Patrick Heron of Kirroughtree (c. 1736 – 9 June 1803) was a Scottish banker and politician. From 1794 to 1803 he was a Whig Member of Parliament for Kirkcudbright Stewartry.
He was the grandson [1] of Patrick Heron of Kirroughtrie,[2] who had been MP for the Stewartry from 1727 to 1741.[3] His mother Margaret was the daughter of John Mackie of Palgoun. He was educated at the University of Glasgow.[2]
He married Jean Home, in 1761, daughter of Henry Home, Lord Kames, but the couple were divorced in 1772.[citation needed] In 1775, he married Lady Elizabeth Cochrane, daughter of Thomas Cochrane, 8th Earl of Dundonald,[2] and cousin to the diarist James Boswell.
He was a founder of a bank in Ayr, Douglas, Heron & Company, which went bankrupt during the credit crisis of 1772.
Heron was elected unopposed at a by-election in March 1795 as the MP for the Kirkcudbright Stewartry, filling the vacancy caused by the death of Alexander Stewart. His election was the result of a deal brokered with the support of Henry Dundas whereby he was to alternate the seat with two others. However, Heron managed to keep the seat for himself and was re-elected unopposed in 1796. At the general election in July 1802, he faced a contest from the Tory candidate Montgomery Stewart, son of the Earl of Galloway.[2] Heron was returned, but Stewart lodged a petition, and on 10 May 1803 the result was overturned in Stewart's favour by the Committee of the House of Commons which heard the case.[4]
The campaigns are recorded in three works by Robert Burns, now known as the Heron Ballads.[citation needed] Burns was himself a supporter of Heron:[citation needed]
An' there will be trusty Kerroughtree,
- Whose honour was ever his law,
If the virtues were pack'd in a parcel,
- His worth might be sample for a'.
Heron died on 9 June 1803, aged about 68. He was survived by only one child, a daughter Mary. She had married John Maxwell, who changed his name to Heron-Maxwell when they inherited Mary's father's estates.[3][5] The following year he succeeded to his father's baronetcy, becoming Sir John Heron-Maxwell, 4th Baronet.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Kirroughtree" by A.S. Morton in Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History & Antiquarian Society Series III Vol XX, pp174-184
- ^ a b c d Thorne, R. G. (1986). R. Thorne (ed.). "HERON, Patrick (c.1735-1803), of Heron, Kirkcudbright". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ a b Watson, Paula (1970). R. Sedgwick (ed.). "HERON, Patrick (c.1672-1761), of Heron, Kirroughtrie, Kirkcudbright". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 3)
- ^ Henry, D. G. (1986). R. Thorne (ed.). "HERON MAXWELL, Sir John Shaw Stewart, 4th Bt. (1772–1830), of Springkell, Dumfries". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's list of baronets – Baronetcies beginning with "H" (part 3)