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The Scottish Enlightenment

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    • James Adams (1737-1802)
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  • Town
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    • Source 1: A proposal for keeping the streets clean, 1734-5
    • Source 2: Proposals for improving the city of Edinburgh, 1752
    • Source 3: Proposals for improving the city of Edinburgh, 1752
    • Source 4: James Craig’s design for the New Town, 1768
    • Source 5: Map showing the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, 1780
    • Source 6: James Craig’s proposal for improving the eastern approach to the Old Town, 1786
    • Source 7: Description of Edinburgh from the Statistical Account of Scotland, 1791-1799
  • Encyclopaedia
    Britannica
    • Source 1: Title page to volume 1 of the first edition.
    • Source 2: Agriculture, volume 1 A-B, page 40
    • Source 3: Agriculture Plate IV, volume 1 A-B, page 41
    • Source 4: Mechanics, volume 1 M-Z, page 38
    • Source 5: Mechanics, volume 1 M-Z, plate CV
    • Source 6: Camelus or Camel, volume 1 A-B, page 13
    • Source 7: Bactrianus or Bactrian Camel, volume 1 A-B, Plate EIX
    • Source 8: Caricature of Andrew Bell and William Smellie by John Kay
  • Scotticisms
    • Source 1 : A list of Scotticisms by David Hume, first printed 1752
    • Source 2 : Lectures on the art of speaking English, 1761
    • Source 3 : A society for promoting the reading and speaking of English, 1761
    • Source 4 : Observations on the Scottish dialect by Sir John Sinclair, 1782
    • Source 5 : Teaching correct English to the young, 1799
    • Source 6 : The richness of the Scots language, 1792
    • Source 7 : In support of the Scots language, 1799
  • Statistical
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    • Source 1: Sir John Sinclair’s description of compiling the ‘Statistical Account’
    • Source 2: Sir John Sinclair’s discussion of the term ‘statistics’
    • Source 3: Part of the report for the Parish of Monymusk
    • Source 4: Part of the report for the Parish of Wick
    • Source 5: Statistical table for the Parish of Culross
    • Source 6: Report for the Parish of East Kilbride
    • Source 7: Report for the Parish of Smailholm
  • Ossian
    • Source 1: Preface to ‘Fragments of ancient poetry’, 1760
    • Source 2: Preface to ‘Fingal’, 1761
    • Source 3: Letter from David Hume, 1763
    • Source 4: Samuel Johnson’s opinion of the poems, 1775
    • Source 5: An enquiry into the authenticity of the poems, 1781
    • Source 6: ‘Poems of Ossian’ edited by Malcolm Laing, 1805
    • Source 7: Highland Society of Scotland report, 1805
  • Clubs and
    Societies
    • Source 1: List of members of the Select Society
    • Source 2: Questions debated by the Select Society
    • Source 3: The aims of the Edinburgh Society
    • Source 4: A description of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, 1754
    • Source 5: Members of the Cape Club
    • Source 6: An account of the Cape Club
    • Source 7: Extract from the Highland Society of London Minute Book, 1784
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Clubs and Societies

Source 5 : List of members of the Cape Club

Manuscript (NLS reference: MS 2002)

The Cape Club was one of many 18th-century convivial clubs whose meetings were held in taverns. It is thought that the club was established sometime in the 1730s, but, according to this source, the name dates from 1764.

The Cape Club was named after the distinctive ‘cape’ or headgear worn by the Sovereign, or president. The Sovereign also carried two specially made household pokers as a symbol of his authority.

All members, or Knights Companions of the Cape, were sworn to secrecy about the proceedings of the meetings. Each one took on a pseudonym based on a personal characteristic, for example Sir Silence, Sir Heavyhours, and Sir Complaints.

Notable members of the Cape Club included the poet Robert Fergusson, Deacon William Brodie, and the painter Sir Henry Raeburn.

We are grateful to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland for permission to reproduce this extract from the list of members of the Cape Club.

thumbnail of clubs-societies-source-5

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Transcript

Page 1

B.

[cross] Brown, James, painter [cross]

[cross] Brown, James, staymaker, Canongate

[cross] Biggar, Robert <and D>

[cross] Buchan, Robert, painter

[cross] Brown, John, painter, Perth

Brown, James, merchant <cross>

[cross] Bairnsfather, Geoffrey, farmer, Spittal

[cross] Biggar, Walter, Sciennes

[cross] Brown, John, farmer, Salton

[cross] Bennet, Andrew, Duddingsten

[cross] Bell, Andrew, engrever

Buchan, John, Post Office

Burn, Matthew, Lannle

J Burton

[cross] Baxter, John. architect.

[cross] Bruce, Andrew, merchant

Barker, Alexander

[cross] Budges, Thomas, captain

[cross] Boglee, William, taylor

Page 2

[cross] Brown, Alexander Thomas Briggs [cross]

Burnet, James, merchant, Edinburgh

[cross] Bowman, Robert, goldsmith

[cross] Burrel, Henry, builder

Bruce (Mr Arthur) Secretary to the Natural

History Society Edinburgh

Brooks, Adam, merchant

Bruce, Captain John

Brown, Thomas, bookseller [cross]

Baird, Thomas, merchant, Leith

Bowie, William, baker

Barker, John, surgeon [cross]

[cross] Bell, William, Princes Street [cross]

Balfour, John [cross]

[cross] Butterworth, Geoffrey, writing master [cross]

Brown, William H [cross]

Bruce, Walter [cross]

Buchan, Charles, Post Office

Brown, merchant, South Bridge

Brown, Robert, junior writer

Brown, William, merchant, Catherine Street

P.

 

Peat, John, writer

[cross] Pillans, Captain Robert, city gaurd [cross]

[cross] Pollock, John, merchant

[cross] Plummer Esquire Andrew Advocate Mess. Pl. Chapple Street

[cross] Pattison, John, Town Clerk, Leith

[cross] Pirnie Baillie, William, Cannongate

Phin, Charles, merchant [cross]

[cross] Peacock, William, tobacconest

[cross] Parker, William, Circuss

Pichton, Mungo, surgeon

Punton, Alexander, sollicitor at Law [cross]

[cross] Plummer, Andrew, flesher

Paterson, Robert, sadler [cross]

Pearson (Lieutenant Alexander) Navy

Ponton (Lieutenant Thomas)

Paterson, Thomas, merchant

[cross] Paterson, Myles

Pearson, Andrew, Excise [cross]

Paterson, John, Leith foundry [cross]

Philip, Alexander, merchant, Leith


Discussion Points

  1. Look at the profession included beside each member’s name on the list. What information does this source provide about the membership of the Cape Club?
  2. Compare this information with source 1 (membership list of the Select Society). What differences or similarities do you notice in the two membership lists?
  • Previous
  • Next
  • Source 1
    List of members of the Select Society
  • Source 2
    Questions debated by the Select Society
  • Source 3
    The aims of the Edinburgh Society
  • Source 4
    A description of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, 1754
  • Source 5
    Members of the Cape Club
  • Source 6
    An account of the Cape Club
  • Source 7
    Extract from the Highland Society of London Minute Book, 1784

See the discussion points

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