{{Short description|British philanthropist and genealogist (1822–1908)}} {{other people}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = Seton of Careston | name = George Seton | honorific_suffix = FRSE | image = George Seton (1822–1908).png | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1822|6|25}} | birth_place = Perth, Scotland | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1908|11|14|1822|6|25}} | death_place = Edinburgh, Scotland | education = Royal High School, Edinburgh<br>University of Edinburgh, Law | alma_mater = University of Oxford (1845) | years_active = 1846–1889 | known_for = Philanthropy and genealogy | title = General Registrar Officer, Scotland | term = 1854–1889 | parents = 2 }}
'''George Seton''' of Careston FRSE FSA (25 June 1822{{Sfn|Seton,|1899|p=180}} – 14 November 1908) was a Scottish philanthropist and genealogist.
==Early life== thumb|right|200px|Seaton as a child
Seton was born in Perth, Scotland, the son of Captain George Seton, an officer in the East India Company, and his wife, Margaret Hunter.<ref name=ODNB>{{Cite ODNB |id=36023 |title=Seton, George (1822–1908), genealogist and historian |first1=Thomas Finlayson |last1=Henderson |author1-link=Thomas Finlayson Henderson |first2=G. Martin |last2=Murphy}}</ref> The family lived at Potterhill, Bridgend, east across the River Tay from Perth.<ref>Perth Post Office Directory 1837</ref> Seton was educated at Royal High School, Edinburgh, then studied law at University of Edinburgh, and Exeter College, and finally Oxford, from which he graduated in 1845.<ref name=ODNB/>
==Later life== thumb|Coates Crescent in Edinburgh Seton qualified as an advocate, passing the Scottish bar in 1846. Although Seton did practice as an advocate he soon focussed upon various other public offices: firstly as secretary to the Registrar General for Scotland (from 1854) and as Superintendent of the Civil Service examinations in Scotland (from 1862). As an advocate he lived at worked from 13 Coates Crescent in Edinburgh's West End.<ref>edinburgh Post Office Directory 1855</ref>
Seton was one of the founders of the St Andrew Boat Club, the first vice-chairman of the Society for Improving the Condition of the Poor, a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1872 his proposer being Philip Kelland.<ref>{{cite book|title=Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002|date=July 2006|publisher=The Royal Society of Edinburgh|isbn=0-902-198-84-X|url=https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf|access-date=2018-06-14|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074135/https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, his real love was genealogy, and in 1863 he published ''The Law and Practice of Heraldry in Scotland''.
He retired in 1889.
In later life he lived at "St Benets", 42 Greenhill Gardens in south-west Edinburgh.<ref>Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1888-89</ref> The house was designed by John Henderson in 1860.<ref>City of Edinburgh Council: listed buildings records</ref> The house was later acquired by the Roman Catholic Church and serves as the home for the Cardinal.
George Seton died at his home in Edinburgh on 14 November 1908, aged 86.<ref name=ODNB/>
==Family== On September 26, 1849, in Edinburgh, Seton married Sarah Elizabeth Hunter (1819–1883), second daughter of James William Hunter FRSE.<ref name=ODNB/> One of their daughters, Elizabeth Lindsay Seton (1850–1899), married William Livingstone Watson (1835–1903). One of their sons, George Seton (1852–1929), was a tea-planter in India then set up business in London.<ref name=ODNB/>
==Tall soldiers== Over {{convert|6|ft|5|in|m|abbr=off}} in height, Seton served in the Royal Company of Archers and in 1859 raised his own company of volunteer grenadier artillerymen, all of whom were over 6 feet tall.
==Works== {{refbegin|100em|indent=}} * ''Genealogical Tables of the Kings of England and Scotland'' (1845) * ''Treatment of Social Evils'' (1853) * ''Sketch of the History and Imperfect Condition of the Parochial Records of Scotland'' (1854) * {{cite book |title=The Law and Practice of Heraldry in Scotland |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edmonston and Douglas}} {{OCLC|60730990|show=all}}, {{OCLC search link|1048540754}}, {{OCLC search link|838634877}}. <ol type="i" start="1"> <ol type="i" start="1"> <li>{{cite book |title=''Via Internet Archive'' |url=https://archive.org/details/lawpracticeofher00setouoft/lawpracticeofher00setouoft/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater |type=Robarts}} {{free access}}</li> <li>{{cite book |title=''Via Internet Archive'' |url=https://archive.org/details/lawandpracticeh00setogoog/page/n8/mode/2up?view=theater |type=Harvard}} {{free access}}</li></ol></ol> * ''Gossip about Letters and Letter Writers'' (1870) * ''The Convent of St Catherine of Sienna in Edinburgh'' (1871) * ''The Social Pyramid'' (1878) * ''St Kilda Past and Present'' (1878) * ''Amusements for the People'' (1880) * ''The Life of Alexander Seton, Earl of Dunfermline'' (1888) * ''The House of Moncrieff'' (1890) * ''History of the Family of Seton'' (2 vols., 1896) {{ref end}}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ===General references=== {{refbegin|100em|indent=yes}} * {{cite book |ref={{SfnRef|Seton,|1899|p=}} |date=1899 |last1=Seton |first1=Robert (1839–1927) |author1-link=Robert Seton (bishop) |title=An Old Family; Or, the Setons of Scotland and America |location=New York |publisher=Brentano's}} <ol type="i" start="1"> <ol type="i" start="1"> <li>{{cite book |title=''Via Internet Archive'' |url=https://archive.org/details/oldfamilyorseto00seto/page/n7/mode/2up?view=theater |type=National Library of Scotland}} {{free access}}</li></ol></ol> {{refend}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Seton, George}} Category:Scottish genealogists George Category:1822 births Category:1908 deaths Category:People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Category:Members of the Royal Company of Archers Category:19th-century Scottish philanthropists Category:People from Bridgend, Perth and Kinross