James Smith (architect)
Encyclopedia
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, who pioneered the Palladian style in Scotland. He was described by Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell was a pioneering Scottish architect who spent most of his career in England, and is credited as a founder of the Georgian style...
, in his Vitruvius Britannicus (1715–1725), as "the most experienced architect of that kingdom".
Biography
Born in Tarbat, RossRoss
Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...
, Smith was the son of James Smith (d. 1684-5), a mason, who became a burgess of Forres
Forres
Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
, Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
, in 1659. Smith initially trained as a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, and went to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as a young man, possibly to enter the Catholic priesthood. A James Smith of Morayshire attended the Scots College, Rome from 1671–75, although it is not known if this is the same person. He had certainly travelled abroad, however, and was well-educated, with a knowledge of Latin.
By December 1677, Smith was in touch with Sir William Bruce
William Bruce (architect)
Sir William Bruce of Kinross, 1st Baronet was a Scottish gentleman-architect, "the effective founder of classical architecture in Scotland," as Howard Colvin observes...
, the most prominent architect of the time in Scotland, and the designer of the rebuilt Holyrood Palace
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle...
, Edinburgh. Here, Smith served as a mason, under the direction of the master mason Robert Mylne
Robert Mylne (1633-1710)
Robert Mylne was a Scottish stonemason and architect. A descendant of the Mylne family of masons and builders, Robert was the last Master Mason to the Crown of Scotland, a post he held from 1668 until his death.-Biography:...
. By December 1679 he was married to Mylne's daughter Janet, when he was made a burgess of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in right of his father-in-law. He was admitted to the Incorporation of St Mary's Chapel, the guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
of masons and wrights in Edinburgh, in 1680.
In 1683 he was appointed, at the recommendation of the Duke of Queensberry, to the post of Surveyor and Overseer of the Royal Works
Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland
The Master of Works to the Crown of Scotland was responsible for the construction, repair and maintenance of royal palaces, castles and other crown property in Scotland. The main buildings were; Holyroodhouse; Edinburgh Castle; Stirling Castle; Linlithgow Palace; and Falkland Palace. The position...
, a post previously held by Bruce, with a salary of £100 a year. He was responsible for maintenance of Holyrood Palace, and refurbished the former Holyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by King David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a royal residence, and after the Scottish Reformation the Palace of Holyroodhouse was expanded...
as a chapel royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
for King James VII
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. From 1685-86 he sat in the Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
as member for Forres
Forres
Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
.
His Royal appointment was renewed after the Union
Acts of Union 1707
The Acts of Union were two Parliamentary Acts - the Union with Scotland Act passed in 1706 by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland - which put into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union that had been agreed on 22 July 1706,...
of England and Scotland in 1707, but he never received further pay. He surveyed some of the forts built in the Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
after 1714, for the Board of Ordnance
Board of Ordnance
The Board of Ordnance was a British government body responsible for the supply of armaments and munitions to the Royal Navy and British Army. It was also responsible for providing artillery trains for armies and maintaining coastal fortresses and, later, management of the artillery and engineer...
, but this employment ended in 1719 with the appointment of Andrews Jelfe as architect to the Board. He complained in a letter to John Clerk of Penicuik that he had been "disgracefully turned out of His Majesty's service in the 73rd year of his age". In 1715 he unsuccessfully stood as a candidate for Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Edinburgh.
In 1686 he purchased the estate of Whitehill, near Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
. However, an unsuccessful coal-mining venture forced him to sell part of the estate in 1706, and he assigned the rest to his son-in-law Gilbert Smith in 1726. Smith fathered 18 children by his first wife, Janet Mylne, who died in 1699, aged 37. He remarried, and fathered another 14 children by his second wife.
Architectural works
Smith's architectural training is not known. Architectural historian Howard ColvinHoward Colvin
Sir Howard Montagu Colvin, CVO, CBE , was a British architectural historian who produced two of the most outstanding works of scholarship in his field.-Life and works:...
has speculated that he was associated with Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell was a pioneering Scottish architect who spent most of his career in England, and is credited as a founder of the Georgian style...
(1676–1729), the Scots architect who introduced Palladian architecture to England. On the basis of a number of Smith's drawings that were in Campbell's possession, Colvin even suggests that Campbell may have been Smith's pupil, and it was Smith who brought Italian ideas back from his travels, inspiring the British Palladianism of the 18th century.
With his father-in-law, Robert Mylne, Smith worked on Caroline Park
Caroline Park
Caroline Park was constructed in 1685 for Sir George Mackenzie, 1st Viscount Tarbat, and his wife Anna. It is located in the Granton area of Edinburgh....
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
(1685), and Drumlanrig Castle
Drumlanrig Castle
Drumlanrig Castle sits on the Queensberry Estate in Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway.The Castle is the Dumfriesshire family home to the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry...
(1680s). His Canongate Kirk
Kirk of the Canongate
The Kirk of the Canongate, or Canongate Kirk, serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town, in Scotland. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. It is also the parish church of Edinburgh Castle, even...
(1688–1690) is a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
-plan, with a baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
facade. In 1691 Smith designed the mausoleum of Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh
George Mackenzie (lawyer)
Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh, Knt. , known as Bluidy Mackenzie, was a Scottish lawyer, Lord Advocate, and legal writer.- Origins :...
, in Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard
Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at...
. This circular structure is modelled on the Tempietto di San Pietro, designed by Donato Bramante
Donato Bramante
Donato Bramante was an Italian architect, who introduced the Early Renaissance style to Milan and the High Renaissance style to Rome, where his most famous design was St...
(1444–1514), and illustreted in Palladio's Quattro Libri. Smith's country houses follow the pattern established by William Bruce, with hipped roofs and pedimented fronts, in a plain but handsome Palladian
Palladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
style. Hamilton Palace
Hamilton Palace
Hamilton Palace was a large country house located north-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it was built in 1695 and subsequently much enlarged. The house was demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence despite inadequate evidence for that...
(1695) was fronted by giant corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns, and a pedimented entrance, although was otherwise restrained. He also designed the nearby estate office, now the Low Parks Museum. Dalkeith Palace
Dalkeith Palace
Dalkeith Palace in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, is the former seat of the Duke of Buccleuch.Dalkeith Castle was located to the north east of Dalkeith, and was originally in the hands of the Clan Graham in the 12th century and given to the Douglas family in the early 14th century. James Douglas...
(1702–1710) was modelled after William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
's palace at Het Loo
Het Loo
Het Loo Palace is a palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The symmetrical Dutch Baroque building was designed by Jacob Roman and Johan van Swieten and was built between 1684 and 1686 for stadtholder-king William III and Mary II of England...
in the Netherlands. Other houses included Yester House
Yester House
Yester House is an early 18th-century mansion near Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the home of the Hay family, later Marquesses of Tweeddale, from the 15th century until the 1970s. Construction of the present house began in 1699, and continued well into the 18th century in a series of...
(1701–1715), works at Alloa Tower
Alloa Tower
Alloa Tower in Alloa in central Scotland is the surviving part of the medieval residence of the Clan Erskine family, the Earls of Mar.An architect which was involved in the Alloa Tower was John Melvin....
for the Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 22nd Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 22nd and de jure 6th Earl of Mar, KT , Scottish Jacobite, was the eldest son of the 21st Earl of Mar , from whom he inherited estates that were heavily loaded with debt. By modern reckoning he was 22nd Earl of Mar of the first creation and de jure 6th Earl of Mar of the seventh...
, as well as his own home, built around 1690 on his estate at Whitehill. From 1700 he worked largely in association with the mason and architect Alexander McGill, and after 1710, ceased architectural work almost entirely.
Engineering
Smith also undertook engineering work. For instance, he was employed as an arbitrator over a dispute concerning the construction of Cockenzie harbour. In 1701 he acquired the rights to manufacture the steam engine invented by Thomas SaveryThomas Savery
Thomas Savery was an English inventor, born at Shilstone, a manor house near Modbury, Devon, England.-Career:Savery became a military engineer, rising to the rank of Captain by 1702, and spent his free time performing experiments in mechanics...
, and in the 1720s he was involved, with William Adam and Alexander McGill, in an early proposal for a Forth and Clyde Canal
Forth and Clyde Canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal crosses Scotland, providing a route for sea-going vessels between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. The canal is 35 miles long and its eastern end is connected to the River Forth by a short stretch of the River...
, linking Scotland's east and west coasts.
List of architectural works
Architectural works by, or attributed to, James Smith.- Drumlanrig CastleDrumlanrig CastleDrumlanrig Castle sits on the Queensberry Estate in Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway.The Castle is the Dumfriesshire family home to the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry...
, Dumfriesshire (1680–1690), for the Duke of QueensberryWilliam Douglas, 1st Duke of QueensberryWilliam Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry PC also 3rd Earl of Queensberry and 1st Marquess of Queensberry was a Scottish politician....
, possibly designed with Robert Mylne - Kirk of the CanongateKirk of the CanongateThe Kirk of the Canongate, or Canongate Kirk, serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town, in Scotland. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. It is also the parish church of Edinburgh Castle, even...
, Edinburgh (1688–1690) - Chapel Royal at Holyrood PalaceHolyrood PalaceThe Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle...
, Edinburgh (1688), destroyed by an anti-Catholic mob the same year - Whitehill, Musselburgh (c. 1690), Smith's own home, enlarged in the 18th century and now known as Newhailes
- Mausoleum of George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh (1691), Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh
- Newbattle AbbeyNewbattle AbbeyNewbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...
, Midlothian (1693), advised the Earl of LothianRobert Kerr, 1st Marquess of LothianRobert Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothian PC , known as the 4th Earl of Lothian from 1675 to 1701, was a Scottish nobleman. He was styled Lord Kerr until 1661 and Lord Newbattle from 1661 to 1675....
on alterations - Hamilton PalaceHamilton PalaceHamilton Palace was a large country house located north-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it was built in 1695 and subsequently much enlarged. The house was demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence despite inadequate evidence for that...
, Lanarkshire (1693–1701), for the Duchess of HamiltonAnne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of HamiltonAnne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton was a Scottish peeress.The daughter of Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Marquess of Hamilton, Scottish General and premier peer of the realm, and Lady Mary Feilding, daughter of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh and Lady Susan Villiers, a...
. Extended in the 18th century and rebuilt in the 19th, the Palace was demolished in 1921. - Raith House, Raith Estate, KirkcaldyKirkcaldyKirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
, Fife (1692–1694) - Traquair HouseTraquair HouseTraquair House, approximately 5 miles southeast of Peebles, is claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. It is built in the style of a fortified mansion, and not strictly a castle...
, Borders (1695–1699), alterations - DurisdeerDurisdeerDurisdeer is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies north of Thornhill, above the Carron Water, a tributary of the Nith....
Church, and Queensberry Aisle, Dumfriesshire - Monument to William Douglas, Duke of HamiltonWilliam Douglas, Duke of HamiltonWilliam Douglas-Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Hamilton, KG, PC , born Lord William Douglas, was the son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and his second wife Lady Mary Gordon, a daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly...
(1634–1694), in BothwellBothwellBothwell is a small town in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, nine miles east-south-east of Glasgow city centre....
Church, Lanarkshire (1695) - Old Surgeons' HallSurgeons' HallSurgeons' Hall in Edinburgh is the home of the Surgeons' Hall Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh....
, Edinburgh (1696–1697) - Melville HouseMelville HouseMelville House lies to the southside of Monimail in Fife. It was built in 1697 by the architect James Smith for George Melville, 1st Earl of Melville, incorporating the 14th Century Monimail Tower...
, Fife (1697–1700), for the Earl of MelvilleGeorge Melville, 1st Earl of MelvilleGeorge Melville, 1st Earl of Melville was a Scots aristocrat and statesman during the reigns of William and Mary.In 1643, he succeeded his father as Lord Melville.-Career:... - Yester HouseYester HouseYester House is an early 18th-century mansion near Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the home of the Hay family, later Marquesses of Tweeddale, from the 15th century until the 1970s. Construction of the present house began in 1699, and continued well into the 18th century in a series of...
, East Lothian (1701–1715), with Alexander McGill for the Marquess of TweeddaleJohn Hay, 2nd Marquess of TweeddaleJohn Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale was a Scottish nobleman.Hay was the eldest son of John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale and his wife, Jean, daughter of Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch. In 1666, at Highgate in London, he married Lady Mary Maitland, daughter of John Maitland, 1st Duke of...
, altered in the 18th century - Dalkeith HouseDalkeith PalaceDalkeith Palace in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, is the former seat of the Duke of Buccleuch.Dalkeith Castle was located to the north east of Dalkeith, and was originally in the hands of the Clan Graham in the 12th century and given to the Douglas family in the early 14th century. James Douglas...
, Midlothian (1702–1710), major rebuilding for Anne, Duchess of BuccleuchAnne Scott, 1st Duchess of BuccleuchAnne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch was a wealthy Scottish peeress.Anne was the daughter of Francis Scott, 2nd Earl of Buccleuch. In 1661, she succeeded to her sister's titles of 4th Countess of Buccleuch, 5th Baroness Scott of Buccleuch and 5th Baroness Scott of Whitchester and Eskdaill... - Yester Parish Church, GiffordGifford, East LothianGifford is a village in the parish of Yester in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately 4 miles south of Haddington and 25 miles east of Edinburgh.-History:...
, East Lothian (1710), attributed to Smith and McGill - Dupplin Castle, Perthshire (1720–1725), for the Earl of KinnoullEarl of KinnoullEarl of Kinnoull is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for George Hay, 1st Viscount of Dupplin. Other associated titles are: Viscount Dupplin , Lord Hay of Kinfauns and Baron Hay of Pedwardine . The former two are in the Peerage of Scotland, while the last is in the Peerage...
, destroyed by fire in 1827 - Smith's Land, High StreetRoyal MileThe Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
, Edinburgh (unknown date), later known as Paisley's Close