Record

Authorised form of nameGordon; Sir; Robert (1647 - 1704); landowner and natural philosopher
Dates1647 - 1704
NationalityScottish
British
Place of birthGordonstoun, Drainie, Elgin, Scotland, Europe
Date of birth7 March 1647
Date of death05 September 1704
DatesAndPlacesBurial:
His mausoleum on the site of the old church of Ogston, near Gordonstoun, Scotland, Europe
OccupationCourtier; Virtuoso
Research fieldChemistry
Mechanics
ActivityCareer:
Travelled abroad; devised a water pump and had a laboratory at Gordonstoun; MP for Sutherland in the Scottish Parliament (1672-1674, 1678, 1681-1682, 1685-1686); Gentleman of the Household to James II
Honours:
Kt 1673
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election03/02/1686
ProposerSir Christopher Wren
Other Royal Society activityHad a paper on the treatment of rabies published in the 'Philosophical Transactions'
RelationshipsParents: Sir Ludovic Gordon and Elizabeth Farquhar; succeeded his father as baronet (1685)
Married: 1) Margaret Sutherland (née Forbes); 2) Elizabeth Dunbar
Children: 2) Robert Gordon; William Gordon; Lucy Gordon
OtherInfoSome Gordon family manuscripts claim that he maintainted correspondence with Robert Boyle (FRS 1663) although no letters survive with sender or recipient. He was also in correspondence with Samuel Pepys (FRS 1665) regarding, for example, the trials of some nautical machinery. Around a year after his election to the Royal Society, he became largely inactive in its work.
SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Hunter; ODNB
References:
McKie, D. 1958. 'James, Duke of York, FRS', in Notes and Records, vol. 13, pp. 6-18
Notes:
ODNB has 5 September as date of death.
CodeNA5020
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
MS/390/88Bond of Sir Robert Gordon to the Treasurer of the Royal Society3 February 1685
CLP/14i/33Paper, 'A reciept [recipe] to cure mad dogs, or men or beasts bitten by mad dogs' by Rob [Robert] Gourdon [Gordon][1687]
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