Mrs Agnes Janet Fairlie nee Richmond

Agnes Janet Richmond was born to David Richmond and his wife Bethia on 29 March 1871 (1) then living at 7 Newark Drive Kinning Park. She was a twin and her brother was James Alexander Richmond (2). His birth is found in the statutory register of births but hers is not.

She lived at home until her marriage. In 1891 the family are at 53 Albert Drive.(3)

On 25 July 1906, she married John Fairlie .(4) He was a mechanical engineer and came from a family of Indian merchants. She was his second wife. There are no children of the second marriage. Both her father and her husband- to- be made Wills (5 ) (6 ) which effectively ensured that she would inherit from her father but not from her husband since there were children and heirs from his first marriage.

When Sir David Richmond died on 15 January 1908 Agnes and her mother inherited money from the estate.(7)

Agnes and her husband would appear to have spent time in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran and were benefactors of the Lamlash Parish Church (8).There is no evidence that they were permanent residents in Arran. Agnes Fairlie donated a stained-glass window by Andrew Rigby Gray in memory of her father.(9) In 1913, her husband gave a church bell in Agnes’ honour.(10) In 1934 she gave the organ to the church in memory of the Reverend Peter Robertson.(11) John Fairlie died on 19 May 1921. (12)

Agnes died on 10 April 1946 (13)  at 61 Clevedon Drive and in her will she donated a painting of her father  by John Singer Sargent to Glasgow. Another painting hangs in the City Chambers.

Sir David Richmond (1843-1906)

David Richmond was born in Deanston Perthshire on 14 July 1843, the ninth of ten children to James King Richmond and his wife, Mary Lauchlan .(14) His parents moved to Glasgow when he was an infant He was educated at St James Parish School then Glasgow High School. He is also recorded as having attended the Mechanics Institute. (15) ^.In his teenage years he was sent to Australia because he had poor health and he spent two years there. (16) He returned in 1868 to set up a tube works, which was located at Aytoun Court in Glasgow.

 In 1879, he joined the Glasgow Town Council representing the 14th ward (17). His most important contributions as Lord Provost were the building of the Peoples Palace in 1899 (18) and hosting the laying of the foundation  stone of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum by The Duke of York in 1897.(19) This is commemorated in Kelvingrove.

He was greatly involved in the expansion of electricity through the city and in initiating building of several public baths and fire stations . (20) He also supervised the establishment of  Tollcross Park (21) and Richmond Park (named in his honour). (22)  He was knighted in 1899 by  Queen Victoria.(23)

 By 1900, his company had expanded and had premises at both Broomloan Road in Govan at 35 Rose Street in the Hutchesontown district. Sir David was then living at Broompark in Pollokshields. (24) After he retired he served as Chairman of the Clyde Trust.

He died at 53 Albert Drive in Glasgow on 15 January 1906 and his heir was his son James (25). Agnes and her mother inherited money from the estate.  He is buried in the Glasgow Necropolis. 26)

References

1. Ancestry.co.uk
2. National Records of Scotland Statutory Births 1871
3. National Records of Scotland census1891
4. National Records of Scotland Statutory marriages
5. John Fairlie Glasgow Sheriff Court Wills 1921
6. Sir David Richmond  Glasgow Sheriff Court Wills 1906
7. Ibid
8. Homepage.ntlworld.cm/morritek/lamlashchurch
9. Ibid
10. Ibid
11. Ibid
12. National Records of Scotland Statutory Deaths 1921
13. National Records of Scotland Statutory Deaths 1946
14. Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History
15. Ibid
16. Ibid
17. Who’s Who in Glasgow Mitchell Library, Glasgow
18. The Peoples Palace Glasgow Website
19. The Glasgow Story
20. Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History
21. Tollcross Park web site
22. Richmond Park web site
23. Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History
24. National Records of Scotland census 1901
25. National Records of Scotland Statutory Deaths 1906
26. Find a Grave Index