Robert Udny

Robert Fullarton Udny or Udney (1725–1802) was a Scottish merchant, art collector and Fellow of the Royal Society. His collection, highly reputed in its time, was broken up at a sale in 1804. Life Udny was one of seven sons of James Udny (died 1761), an advocate in Aberdeen, and his wife Jean Walker. He became a sugar merchant, the owner of the Calivigny estate in Grenada. In 1767, Udny was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, then of Broad Street. In 1774, then of Cavendish Square, he began to buy and deal in property in Hertfordshire, with a purchase from John Hadley the younger (born 1738), son of John Hadley the astronomer. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1785. He inherited property at Dudwick, Aberdeenshire in 1786 on the death of Robert Fullerton, a soldier of fortune and cousin. Udny later bought property in the London area, starting with a house in the High Street, Teddington in 1789, which became Udny House. A picture gallery was added, involving Robert Adam. He subsequently bought a house in Mayfair. He died there, in a town house in Hertford Street.