William Ivison Macadam
Prof William Ivison Macadam VD FRSE FSA FIC FCS PRSSA (1856 – 1902) was a Scottish analytical chemist, academic author and antiquarian, who was murdered in his own laboratory. He was generally known as Willie Macadam. He made much advancement in the late 19th century in the field of artificial fertilisers (referred to at the time as artificial manure) and had a peculiar claim to fame as holding the Royal Warrant for the supply of manure to Queen Victoria when in Scotland, i.e. supplying the gardens of Holyrood Palace etc with manure.
Life
He was born at 11 Brandon Street, a townhouse near the Water of Leith in Edinburgh’s Second New Town. He was the son of Stevenson Macadam. The family moved to 25 Brighton Place in Portobello when he was four years old.[1]
He was educated at the Royal High School in Edinburgh. He followed in his father’s footsteps and began lecturing to both medical and veterinary students in 1882. From 1901 he was based at Surgeon's Hall in Edinburgh.
In 1888 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Alexander Crum Brown, Andrew Douglas MacLagan, William Wallace and Sir Arthur Mitchell.[2]
In later life he lived at “Slioch” on Lady Road in the Craigmillar Park area on the south side of Edinburgh.[3] He was a Brigadier Major in the Forth Volunteer Brigade of the Royal Scots, which he had joined in 1875. He was however usually referred to as Col Macadam.[4] As his father, he was also President of the Royal Scottish Society of the Arts, 1899-1901.[5]
He and one of his students (James Bell Forbes) were shot dead in his laboratory at Surgeons Hall on the morning of Tuesday 24 June 1902 by a “lunatic” fellow member of staff, Daniel McClinton a university porter (who also served under Macadam in the military volunteers). McClinton shot them with a shot-gun (not as some suggest his military rifle).[6] His younger brother Stevenson Macadam (b.1865) was with him when he was shot. McClinton asked Stevenson to step aside or be shot. He fired on Macadam and killed him. The laboratory assistant James Kirkcaldie then entered the room. McClinton fired on him and he fell behind a desk, but in fact was only feigning injury. The student in the laboratory was the next unfortunate victim, and was also killed. Although McClinton claimed to have two more victims to shoot, Stevenson persuaded him to give up the gun.[7]
At the trial at Edinburgh High court in September 1902 it appeared McClinton had several grudges including the loss of his army pension. He oddly escaped the charge of murder and was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to life in prison.
William was buried with full military honours beside his family in Portobello Cemetery. A very large crowd watched this spectacle. The grave stands in the south-east section of the original cemetery near the south end of the eastmost path.
Publications
- Notes with Analyses of a Series of Church Tokens from Various Parishes (1880)
- Notes on the Ancient Iron Industry of Scotland (1887)
- Manures, Natural and Artificial (1888)
- Tables for the Detection of Simple Salts (1890)
- Gairloch in North-West Ross-shire
Family
He was married to Sarah Constance MacDonald. They had four children:[1]
- Helen Ivison Taylor
- Elliot Corbett Macadam
- Ivison Stevenson Macadam was born at Slioch on Lady Road in 1894.
- Caroline Alta Macadam, author
References
- 1 2 Edwin Macadam. "Macadam History 3". Shelwin.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ↑ BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF FORMER FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 1783 – 2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0 902 198 84 X.
- ↑ Edinburgh and Leith Post Office directory 1900-1
- ↑ The London Gazette: 13 April 1875
- ↑ "History: Past Presidents". RSSA.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ↑ "Other Macadams and McAdams". Earthwords.fsnet.co.uk. 1914-09-15. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ↑ The Scotsman (newspaper): Criminal Past, Bloody year of Brutality 1900-1910 (1902): article 11 April 2011