Henry Erskine - 5th Baronet of Alva
Biography
Birth: n/a
Death: 1765
Son of John Erskine (d. 1739), 3rd of Alva, and Catherine Sinclair. Married (1761) to Janet Wedderburn (or Wederburn), a sister of Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn. John Erskine was a distant cousin of Andrew Erskine, and also - and slightly less distant - of James Boswell himself.
In 1747 he inherited the Baronetcy of Alva from his older brother Charles Erskine, who was killed at the battle of Val on July 2, 1747. In 1749 he was elected MP for Ayr, and from 1754 until his death for Anstruther. At the time of his death he was even a Lt-Gen in the army, as well as Secretary to the Order of the Thistle.
Boswell describes him as "[a]n intimate friend of Lord Bute" [PM in 1762-3] in Life of Johnson. An acquaintance or friend of David Hume (Link).
Also known as
Life with James Boswell
Boswell spoke with Sir Henry at Lady Northumberland's on January 14, 1763, arguing that his friend, Andrew Erskine, "should have a company".
Notes
Sources include Henry Erskine's entry in the Dictionary of National Biography, available online at www.Ancestry.co.uk.
Recommended literature
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