Papers of Henry Dunlop (1799-1867)

The collection is composed of correspondence and election addresses relating to Henry Dunlop as a candidate for the constituency of Bute in the election of 1841. There are letters from Henry Dunlop to Patrick Stewart and William Mure, from Robert Smith Candlish to Henry Dunlop, from Alexander Dunlop to Henry Dunlop, and from William Mure and Robert Buchanan to Henry Dunlop. There is a letter from David Landsborough to Miss Mure. The collection contains an address to the electors of Bute, an address to the Christian electors of Buteshire, and an address to the independent electors of Buteshire, as well as a prospectus for the proposed erection of Paisley South Church with a list of subscribers and drawings of the proposed chapel and school-house.

Henry Dunlop was born in Linwood, Renfrewshire, on 7 June 1799. After education at Glasgow High School and Glasgow University, he entered the family cotton trading business of James Dunlop and Sons. Better known for his political activities, Dunlop entered the town council in 1833 and in 1837 he contested a bitterly disputed election for the post of provost. He only succeeded to the post in 1838 after a judgement in the House of Lords. In 1841 and in furtherance of interested parties in the Church, he contested the parliamentary seat of Bute as a Liberal, but the election ended in defeat for him. This interest in ecclesiastical matters led to his move from the Church of Scotland to the Free Church after the Disruption of 1843. Dunlop was chairman of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce in 1841, 1850 and 1862, and in 1848 was appointed Deputy-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire. Henry Dunlop died in Edinburgh on 10 May 1867.

Generally open for consultation to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance.

The biographical/administrative history was compiled using the following material: (1) Memoirs and portraits of 100 Glasgow men. Full-text [online].  Henry Dunlop [Accessed 6 January 2004].

Compiled by Graeme D Eddie, Edinburgh University Library, Special Collections Division.

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