{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox rugby biography | name = Benjamin Blyth II | image = B H Blyth.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Benjamin Hall Blyth | birth_date = 25 May 1849 | birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland | death_date = {{Death date and age|1917|5|13|1849|5|25|df=y}} | death_place = North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland | height = | weight = | position = Forward | amatyears1 = | amatteam1 = {{nowrap|Merchistonians}} | ru_amclubcaps = | ru_amclubpoints = | amupdate = | provinceyears1 = 1872-73 | province1 = {{nowrap|Edinburgh District}} | provinceapps1 = 2 | provincepoints1 = 0 | repteam1 = | repyears1 = | repcaps1 = | reppoints1 = | repupdate = | coachteams1 = | coachyears1 = | ru_coachupdate = | refereeyears1 = | refereecomps1 = | refereeapps1 = | ru_refereeupdate = | relatives = Benjamin Hall Blyth I<br />Mary Dudgeon Wright (parents) | school = Merchiston Castle School | university = University of Edinburgh | module = {{Infobox officeholder | office = President of the Scottish Rugby Union |embed=yes | term_start = 1875 | term_end = 1876 | predecessor = Albert Harvey | successor = William Hamilton Kidston | order = 3rd }} | module2 = {{Infobox engineer |embed = yes |image = |image_width = |caption = |name = |birth_date = |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |education = |parents = |discipline = Civil |institutions = Institution of Civil Engineers (president),<br />Royal Society of Edinburgh (fellow) |practice_name = Blyth and Blyth |significant_projects = |significant_design = |significant_advance = |significant_awards = }} }}
'''Benjamin Hall Blyth''' FRSE (25 May 1849 – 13 May 1917), often called Benjamin Blyth II, was a Scottish civil engineer.<ref name="DSA">{{Cite web |url=http://www.codexgeo.co.uk/dsa/architect_full.php?id=M000436 |title=Dictionary of Scottish Architects entry |access-date=5 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719012137/http://www.codexgeo.co.uk/dsa/architect_full.php?id=M000436 |archive-date=19 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Family==
Blyth, who was born at 36 Minto Street,<ref>Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1849</ref> Edinburgh,<ref>Old Parish Record of birth</ref> was the eldest of the nine children of Mary Dudgeon Wright and the railway engineer Benjamin Blyth.<ref name="DSA"/> He was educated at Merchiston Castle School between 1860 and 1864 before studying for a Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1867.
After the death of both parents – Benjamin Blyth in 1866 and Mary Dudgeon Wright in 1868 – Blyth and his siblings were brought up by their mother's sister, Elizabeth Scotland Wright.<ref>Will of Mary Dudgeon Wright, held by Scottish records</ref><ref>Census of Scotland 1871</ref>
==Rugby Union career==
===Amateur career===
Blyth played for Merchistonians.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1872-11-25 |title=Football - Inter-City Football Match |pages=5 |work=The Glasgow Herald |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hY9EAAAAIBAJ&sjid=b7UMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5954%2C5078015}}</ref>
===Provincial career===
Blyth played in the world's very first representative provincial match in November 1872. This was the 'Inter-City': the match between Glasgow District and Edinburgh District. Blyth represented the Edinburgh side.
===Administrative career===
He became the 3rd President of the Scottish Rugby Union, holding the post between 1875 and 1876.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Past Presidents of Scottish Rugby Union |url=https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sru-files/files/SR_RR1819_digital.pdf |journal=Scottish Rugby Record 2018/19 |pages=107 |access-date=18 March 2020 |archive-date=16 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116210013/https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sru-files/files/SR_RR1819_digital.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Engineering career==
Following his father's death, Blyth entered the family engineering consultancy and became a partner five years later. Blyth served as a consultant to the North British Railway and the Great North of Scotland Railway and served in an advisory capacity to the British Army with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps. In 1872, he married Millicent Taylor<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 – 2002 |url=http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919152306/https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf |archive-date=19 September 2015 |access-date=23 April 2015 |page=94}}</ref> with whom he had a son, Benjamin Edward, who died in infancy,<ref>Blyth, E.L.I. 1893, The family of Blythe or Blyth of Norton and Birchet</ref> and a daughter, Elsie Winifred.<ref name="DSA"/> He became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1877, being elected to its council in 1900. He served as vice-president in 1911 and in 1914 became the first practising Scottish engineer to serve as president.<ref name="civils"> {{Cite book |last=Watson |first=Garth |title=The civils : the story of the Institution of Civil Engineers |date=1988 |publisher=Thomas Telford |isbn=0-7277-0392-7 |location=London |pages=252 |oclc=16866651}}</ref> On 7 February 1898 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.<ref name="RSE">[http://www.rse.org.uk/fellowship/all_fellows.pdf Royal Society of Edinburgh fellows list] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004113437/http://www.rse.org.uk/fellowship/all_fellows.pdf |date=4 October 2006 }}</ref>
==Political career==
thumb|upright|left|Blyth's house at 17 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh
In later life, Blyth lived in a large Victorian townhouse at 17 Palmerston Place in Edinburgh's West End.<ref>Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1905-6</ref>
Blyth stood as the Unionist candidate for the 1911 Haddingtonshire by-election, but lost to the Liberal candidate, John Deans Hope by 468 votes. One of Blyth's policies was opposing Irish Home Rule.<ref>[http://www.scotsman.com/ The Scotsman, various editions from 1911]</ref>
==Death==
Blyth was widowed on 12 September 1914. He died in North Berwick on 13 May 1917, of "spittielioma of tongue"<ref>Death certificate, held by Scottish records office</ref> and was survived by his daughter. His nephew, Benjamin Hall Blyth (sometimes referred to as Benjamin Blyth III) was the son of his brother Francis Creswick Blyth – who was taken on by Blyth and Blyth in 1909,<ref>Blyth and Blyth: The First 100 Years, historical records held by company</ref> continued the consultancy after his death.<ref name="DSA"/>
thumb|The grave of Benjamin Hall Blyth, Dean Cemetery
He is buried on the obscured southern terrace of Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh, towards the east. His wife, Millicent Taylor (1852-1914) is buried with him. Their infant son, Benjamin Edward Blyth, who died in 1875 aged six weeks lies at their feet.
==Legacy==
He trained James Simpson Pirie FRSE (1861-1943), founder of J S Pirie & Sons. Pirie ran Blyth & Blyth from his death until the end of the war.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=200444|title=Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (May 26, 2019, 3:37 pm)|website=www.scottisharchitects.org.uk|access-date=2019-05-26}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-npo|pro}} {{s-bef|before=Anthony George Lyster}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the Institution of Civil Engineers |years=November 1914 – November 1915}} {{s-aft|after=Alexander Ross}} {{end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blyth, Benjamin}} Category:Scottish civil engineers Category:1849 births Category:1917 deaths Category:Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Category:People educated at Merchiston Castle School Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Category:Engineers from Edinburgh Category:Engineer and Railway Staff Corps officers Category:Scottish soldiers Category:Unionist Party (Scotland) parliamentary candidates Category:Presidents of the Scottish Rugby Union Category:Merchistonian FC players Category:Edinburgh District (rugby union) players Category:Scottish rugby union players