Andrew Buchanan of Drumpellier

Born on 29 January 1691, Andrew Buchanan was the second of four sons of George Buchanan, a maltster, and Mary Maxwell, the daughter of Gabriel Maxwell, a respected Glasgow merchant. His father had been a Covenanter who had fought at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge who descended from a branch of the old family of Buchanan of Buchanan and Leny.[2]

In his youth, he shared lodgings with Rev Robert Carrick, then a Divinity student. Rev Robert Carrick's son, also Robert Carrick became a rich banker, and later left his entire fortune in gratatude to the nephew of Andrew Buchanan, David Buchanan. In appreciation of this windfall, he changed the family to Carrick-Buchanan.[3]

In 1725, with his brothers Neil and Archibald Buchanan,[4] he founded the Buchanan Society a charity which gave financial help to apprentices and widows of the Buchanan clan. The Society still exists and provides hardship and educational grants to those of the clan and its septs.[5]

He was one of the first Scots to have tobacco plantations in "the New World", with major holdings in Virginia.[6] He is believed to have owned up to 300 slaves.[7]

In 1735, with his new-found wealth, he purchased the estate of Drumpellier building Drumpellier House there from 1736 to 1739 and extending it twice thereafter. In 1737 he bought an additional estate at Auchentorlie.[8]

He was elected dean of guild in 1728, and lord provost in 1740. When after the battle of Prestonpans John Hay, quarter-master of the Pretender, arrived at Glasgow with a letter demanding a loan of £15,000, Buchanan and five others were chosen commissioners to treat with him, and succeeded in obtaining a reduction to £5,500.[9] On account of his zeal in raising new levies on behalf of the government, Buchanan made himself so obnoxious to the rebels that in December 1745 he was ordered to pay a personal levy of £500 by Prince Charles Edward Stuart.[10] This was made on him under threats of plundering his house, to which he replied "they might plunder his house if they pleased, but he would not pay one farthing."[11]

In 1750, he was one of the joint founders of the Old Ship Bank on the corner of Saltmarket and Bridgegate, Glasgow's first local bank.[12]

Andrew Buchanan was one of the first of the Buchanans to take full advantage of the American tobacco trade opening up to Scotland after 1707 subsequently owning property and plantations in Virginia. By the 1720s he and brothers Neil and Archibald were fully involved in the trade through their company Andrew Buchanan, Bros. & Co., becoming in 1730 Glasgow’s largest tobacco importer at over 500,000 lbs per annum[13] and owning, in 1735, five ships, the Glasgow, Pr. William, Argyle, Buchanan and the Virginia Merchant.[14] In 1737 Neil left the partnership and it became known as Andrew and Archibald Buchanan & Co. In 1749 Archibald also left to set up his own company with John Bowman and others, the original company becoming Andrew Buchanan, Son & Co. this time with brother George as a partner.

He married twice firstly to Marion Montgomery in 1723 (Aged 32) with whom he had two sons and four daughters.

His oldest son James Buchanan of Drumpellier (1726–1786) and his second son George Buchanan of Mount Vernon (1728–1762).[3] followed in his footsteps and became involved in the Virginia trade through there respective companies.

Although James Buchanan of Drumpellier inherited his father's tobacco plantations and estates, including Drumpellier on his father's death in 1759, he was ruined in 1777 following the American Revolution. He sold the bulk of his estates to his cousin, Andrew Stirling (of William Stirling & Sons). The estate was reacquired by James' nephew, David Buchanan in 1808 (later known as David Buchanan Carrick).

George Buchanan of Mount Vernon did not live long to enjoy his properties, urban and rural. He died on Tuesday, 20 July 1762, at the early age of thirty-four. His portrait is preserved in Drumpellier House, beside that of his father.

James was also Lord Provost from 1768 to 1770 and again from 1774 to 1776.

Andrew married his second wife Elizabeth Binning, the daughter of Edinburgh advocate Charles Binning, in 1744, she being (aged 35) Marion having died the previous year.

His daughter Mary Buchanan married William Stirling who was a Scottish philosopher and historian. Their son John Stirling of Tullichewan bought Tullichewan Castle in 1792.