Thomas Jameson Torrie

Torrie's house at 21 Royal Circus, Edinburgh

Thomas Jameson Torrie FRSE (d.1858) was a Scottish advocate, geologist, botanist and author. He was a competent artist and made his own botanical drawings.

Life

He was the son of Patrick Torrie (1763-1810) and Janet Jameson (1776-1853), the sister of Robert Jameson, who was a strong influence upon Thomas.

He trained as a lawyer at Edinburgh University and qualified as an advocate in 1830. However his primary interests lay in scientific investigations. He was President of Edinburgh's Plinian Society, a group of like-minded thinkers and scientists, in 1827. In 1832 he inherited £10,000, a huge sum for the day, enabling him to pursue his scientific interests at leisure.[1]

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1834, his proposer was Sir John Robison.[2] At this time he was living at 21 Royal Circus in Edinburgh's Second New Town, an imposing Georgian townhouse.[3] He also served on the Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.[4]

He visited Mount Vesuvius during an eruption and reported his observations back to several scientific bodies.[5]

He died in Roslin in Midlothian on 7 August 1858[6]

He is buried in Warriston Cemetery.

Family

He married Catherine Paton (1820-1867) in 1846. They had a son, Lawrence Jameson Torrie (b.1852).[7]

References

  1. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gagDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA469&lpg=PA469&dq=thomas+j+torrie&source=bl&ots=1jCKfahnR6&sig=z-TzFAM_dODYUS3DXvypXM1aGK0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=thuPVffyKu7Y7AbHjLmQBQ&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=thomas%20j%20torrie&f=false
  2. ↑ http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf
  3. ↑ http://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/pageturner.cfm?id=83401911&mode=transcription
  4. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AOM-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PR23&lpg=PR23&dq=t+j+torrie&source=bl&ots=PqiTA7mXRm&sig=nWl_xmglgo83kfAtsdgSLetnbnM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BhuPVcD1D4Ta7AaI2YGoCg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=t%20j%20torrie&f=false
  5. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZFc2AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA253&lpg=PA253&dq=t+j+torrie&source=bl&ots=Vxlzp_o8Gk&sig=wjhXf8je7LQkxvBbi2X9fP3qYxE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=txiPVd2kBMyf7gbMi5zgAg&ved=0CDYQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=t%20j%20torrie&f=false
  6. ↑ http://www.geni.com/people/Thomas-Torrie/6000000021060089143
  7. ↑ https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTRQ-JWB
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