David Semple (antiquarian)
Scottish lawyer and antiquary
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David Semple FSA (1808–1878) was a Scottish lawyer and antiquary.
Life
Semple was born at Townhead, Paisley, on 21 August 1808. Educated at Paisley Grammar School and trained in a lawyer's office, he went into business on his own account in Paisley, and made a reputation as a conveyancer. [1]
Semple for long acted as the agent for the liberals of the burgh. In 1873[2] he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He died at Paisley on 23 Dec. 1878.[1]
He is buried in Woodside Cemetery, Paisley, towards the west end of the main east-west path at the crest of the hill.
Works
Semple's works mainly dealt with local history. They were:[1]
- Poll-tax Rolls of Renfrewshire of 1695, published in 1862.
- The Lairds of Glen and History of the Cross Steeple, 1868.
- Saint Mirin, with two supplements, a treatise on the patron saint of Paisley, 1872.
- Barons and Barony of Renfrewshire, 1876.
- The Tree of Crockston, 1876.
- Abbey Bridge of Paisley, 1878.
He also prepared a complete edition of Robert Tannahill's Poems, with a memoir and notes (Glasgow, 1870).[1]
