AIKMAN, William of Cairnie, Artist ^{2 3 4 5}

   Other names for William were AIKMAN, William of Carnie ¹ and AITKMAN, Wm, Mr.⁸

   User ID: R342

  General Notes:

"AIKMAN
WILLIAM
WILLIAM AIKMAN/MARGARET CLERK FR2729 (FR2729)
M
24/10/1682
685/1 90 162
Edinburgh"

from Births and Baptisms



Old Parish Registers
Edinburgh parish Midlothian
Baptisms

"24 Octobris 1682
M^r William Aikman Advocat Margaret Clerk A.S.N.William.Witnesses John Cuninghame of Enterkine. M^r Coline McKenzie Advocat George Lawson Merchant and M^r Thomas Aikman Writter."




"William Aikman of Cairny, who, having a mighty genius for portrait-painting, went to Rome for his improvement, and returned with great reputation in that profession."

from Baronage




".....in 1707, having sold his paternal estate near Arbroath, that he might leave home untrammelled, he went to Rome, where, during a period of three years, he put himself under the tuition of the best masters. He afterwards visited Constantinople and Smyrna, where the gentlemen of the English factory wished him to engage in the Turkey trade; an overture which ho declined; and returning to Rome, he there renewed his studies for a time. In 1712, he revisited his native country, and commenced practising his profession; but, though his works were admired by the discerning few, he did not meet with adequate encouragement, the public being too poor at that time to purchase elaborate works of art, and the taste for such works being then too imperfectly formed. At this period he formed an intimacy with Allan Ramsay, whose portrait he afterwards painted. John, Duke of Argyle, who equally admired the artist and esteemed the man, regretting that such talents should be lost, at length prevailed upon Aikman, in 1723, to move with all his family to London. There, under the auspices of his distinguished friend, he associated with the most eminent British painters of the age, particularly Sir Godfrey Kneller, whose studies and dispositions of mind were congenial with his own. The duke also recommended him to many people of the first rank...."

"He died June 4, 1731, at his house, in Leicester Fields, and, by his own desire, his body was taken to Scotland for interment; his only son, John (by his wife Marion Lawson, daughter of Mr Lawson, of Cairnmuir, in Peeblesshire), whose death immediately preceded his own, was buried in the same grave with him, in the Greyfriars' churchyard, Edinburgh."

from Eminent Scotsmen ^{3 4 5 6}

William married Marian LAWSON 'of Cairnmuir'.¹ (Marian LAWSON 'of Cairnmuir' was born about 1685, died before 4 June 1731 ⁶ and was buried in 1731 in Greyfriars Churchyard, Edinburgh, Scotland ⁶.)

  Marriage Notes:

No marriage record has been found for this couple in the Church of Scotland parish registers. However, the baptism of their son John in 1713 records them as spouses:


Old Parish Registers
Edinburgh parish Midlothian
Baptisms

"27.^th July 1713
William Aikman of Carnie and Marion Lauson his spouse A:S:N: John W: D.^r John Clerk and D.^r William Arthur Physitians the child was born this day -" ¹