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John Macgregor (1802–1858) was a Scottish shipbuilder.

Birth and early life

John Macgregor was christened on 24 August 1802 at Fintry, Stirlingshire. He was the third son of Annie McNicol and James Macgregor, a clockmaker. He also had one elder sister, two younger sisters, and two younger brothers. His father qualified as a clockmaker and he moved through Balfron, Fintry, and Comrie with his family working all the time as an engineer in the cotton mills that were developing in these parts of the Highlands.

The family were incomers to Fintry, having moved from Balfron. They remained there for about 14 years, before moving on to Comrie in Perthshire, where the last two of their eight children were born. The stay in Comrie must have been short, although Macgregor received a rudimentary education there. When Macgregor was 16, the family moved to Glasgow.

Macgregor began his apprenticeship as an engineer under David Napier at Camlachie. He went to Lancefield Foundry with the others in 1821 and was a sea-going engineer on the Belfast – which had Napier machinery – while still in his early 20s. The Belfast plied between Liverpool and Dublin, and was one of the earliest steamers to cross the Irish Sea.

At David Napier’s he made the acquaintance of David Tod. Together, they ran the engineering department for a while and gained considerable managerial experience during this period. They probably also acted as guarantee engineers from time to time.

Tod and Macgregor

In 1833, Macgregor and David Tod formed a partnership to build steam engines. The partnership, Tod and Macgregor, was initially based at Carrick Street,

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Death and obituaries

Macgregor died on 16 September 1858 from constipation, a treatable problem today. He is buried in the north-east section of the upper plateau at Glasgow Necropolis.

When his funeral cortege took place, beginning at North Street, Anderston, the shops in Partick were closed, the route was lined with thousands of spectators with 'grieved countenances', the bells of the city churches were tolled from 2- to 3 o'clock’, and the flags in the harbour and on the shipping were at half-mast. His obituary states: "At the comparatively early age of 57, in the full flush and vigour of his mature manhood, after an illness of only three days, of constipation of the bowels, Mr Macgregor departed this life, at half past eleven o'clock on Thursday night, at his town residence, Meadowside House, Partick.

Family

He was married twice: firstly to Margaret Fleming (1810-1849) then to Margaret York (1823-1901).

Footnotes

1. http://www.gregormacgregor.com/MacGregor/John1802.htm
2. "John Macgregor: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland". www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
3. Glasgow Citizen. 25 September 1858. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
4. Dumbarton Herald. 23 September 1858. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. Grave of John Macgregor, Glasgow Necropolis

• Scottish shipbuilders
• 1802 births
• 1858 deaths
• People from Stirling (council area)
• People from Partick
• British naval architects
• Engineers from Glasgow