned in Sir Walter Scott s novel The Heart of Midlothian 18 Family editHe married Elizabeth Morrison Their children included 19 John Dick of Braid 1610 1642 father of William Dick of Braid and John Dick died 1681 who settled as a merchant in London Alexander Dick of Heugh 1618 1663 was the ancestor of the Dick Cunyngham baronets and the Dicks of Prestonfield including James Dick of Prestonfield Lord Provost 1679 81 Andrew Dick of Craig House who married 1 Christina Morrison 2 Jean Leslie a daughter of Sir John Leslie of Newton William Dick 1st Baron of Grange who married Janet McMath widow of Thomas Bannatine Their children included William Dick 2nd Baron of Grange Lewis Dick Elizabeth Dick Janet Dick Katherine Dick married William Nisbet of Dean 20 Bibliography edit nbsp William Dick of Braid s downfall nbsp Sir William Dick of Braid imprisonment nbsp William Dick of Braid s burial The Lamentable Estate and Distressed Case of Sir William Dick published in 1657 contains the petition of his family and other papers the originals of which are included in the Lauderdale Papers Addit MS 23113 His case is set forth in verse as well as in prose and is pathetically illustrated by three copperplates one representing him on horseback superintending the unloading of one of his rich argosies the second as fettered in prison and the third as lying in his coffin surrounded by disconsolate friends who do not know how to dispose of the body The tract of which there is a copy in the British Museum is much valued by collectors and has been sold for 52l 10s 2 Acts of the Parliament of Scotland Balfour s Annals Spalding s Memorials Gordon s Scots Affairs State Papers Dom Ser 1652 3 Douglas s Baronage of Scotland i 269 70 Notes and Queries 3rd ser vi 457 References edit nbsp Wikisource has original text related to this article Dick William DNB00 Smith Jane Stewart 1898 The Grange of St Giles the Bass and the other baronial homes of the Dick Lauder family Edinburgh Printed for the author by T and A Constable pp 45 57 Retrieved 9 April 2019 a b Henderson Thomas Finlayson 1888 Dick William In Stephen Leslie ed Dictionary of National Biography Vol 15 London Smith Elder amp Co nbsp This article incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Sweet Andy Braid Castle site of Castle in Edinburgh parish Midlothian Stravaiging around Scotland www stravaiging com a b c ODNB William Dick Grant s Old and New Edinburgh vol 1 p 221 John Imrie amp John Dunbar Accounts of the Masters of Works vol 2 Edinburgh 1982 pp xxxii xxxiii 84 89 93 Julian Goodare State and Society in Early Modern Scotland Oxford 1999 p 130 W MacNeill and P MacNeill The Scottish Progress of James VI SHR 75 1996 pp 47 50 John Spottiswoode History of the Church of Scotland Edinburgh 1850 p 239 a b Sir William Dick of Braid from The Gazetteer for Scotland www scottish places info Buildings of Scotland Edinburgh by Gifford McWilliam and Walker Edinburgh High Street 3 Advocate s Close Adam Bothwell s House Canmore canmore org uk The Closes and Wynds of the Old Town The Old Edinburgh Club Grant s Old and New Edinburgh vol 1 p 221 History of Edinburgh from its Foundation to the Present Time vol 3 p 227 Civil Government Grant s Old and New Edinburgh vol 1 p 222 Grant s Old and New Edinburgh vol 1 p 222 Grant s Old and New Edinburgh vol 1 p 222 City of Edinburgh Council Listed Buildings 1875 OS map Heart of Midlothian Walter scott Jane Stewart Smith The Grange of St Giles Edinburgh 1898 Dean House Site of Castle in Edinburgh parish Midlothian Stravaiging around Scotland Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Dick of Braid amp oldid 1128008862, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
