#10760, Matthew ARTHUR

Arthur's parents were James Arthur and Janet Glen Arthur.  She was a suffragist and philanthropist.  Matthew named his barony by combining his and his wife's surnames.

Matthew was a baronet from 1903 to 1918 when he was made a baron in recognition of his services to Scottish business.  He was the founder of Arthur & Co, a wholesale clothing business, was involved in the Lochgelly Iron and Coal Company which operated about an equal number of coal and black iron ore mines in the area, some leased from the Lochgelly Estate.  Between 1893 and 1946, pits in the Lochgelly area produced 44 million tons of coal.

A member of the Royal Company of Archers, Matthew was also Chairman of the Glasgow and South Western Railway Company which was formed by the merger of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway with Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle.  A 4-cylinder 4-4-0 locomotive was named after him.