Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet of Edinburgh (24 December 1766 – 18 September 1829) was Lord Provost of Edinburgh and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh.[1]
The son of Robert Arbuthnot of Haddo by his spouse Mary née Urquhart; elder brother of George Arbuthnot, 1st of Elderslie.
Sir William served twice as Lord Provost of Edinburgh, from 1815 to 1817 and from 1821 to 1823. On the death of his father, he became Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of the Manufactures and Fisheries of Scotland,[2][3] a post later held by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, Bt.[4]
Traditionally a knighthood was conferred on Lord Provosts, but Arbuthnot was created a Baronet on 24 August 1822 (Letters Patent 3 April 1823) on the occasion of a banquet given by the Magistrates and Town Council of Edinburgh in honour of King George IV during his visit to Edinburgh.[5]
Sir William Arbuthnot matriculated Arms with the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1822.[6] Unusually, for a Baronet, the arms include supporters.
Arbuthnot married Anne, daughter of John Alves of Shipland, on 13 September 1800. They had five children:
| 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 |
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