Person MacFarlane; Alexander (1702 - 1755); merchant MacFarlane Alexander merchant 1702 - 1755 British Male Scotland 1702 1702 23 August 1755 17550823

Merchant; plantation and slave owner; colonial official Mathematics Astronomy Education: University of Glasgow, MA (1728) Career: Emigrated to Jamaica where he became a merchant, planter and owner of enslaved people in Kingston (1735), estates included Biscany in St Elzabeth and Serge Island Jamaica; Assistant judge, Jamaica; member of the Assembly for St Elizabeth, Jamaica (1754-1755); built his house in Jamaica to function as an observatory (1743); bequeathed his scientific instruments to the University of Glasgow, leading to the establishemnt of the MacFarlane Observatory (1757) where the instruments later inspired James Watt FRS Son of John MacFarlane of Arrochar; youngest brother of Walter MacFarlane, Scottish antiquary Fellow 19/02/1747 44 Sources: Bulloch's Roll; additional biographical information on Fellows, 17; Wikipedia; UCL LBS References: D J Bryden, 'The Jamaican Observatories of Colin Campbell, FRS and Alexander Macfarlane, FRS' in NR 1969 vol 24 pp 261-272 'Alexander Macfarlane', Legacies of British Slave-ownership database, http://wwwdepts-live.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/2146644157 [accessed 15th July 2020] The Unviersity of Glasgow people database https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH0112&type=P [accessed 21 May 2021] International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 1702 - 23 Aug 1755 NA7222 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 20/08/2025 RS_NET\VidaM yes f39cabca-dce1-43fc-95bd-aa8e7b51ef6c