# George Seton

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{{Short description|British philanthropist and genealogist (1822–1908)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = Seton of [Careston](/source/Careston)
| name               = George Seton
| honorific_suffix   = [FRSE](/source/Fellowship_of_the_Royal_Society_of_Edinburgh)
| image              = George Seton (1822–1908).png
| caption            = 
| birth_date         = {{birth date|df=y|1822|6|25}}
| birth_place        = [Perth](/source/Perth%2C_Scotland), Scotland
| death_date         = {{death date and age|df=y|1908|11|14|1822|6|25}}
| death_place        = [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh), Scotland
| education          = [Royal High School, Edinburgh](/source/Royal_High_School%2C_Edinburgh)<br>[University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh), Law
| alma_mater         = [University of Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford) (1845)
| years_active       = 1846–1889
| known_for          = [Philanthropy](/source/Philanthropy) and [genealogy](/source/genealogy)
| title              = [General Registrar Officer](/source/General_Register_Office_for_Scotland), Scotland
| term               = 1854–1889
| parents            = 2
}}

'''George Seton''' of [Careston](/source/Careston_Castle) [FRSE](/source/FRSE) FSA (25 June 1822{{Sfn|Seton,|1899|p=180}} &ndash; 14 November 1908) was a [Scottish](/source/Scottish_people) [philanthropist](/source/philanthropist) and [genealogist](/source/genealogist).

==Early life==
thumb|right|200px|Seaton as a child

Seton was born in [Perth, Scotland](/source/Perth%2C_Scotland), the son of Captain George Seton, an officer in the [East India Company](/source/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](/source/Bridgend%2C_Perth_and_Kinross), east across the [River Tay](/source/River_Tay) from Perth.<ref>Perth Post Office Directory 1837</ref> Seton was educated at [Royal High School, Edinburgh](/source/Royal_High_School%2C_Edinburgh), then studied law at [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh), and [Exeter College](/source/Exeter_College%2C_Oxford), and finally [Oxford](/source/Oxford_University), 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](/source/Faculty_of_Advocates) 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](/source/General_Register_Office_for_Scotland) (from 1854) and as Superintendent of the [Civil Service](/source/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](/source/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](/source/Society_of_Antiquaries_of_Scotland). He was elected a Fellow of the [Royal Society of Edinburgh](/source/Royal_Society_of_Edinburgh) in 1872 his proposer being [Philip Kelland](/source/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](/source/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](/source/John_Henderson_(architect)) 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](/source/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](/source/James_William_Hunter) [FRSE](/source/FRSE).<ref name=ODNB/> One of their daughters, Elizabeth Lindsay Seton (1850–1899), married [William Livingstone Watson](/source/William_Livingstone_Watson) (1835–1903). One of their sons, George Seton (1852–1929), was a tea-planter in [India](/source/India) then set up business in [London](/source/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](/source/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](/source/David_Douglas_(publisher))}} {{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](/source/Robarts_Library)}} {{free access}}</li>
    <li>{{cite book |title=''Via Internet Archive'' |url=https://archive.org/details/lawandpracticeh00setogoog/page/n8/mode/2up?view=theater |type=[Harvard](/source/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](/source/St_Kilda%2C_Scotland) 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](/source/%3Ac%3AFile%3AA_history_of_the_family_of_Seton_during_eight_centuries._(With_plates%2C_including_portraits%2C_illustrations%2C_facsimiles%2C_a_bibliography_and_genealogical_tables.)_(IA_historyoffamilv100seto).pdf)'' (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](/source/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](/source/National_Library_of_Scotland)}} {{free access}}</li></ol></ol>
{{refend}}

{{authority control}}

{{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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [George Seton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Seton) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Seton?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
