John Scott Tait
John Scott Tait was born on 12 September 1857 at 48 Chamberland Street, Edinburgh. He was from humble stock and came from a family of bakers and cabinet makers. He spent much of his younger years in the Borders, namely Melrose and Langholm. Once he moved to Edinburgh and studied to be a Chartered Accountant, he settled into the office of Mr George Todd Chiene and after passing his exams, he was assumed as a partner and became senior partner a short while later.
JS Tait was widely regarded for his knowledge of accounting and his commitment to further his education. He specialised in liquidation affairs and became an authority on the Companies Act. Using this expertise he was a director of the Union Bank of Scotland and also served on the Boards of several financial and insurance companies.
In his obituary, his many achievements are well documented “Under a brusque manner, which sometimes rose to harshness and severity, Mr Tait hid a warm and sympathetic heart. He had no mercy for shiftiness or insecurity, he ‘suffered fools’ with difficulty, but he was a loyal friend and often gave valuable though unostentatious help and advice to his younger professional brethren.”
The obituary goes further to give us an insight into the workings of JS Tait’s life – “While he took too little relaxation from his work, and latterly seemed to abandon exercise altogether, he had the seeing eye of a man born and bred in the country. He could handle a gun and prided himself on his knowledge of wild birds.”
Later in his career, JS Tait purchased the Bavelaw estate, near the Pentland Hills and extended his hospitality not only to his friends and family, but also the children of local families by holding picnics in the grounds of the estate. Indeed, his friends are quoted as saying “He often said he liked nothing so much as making children happy. His death in the middle of his career is a great loss to Edinburgh professional life, and his memory will be cherished by a large circle of friends.” JS Tait never married and had no children; he died on 5 April 1910 at Drumsheugh Place, Edinburgh of influenza and heart failure.