Auction of Old Masters
Robert was a keen collector of paintings, both new and old masters. In 1855, he drew up a catalogue of oil paintings in Whitehill, which…
Read more...5. The Quest for Beauty
This section is devoted to Robert Balfour Wardlaw Ramsay, who built Whitehill – the grand new house. We feel we know him, because he and his brothers wrote so much; a lively journal about his Grand Tour, and many letters home. However, when he inherited Whitehill, after his older brother’s death in Damascus, he appears to have destroyed some of his letters. As a wealthy mineowner and landlord, engaged in building a massive, extravagant house, he was a prominent figure locally. He was also a keen collector, and knew a great deal about Italian paintings. His lack of business acumen, though, led to bankruptcy and the loss of the Ramsay mines.
Wardlaw Ramsay book plate
This book plate is inside the fine two-volume Dore bible that was presented to Robert by his mother, Lady Anne, on the occasion of his…
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Children of Robert and Louisa – A
This charming group was painted by Dubacly when the family was living in Paris, and shows Robert cuddling the large dog, with two sisters, Elizabeth…
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Lady Louisa Hay
Lady Louisa Hay, by Sir Daniel MacNee PRSA (1806-1882) Lady Louisa Jane Hay was the third daughter of George, 8th Marquis of Tweeddale. The Hay…
Read more...Robert Balfour Wardlaw Ramsay
As a younger son of Lady Anne and Robert Wardlaw Ramsay, Robert was a gangly boy, described by his aunt, Lady Anne Lindsay, as a…
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Whitehill House
Whitehill, the Georgian front. While Robert was still a child and living at Tillicoultry, his parents would pass many evening hours, happily poring over plans…
Read more...Robert Wardlaw Ramsay
Robert Wardlaw inherited the Tillicoultry and Whitehill estates, along with a considerable fortune in lands and investments from his maternal uncle George Ramsay, who died…
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