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Bot at 18:32, 8 November 2022

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{{Short description|Scottish politician, army officer and photographic pioneer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2022}}

{{Infobox person
| pre-nominals = Sir
| name = Hugh Lyon Playfair
| post-nominals = [[LL.D]]
| image = Hugh Lyon Playfair as appearing on his tomb.jpg
| alt = image of Hugh Lyon Playfiar
| caption = Hugh Lyon Playfair
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = {{Birth date|1787|02|20|df=y}}
| birth_date = 
| birth_place = [[Meigle]], [[Perthshire]], [[Scotland]]
| baptised = 
| disappeared_date = 
| disappeared_place =
| disappeared_status =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1861|01|19|1787|02|20|df=y}}
| death_place = [[St Andrews]], [[Scotland]]
| death_cause =
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| monuments =
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|Scottish]]
| other_names =
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| education =
| alma_mater = [[University of St Andrews]]
| occupation =
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| known_for = Provost of St Andrews, [[Calotype|calotype photographic process]]
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| father = [[James Playfair (minister)|Reverend James Playfair]]
| relatives = [[William Smoult Playfair|Dr William Smoult Playfair]] (nephew)<br/>[[Lambert Playfair|Sir Lambert Playfair]] (nephew)<br/>[[Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair]] (nephew)
| family =
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| awards = Honorary Doctorate, University of St Andrews (1856)
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}}
[[File:The grave of Hugh Lyon Playfair, St Andrews Cathedral churchyard.jpg|thumb|The grave of Hugh Lyon Playfair, St Andrews Cathedral churchyard]]

'''Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair''' [[Legum Doctor|LL.D]] [[Knight Bachelor|Kt]] (20 February 1787 – 19 January 1861) was a Scottish politician, army officer and photographic pioneer. He was [[Provost (civil)|Provost]] of [[St Andrews]] from 1842 until his death in 1861.

==Biography==
He was born in [[Meigle]] in [[Perthshire]] the third son of Margaret Lyon and the [[James Playfair (minister)|Reverend James Playfair]]. He was educated at [[High School of Dundee|Dundee Grammar School]].<ref name=":2">Dictionary of National Biography: Hugh Lyon Playfair</ref> His later education was at the [[University of St Andrews]]. In 1804 he was commissioned in into the [[Bengal Horse Artillery]]. After his commission he was sent to the [[University of Edinburgh]] for three months for instruction in [[Ballistics|range-finding and ballistics]]. He served in India from 1805 to 1817 and from 1820 to 1834. He was initially based in [[Calcutta]] but in November 1806 had to undertake an 800-mile march with his brigade to [[Cawnpore]]. In March 1807 General Sir John Horsford placed him in charge of the troops at [[Bareilly]] and was required to suppress the robber-chief Tumon Singh in [[Oudh]]. In November 1807 he was appointed in charge of the horse artillery in [[Agra]] and in 1809 undertook another long march to [[Saharanpur|Saharunpoor]]. In 1811 he was moved to [[Meerut]] and required to oversee the siege of the fortress at [[Battle of Nalapani|Nalapani]]. He was twice wounded during the siege but successfully captured the fortress.<ref name=":2" />

Owing to ill-health he was sent back to Britain to recover. His ship moored at [[St. Helena]] en route and he where he met and interviewed [[Napoleon]]. His second period of duty in India was much less eventful.

In 1834 he retired from the army to [[St Andrews]] where he served as Provost from 1842 till his death in 1861. Whilst Provost he is credited with building St Andrews Public Library, agreeing that the railway network ([[The St. Andrews Railway|St Andrews Railway]]) be extended to serve the town, and achieving various grants for improvements to [[St Andrews University]]. He also revived [[The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews|St Andrews Golf Club]] which had fallen into disrepair in the 1850s due to under-use.<ref name=":1" /> In his time, St Andrews "was transformed into a thriving modern burgh".

In 1856 he became a [[Knight Bachelor]], and in the same year was awarded received an honorary doctorate of Doctor of Laws (LL.D) by the University of St Andrews.

Playfair took an interest in photography during its pioneer years and worked with [[Sir David Brewster]] to develop the [[calotype]] process. Though not a member, Playfair was one of the founders of the [[Edinburgh Calotype Club]] one of the world's first photographic societies (1843).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://digital.nls.uk/pencilsoflight/history.htm|title=Pencils of Light - The Edinburgh Calotype Club|website=National Library of Scotland|language=en|access-date=2017-12-28}}</ref>

He died at home in St Andrews on the 19 January 1861, and is buried on the north wall of [[St Andrews Cathedral]] churchyard, beneath a distinctive and large white monument, with a military motif.<ref name=":0" />

==Family==

He married Jane Dalgelish (1798-1872), daughter of William Dalgleish of Scotscraig, [[Fife]], on 10 July 1809. Together they had five daughters and six Sons. He was uncle to [[William Smoult Playfair|Dr William Smoult Playfair]], [[Lambert Playfair|Sir Lambert Playfair]] and [[Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair]] who was named in his honour.<ref name=":0">{{Cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/22368|title=Playfair, Lyon, first Baron Playfair (1818–1898), politician and chemist|last=|first=|publisher=|year=2004|isbn=|location=|pages=|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/22368}}</ref> His grandson, Elliot Minto Playfair (1826-1899), was a Lieutenant General in the [[Royal Artillery]].

==References==
{{reflist}}
*L. G. Pine, The New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms (London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972)

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Playfair, Hugh Lyon}}
[[Category:1787 births]]
[[Category:1861 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at the High School of Dundee]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of St Andrews]]
[[Category:People from Perthshire]]
[[Category:People associated with Fife]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Bengal Artillery officers]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Anglo-Nepalese War]]
[[Category:Scottish photographers]]

Hugh Lyon Playfair - Revision history

Bot at 18:32, 8 November 2022

Bot at 18:32, 8 November 2022