Arbuthnot Charles Guthrie (1825 - 1897)

Born 10 Jan 1825 in London, Middlesex, England

Ancestors

Died 21 Feb 1897 at age 72 in London, Middlesex, England

Biography

Buth Guthrie is a member of Clan Guthrie.

Arbuthnot Charles Guthrie was born on 10 January 1825 in London, Middlesex, England. ^[1] He was the fourth child and second son of David Guthrie and Jane Hunter.

Torosay Castle

Torosay Castle was built in 1858 for for John Campbell of Possil who sold the castle and estate to Arburthnot Charles Guthrie in 1865. He and his wife, Anne, spent several months at Torosay for the next 32 years and changed the name to Duart House.

Arbuthnot Charles Guthrie was a co-founder of Chalmers Guthrie, the London Merchant Bank.

Arbuthnot Charles Guthrie, Laird of Torosay, passed away on 21 February 1897 in London, Middlesex, England. ^[2]

He and his wife had no children, so when he died in 1897, his estate valued at £810,843 ^[3] was divided amongst his widow and the children of his elder brother, James Alexander Guthrie, 4th Baron of Craigie, DL, JP. ^[4] The contents of Torosay Castle went to Arbuthnot's widow, while Torosay Castle itself was inherited by his nephew, Walter Murray Guthrie, MP. ^[4]

On the death of her husband in 1897, Anne moved to London, taking the furniture and contents of the castle interior with her. Thus, Walter Murray Guthrie, her nephew and partner of Chalmers Guthrie, inherited an empty castle. He immediately put it up for sale, but withdrew it after a visit to the island with his wife, Olive. They realised the potential of the site and commissioned Robert Lorimer to lay out the gardens to form a link between the Victorian castle and the Georgian walled garden. Over the next ten years, there were many important visitors to the castle including Sir Winston Churchill, who stayed here often. ^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Statutory Birth Register
2. ↑ FreeBMD - deaths; for Arbuthnot C. Guthrie @72, res: St.Geo. H. Sq. 1a p287 d: Mar 1897]
3. ↑ Profile & Legacies for David Charles Guthrie
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "One Man In His Time": The biography of David James, Laird of Torosay Castle, traveller, wartime escaper, and Member of Parliament, by John Robson, 1998, Spellmount Ltd.; isbn#1-86227-036-8
5. ↑ Historic Scotland (page no longer available)]

• 1881 Census of St.George Hanover Square, London, Middlesex, England; on FamilySearch database with images; for A. C. Guthrie household, res: Seamore Pl.