George Rennie (agriculturalist)
Encyclopedia
George Rennie agriculturist, son of James Rennie, farmer, of Phantassie, Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian
), and elder brother of John Rennie, the engineer, was born on his father's farm in 1749.
On leaving school he was sent by his father, at the age of sixteen, to Tweedside to make a survey of a new system of farming which had been adopted by Lord Kames
, Hume of Ninewells
, and other landed gentry of the district. In 1765 he became superintendent of a brewery which his father had erected. The elder Rennie died in 1766, and, after leasing the business for some years, the son conducted it on a large scale from 1783 to 1797, when he finally relinquished it to a tenant. Rennie then devoted himself to the pursuit of agriculture on the Phantassie farmland and in 1787 he employed Andrew Meikle
, the eminent millwright
(to whom his brother, John Rennie, the engineer, had been apprenticed) to erect one of his drum thrashing-machines. This was driven by water. When Meikle's claims as the inventor were disputed, Rennie wrote a letter in his favour, which was printed in A Reply to an Address to the Public, but more particularly to the Landed Interest of Great Britain and Ireland, on the subject of the Thrashing Machine.
Rennie died on 6 Oct. 1828. He was one of the authors of A General View of the Agriculture of the West Riding of Yorkshire.... By Messrs. Rennie, Brown, and Shirreff, London, 1794, written at the request of the Board of Agriculture. Other writing, co-authored by the science writer Robert Brown
, discussed the practical application of new techniques. His son, George
achieved notability as a sculptor and politician.
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
), and elder brother of John Rennie, the engineer, was born on his father's farm in 1749.
On leaving school he was sent by his father, at the age of sixteen, to Tweedside to make a survey of a new system of farming which had been adopted by Lord Kames
Henry Home, Lord Kames
Henry Home, Lord Kames was a Scottish advocate, judge, philosopher, writer and agricultural improver. A central figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, a founder member of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, and active in the Select Society, his protégés included James Boswell, David Hume and...
, Hume of Ninewells
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
, and other landed gentry of the district. In 1765 he became superintendent of a brewery which his father had erected. The elder Rennie died in 1766, and, after leasing the business for some years, the son conducted it on a large scale from 1783 to 1797, when he finally relinquished it to a tenant. Rennie then devoted himself to the pursuit of agriculture on the Phantassie farmland and in 1787 he employed Andrew Meikle
Andrew Meikle
Andrew Meikle was an early mechanical engineer credited with inventing the threshing machine, a device used to remove the outer husks from grains of wheat. This was regarded as one of the key developments of the British Agricultural Revolution in the late 18th century...
, the eminent millwright
Millwright
A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...
(to whom his brother, John Rennie, the engineer, had been apprenticed) to erect one of his drum thrashing-machines. This was driven by water. When Meikle's claims as the inventor were disputed, Rennie wrote a letter in his favour, which was printed in A Reply to an Address to the Public, but more particularly to the Landed Interest of Great Britain and Ireland, on the subject of the Thrashing Machine.
Rennie died on 6 Oct. 1828. He was one of the authors of A General View of the Agriculture of the West Riding of Yorkshire.... By Messrs. Rennie, Brown, and Shirreff, London, 1794, written at the request of the Board of Agriculture. Other writing, co-authored by the science writer Robert Brown
Robert Brown (agriculturalist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish writer on agricultural science and rural subjects.He was born in East Linton, Haddingtonshire, entered into business in his native village, but soon turned to agriculture, which he carried on first at West Fortune and afterwards at Markle, where be practised several...
, discussed the practical application of new techniques. His son, George
George Rennie (sculptor and politician)
George Rennie was a Scottish sculptor and politician.Rennie was the son of George Rennie, agriculturist, of Phantassie, East Lothian, and nephew of John Rennie, the civil engineer....
achieved notability as a sculptor and politician.