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| Birth name | Benjamin Hall Blyth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 25 May 1849 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 13 May 1917(1917-05-13) (aged 67) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | North Berwick,East Lothian, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Merchiston Castle School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Edinburgh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Benjamin Hall Blyth I Mary Dudgeon Wright (parents) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 3rd President of the Scottish Rugby Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1875–1876 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Albert Harvey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | William Hamilton Kidston | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Benjamin Hall BlythFRSE (25 May 1849 – 13 May 1917), often called Benjamin Blyth II, was aScottishcivil engineer.[1]
Blyth, who was born at 36 Minto Street,[2]Edinburgh,[3] was the eldest of the nine children of Mary Dudgeon Wright and the railway engineerBenjamin Blyth.[1] He was educated atMerchiston Castle School between 1860 and 1864 before studying for aMaster of Arts degree from theUniversity 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.[4][5]
Blyth played forMerchistonians.[6]
Blyth played in the world's very first representative provincial match inNovember 1872. This was the 'Inter-City': the match betweenGlasgow District andEdinburgh District. Blyth represented the Edinburgh side.
He became the 3rd President of theScottish Rugby Union, holding the post between1875 and 1876.[7]
Following his father's death, Blyth entered the family engineering consultancy and became a partner five years later. Blyth served as a consultant to theNorth British Railway and theGreat North of Scotland Railway and served in an advisory capacity to theBritish Army with the rank ofLieutenant-Colonel in theEngineer and Railway Staff Corps. In 1872, he married Millicent Taylor[8] with whom he had a son, Benjamin Edward, who died in infancy,[9] and a daughter, Elsie Winifred.[1] He became a member of theInstitution 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.[10] On 7 February 1898 he became aFellow of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh.[11]
In later life, Blyth lived in a large Victorian townhouse at 17 Palmerston Place in Edinburgh's West End.[12]
Blyth stood as theUnionist candidate for theEast Lothian by-election of 1911, but lost to theLiberal candidate,John Deans Hope by 468 votes. One of his policies was opposing giving home rule to Ireland.[13]
Blyth was widowed on 12 September 1914. He died inNorth Berwick on 13 May 1917, of "spittielioma of tongue"[14] 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,[15] continued the consultancy after his death.[1]
He is buried on the obscured southern terrace ofDean Cemetery inEdinburgh, 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.
He trained James Simpson PirieFRSE (1861-1943), founder of J S Pirie & Sons. Pirie ran Blyth & Blyth from his death until the end of the war.[16]
| Professional and academic associations | ||
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| Preceded by | President of theInstitution of Civil Engineers November 1914 – November 1915 | Succeeded by |
