Robert Gordon (1668–1731), a 17th century merchant and philanthropist, was born in Aberdeen. He was the only son of Arthur Gordon who married Isabella Menzies of Balgownie. When Arthur Gordon, a well respected advocate in the Edinburgh courts, died in 1680, he left his twelve year old son the sum of 20,000 merks (about £1,100 then and considerably more in modern currency).
When Gordon reached the age of sixteen he became a Burgess of the City of ...
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Robert Gordon (1668–1731), a 17th century merchant and philanthropist, was born in Aberdeen. He was the only son of Arthur Gordon who married Isabella Menzies of Balgownie. When Arthur Gordon, a well respected advocate in the Edinburgh courts, died in 1680, he left his twelve year old son the sum of 20,000 merks (about £1,100 then and considerably more in modern currency).
When Gordon reached the age of sixteen he became a Burgess of the City of Aberdeen. Among other benefits, this entitled him to follow a merchant's trade in the town. During the next few years he attended Marischal College, graduating in 1689. Soon afterwards, like many Scots at the time, he left Aberdeen, travelling far and wide around Northern Europe before finally settling in Gdańsk (also known as Danzig) where he established himself as a merchant trader. Over the next few decades he built a highly successful business and soon became wealthy. By 1692, he was rich enough to donate a large sum of money to his old...
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