Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet

Arms of the Arbuthnot Baronets of Edinburgh

Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet (24 December 1776 – 18 September 1829) was a Scottish politician and baronet.

The son of Robert Arbuthnot, 2nd of Haddo-Rattray and Mary Urquhart, and older brother of George Arbuthnot, 1st of Elderslie served twice as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1815 to 1817 and from 1821 to 1823. On 3 April 1823, he was created a Baronet, of Edinburgh. Traditionally a knighthood was conferred to a Lord Provost, but supposedly Arbuthnot had pleased the King by a banquet so much, that he awarded instead a baronetcy.

On the death of his father, he became Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of the Manufactures and Fisheries of Scotland.

[edit] Family

Arbuthnot married Anne Alves, daughter of John Alves on 13 September 1800. They had five children:

Sir Robert Keith Arbuthnot, 2nd Baronet (1801–1873)
John Alves Arbuthnot (1802–1875)
George Clerk Arbuthnot (1803–1876), married firstly Agnes Rait, daughter of John Rait on 7 November 1837, married secondly, Caroline Ramsay Hay, daughter of James Hay on 10 January 1845 and had Charles Ramsay Arbuthnot
Archibald Francis Arbuthnot (1805–1879), married Hon. Gertrude Sophia Gough, daughter of the 1st Viscount Gough on 12 December 1837 and had Major-General William Arbuthnot and Sir George Gough Arbuthnot
James Edward Arbuthnot (1809–1868), married Harriet Frances Staveley, daughter of William Staveley in June 1837

Mrs P S-M Arbuthnot (1920). Memories of the Arbuthnots. George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
thePeerage. Retrieved on December 8, 2006.

Political offices
Preceded by Sir John Marjoribanks, Baronet	Lord Provost of Edinburgh 1815–1816	Succeeded by Kincaid Mckenzie
Preceded by John Manderston	Lord Provost of Edinburgh 1821–1822	Succeeded by Alexander Henderson of Press
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by (new creation)	Baronet (of Edinburgh) 1823–1829	Succeeded by Robert Keith Arbuthnot