• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content

The Scottish Enlightenment

  • Home
  • Key
    People
    • James Adams
    • James Craig
    • Alexander Geddes
    • Henry Raeburn
    • John Ainslie
    • William Creech
    • John Home
    • Allan Ramsay
    • James Beattie
    • George Drummond
    • David Hume
    • William Shaw
    • Hugh Blair
    • Gilbert Elliot
    • Samuel Johnson
    • Thomas Sheridan
    • William Brodie
    • Adam Ferguson
    • Malcolm Laing
    • John Sinclair
    • James Burnett
    • Robert Fergusson
    • Henry Mackenzie
    • Adam Smith
    • Alexander Carlyle
    • Archibald Grant
    • James Macpherson
    • James Thomson
    • James Adams (1737-1802)
    • John Ainslie (1745-1828)
    • James Beattie (1735-1803)
    • Hugh Blair (1718-1800)
    • William Brodie, known as Deacon Brodie, (1746-1788)
    • James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1714-1799)
    • Alexander Carlyle (1722-1805)
    • James Craig (1739-1795)
    • William Creech (1745-1815)
    • George Drummond (1687-1766)
    • Sir Gilbert Elliot of Minto (1722-1777)
    • Adam Ferguson (1723-1816)
    • Robert Fergusson (1750-1774)
    • Sir Archibald Grant (1696-1778)
    • Alexander Geddes (1737-1802)
    • John Home (1722-1808)
    • David Hume (1711-1776)
    • Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
    • Malcolm Laing (1762-1818)
    • Henry Mackenzie (1745-1831)
    • James Macpherson (1736-1796)
    • Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823)
    • Allan Ramsay (1713-1784)
    • William Shaw (1749-1831)
    • Thomas Sheridan (1719-1788)
    • Sir John Sinclair (1754–1835)
    • Adam Smith (1723-1790)
    • James Thomson (1700-1748)
  • Town
    Planning
    • 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
    Account
    • 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
    • Women and the Enlightenment
  • Resources
    • Gallery

Clubs and Societies

Source 1 : List of members of the Select Society

Manuscript (NLS reference: Adv MS.23.1.1)

This list of members is included in the Select Society’s minute book, held in the National Library of Scotland. The minute book is a record of the society’s weekly meetings and the topics which were debated.

The Select Society was established in Edinburgh on 22 May 1754 by the painter Allan Ramsay. Weekly meetings were held in the Advocates Library, the forerunner of the National Library of Scotland. The aims of the society were ‘the pursuit of philosophical enquiry and the improvement of the members in the art of speaking’.

thumbnail of clubs-societies-source-1

View full screen (opens in new tab or window)View the Transcript

Transcript

Page 1

List of the members of the select Society.

1754

Present Mr John Jardin, Minister of the Gospel in Edinburgh.

Present Dr Francis Hume.

Present Mr Adam Smith, Professor at Glasgow.

[cross] Mr [….] Anderson [cross].

Present Mr Alexander Wedderburn.

Present Mr Simon Fraser, Advocate.

Present Mr Alan Ramsay, Painter.

Present Mr James Burnett, Advocate.

Present Mr John Campbell, Advocate.

Present Mr Alexander Carlile, Minister at Inveresk.

Present Mr William Johnston, Advocate.

Present Mr James Stephenson Rogers, Advocate.

Present Mr David Hume.

Present Mr John Swinton, Advocate.

Present Dr Alexander Stephenson.

Present Mr Patrick Murray, Advocate.

Present Mr Patrick Hume of Billie.

Present Mr Walter Stewart, Advocate.

Present Mr John Hume, Minister at Athelstanford.

Present Mr Robert Alexander.

Present Mr James Russel, Surgeon.

Present Mr George Cockburn, Advocate.

Present Dr David Clarke.

Mr George Brown, Advocate.

Present Mr William Robertson, Minister of Gladsmuir.

Mr John Fletcher.

Present Mr Alexander Agnew.

Present Dr John Hope.

Present Sir David Dalrymple, Advocate.

Mr Gilbert Elliot, Advocate.

Sir Harry Erskine.

Mr Hugh Blair, Minister.

Mr Andrew Stewart, Writer.

June 12th Mr Charles Fish Palmer.

Present Mr George Morison.

Present Mr George Dempster.

June 19thMr Andrew Pringle.

Present Mr Alexander Monro.

Present Mr David Ross.

 

Pat.


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 Select Society?
  • 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

National Library of Scotland logo

  • National Library of Scotland homepage
  • National Library of Scotland Learning Zone
  • Contact us

© 2019 National Library of Scotland