Sir Robert Abercromby, 5th Baronet


Sir Robert Abercromby, 5th Baronet of Birkenbog and Forglen, FRSE was a Scottish politician.

Life

He was the son of Sir George Abercromby, 4th Baronet, and Jane Ogilvie, the daughter of Alexander Ogilvie, 7th Lord Banff. He succeeded to the titles on the death of his father in 1831. Among the properties he inherited were the main family seat, which was Forglen House in Turriff, Aberdeenshire. He commissioned the Aberdeen City Architect, John Smith to design a new mansion in 1839.
From 1812 to 1818 he was the Member of Parliament for Banffshire.
During the first quarter of the 19th century, Abercromby purchased most of the town and lands of Fermoy in Ireland from fellow Scotsman John Anderson. His grandson, Sir Robert John Abercromby, 7th Baronet is recorded as the owner of 434 acres of land in County Cork during the 1870s.
His town residence was at 18 Coates Crescent in Edinburgh's West End.

Family

On 22 October 1816 he married Elizabeth Stephenson Douglas, only daughter of Samuel Douglas of Netherlaw, Kirkcudbrightshire. They had 15 children of which the first 7 were daughters. The eighth child, George Samuel Abercromby became 6th baronet on his father's death.
In 1839, a daughter, Georgina Charlotte, died aged only 16.
In 1852, a daughter, Roberta Henrietta Abercromby, married Sir Edwin Hare Dashwood, 7th Baronet.
In 1862, a daughter, Frances Emily Abercromby, married William Forbes-Sempill, 17th Lord Sempill.