Alexander Kincaid (1710–1777) was an 18th-century Scottish printer and publisher who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh 1776/77.
He was born on 17 March 1710 in Falkirk the son of James Kincaid of Bantaskine House and his wife Isabell Russall. He was apprenticed to James McQueen (or McEwen) printer in Edinburgh from 1724 to 1734. From 1735 he operated independently as a printer in a sequence of premises on the Royal Mile. [1]
In 1737 he joined the Town Council of Edinburgh (located immediately adjacent to his shop) and he served various roles in the council for the rest of his life.
He became His Majesty's Printer to Scotland in June 1749. From 1751 to 1758 he was part of the firm Kincaid & Donaldson and from 1758 to 1771 was a partner in Kincaid & Bell. [2]
In 1758 he purchased the bookshop of Allan Ramsay in the Luckenbooths next to St Giles Cathedral. He then went into business with a new partner creating Kincaid and Bell. [2]
In 1764 he employed Alexander Adam to tutor his sons (including Alexander Kincaid jr).
From 1771 he went into business with William Creech, and in 1773, following his marriage to William Creech's mother, he passed the bookshop element of his business to Creech. It was thereafter known as "Creech's Land". [3]
In 1775 he is described as "The King's Printer" with premises on the Cowgate. [4]
He held the role of Lord Provost for only four months, being elected in September 1776 and dying in office on 21 January 1777. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard on 23 January. [1]
Little is known of his first wife. Four of his sons are said to have fought in skirmishes following the Battle of Culloden in 1746 as Jacobite supporters. They fled to Virginia in America in 1746 to escape punishment. [5] His eldest son, also Alexander Kincaid, took over the family printworks in 1777 and is often confused with the father. Alexander, the younger, wrote "A History of Edinburgh" in 1787.
In 1751 he married Caroline Ker, daughter of Sir Charles Kerr.
From 1771 he was a "stepfather" to William Creech but it is unclear if he married his mother. The relationship was very close from 1773.
He also appears strongly connected to "Mrs MacKenzie" a trader in the Luckenbooths in 1773 next to his old shop, and mother to Thomas Kincaid Mackenzie. Given the clear connections he may be presumed to be either his biological father or in some way related.
Henry Home, Lord Kames was a Scottish writer, philosopher and judge who played a major role in Scotland's Agricultural Revolution. A central figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, he was a founding member of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh and active in The Select Society. Home acted as patron to some of the most influential thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment, including philosopher David Hume, economist Adam Smith, writer James Boswell, philosopher William Cullen and naturalist John Walker.
The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th- and early-19th-century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. By the eighteenth century, Scotland had a network of parish schools in the Scottish Lowlands and five universities. The Enlightenment culture was based on close readings of new books, and intense discussions which took place daily at such intellectual gathering places in Edinburgh as The Select Society and, later, The Poker Club, as well as within Scotland's ancient universities.
These are lists of territorial governors by century and by year, such as the administrators of colonies, protectorates, or other dependencies. Where applicable, native rulers are also listed.
This article presents a timeline of events in the history of the United Kingdom from 1700 AD until 1799 AD. For a narrative explaining the overall developments, see the related history of the British Isles.
William Creech FRSE was a Scottish publisher, printer, bookseller and politician. For 40 years Creech was the chief publisher in Edinburgh. He published the first Edinburgh edition of Robert Burns' poems, and Sir John Sinclair's influential "Statistical Accounts of Scotland". In publishing Creech often went under the pseudonym of Theophrastus.
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 Greyfriars. The Kirkyard is operated by City of Edinburgh Council in liaison with a charitable trust, which is linked to but separate from the church. The Kirkyard and its monuments are protected as a category A listed building.
Alexander Donaldson was a Scottish bookseller, publisher, and printer. Donaldson was the founding publisher of the weekly newspaper, the Edinburgh Advertiser. He was also known for selling cheap copies of books after their copyright had expired in disregard to London booksellers' opinions on literary property.
Alexander Kincaid Mackenzie (1768–1830) was a 19th-century Scottish merchant who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1817 to 1819.