James Powrie
{{Short description|19th-century Scottish geologist, palaeontologist and astronomer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
Dr James Powrie of Reswallie FRSE FGS (1815–1895) was a 19th-century Scottish geologist, palaeontologist and astronomer. He amassed a major collection of fossils during his lifetime.{{Cite web |last1=Harper |first1=Naomi |last2=Lloyd |first2=Catherine |date=2013 |title=James Powrie of Reswallie (1815-1895) |url=https://www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/WW_James-Powrie.pdf |series=Tayside Geodiversity biographies |publisher=Tayside Biodiversity}}
Life
He was born at Reswallie House in Angus in 1814/15 the son of William Powrie (1770–1845), a Dundee merchant and manufacturer with premises at East Chapelshade (sic).Dundee Post Office Directory 1809 Powrie Lane in Dundee appears to be named after him.Dundee Post Office Directory 1850 His brother Thomas Powrie appears to have run the family business in the 1830s.Dundee Post Office Directory 1830
James studied science at St Andrews University, graduating MA around 1835. In 1845 he inherited his father's business in Dundee and the Reswallie estate.
In 1865 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposer was David Page.{{cite book|title=Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002|date=July 2006|publisher=The Royal Society of Edinburgh|isbn=0-902-198-84-X|url=https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf|access-date=2018-01-14|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074135/https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf|url-status=dead}}
In 1868/9 he was president of the Edinburgh Geological Society. He regularly corresponded with the botanist George Gordon, Charles William Peach, Sir Edwin Lankester and Henry Woodward.{{cite journal |last1=Davidson |first1=R. G. |last2=Newman |first2=M. J. |title=James Powrie, chronicler of the Scottish Lower Devonian |url=https://www.academia.edu/4705934 |journal=Proceedings of the Geologists' Association |year=2003 |volume=114 |issue=3 |pages=243–246|doi=10.1016/S0016-7878(03)80016-0 |bibcode=2003PrGA..114..243D }}
He died of a heart attack on 25 May 1895. He is buried in the family plot at Rescobie churchyard near Forfar.
A number of his fossils were donated to the Forfar Museum and the Royal Scottish Museum.
Publications
- The Fishes of the Old Red Sandstone (1868)
Family
He was married to Mary Dickson (died 1903).
They had a son Thomas Powrie (1843–1933) and daughter Isabella Powrie (died 1939).
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, John Alfred}}
Category:Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
{{UK-geologist-stub}}