Last updated August 2023When I started this blog post, I couldn't find a great deal about Lord Meston's geographical 'credentials', so had to do a little more digging than usual.
I then came across a piece on the RSGS website, which gave me a way in to finding out more.
Lord Meston was involved with Geography for many years it seems, particularly in Scotland, although there was still little about his time at the GA.
On 24th October 1934, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society celebrated its Golden Jubilee. The newspapers were full of the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of York, who were visiting the Society as representatives of its Patron, King George V.
In the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, RSGS members joined delegates from other scientific and geographical societies at an afternoon reception for 2,000 guests. This was the opening session of the Society’s Edinburgh branch, and the Duke of York had agreed to present some awards. Among the recipients were Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who was awarded the Mungo Park Medal for her explorations in the Arctic, and Lord Meston of Agra and Dunnottar, who received the Scottish Geographical Medal “for distinguished services to geography over a period of many years.”
We are moving into a period when the Presidents don't have Wikipedia pages which are as detailed in all cases as some of the earlier, or slightly later ones.
I then came across a piece on the RSGS website, which gave me a way in to finding out more.
Lord Meston was involved with Geography for many years it seems, particularly in Scotland, although there was still little about his time at the GA.
On 24th October 1934, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society celebrated its Golden Jubilee. The newspapers were full of the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of York, who were visiting the Society as representatives of its Patron, King George V.
In the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, RSGS members joined delegates from other scientific and geographical societies at an afternoon reception for 2,000 guests. This was the opening session of the Society’s Edinburgh branch, and the Duke of York had agreed to present some awards. Among the recipients were Isobel Wylie Hutchison, who was awarded the Mungo Park Medal for her explorations in the Arctic, and Lord Meston of Agra and Dunnottar, who received the Scottish Geographical Medal “for distinguished services to geography over a period of many years.”
After the ceremony, Lord Meston, a statesman whose family hailed from Aberdeen, addressed the company on the subject of India.
“LORD MESTON.” Geography, vol. 28, no. 4, 1943, pp. 120–120. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562330
Updated November 2020
Source: https://rsgs.org/the-kings-speech/
His interests were wide, and he was also the President of the Royal Statistical Society.
There was a strong connection with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, which continued.
He received the Scottish Geographical Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 1934. This led me to a useful biography, and as an RSGS medal winner myself gave me a connection with Scorgie Meston.
Sir James Scorgie Meston. 1st Baron Meston KCSI, was a prominent British civil servant, financial expert and businessman. He served as Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from 1912 to 1918. He passed the Indian civil service examination in 1883 and was posted to the North-Western Provinces and Oudh in 1885 (which later became the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh), where he was director of land records between 1897 and 1899 and financial secretary to the government between 1899 and 1903. From 1905 to 1906 he briefly left India to act as an adviser to the Cape Colony and Transvaal governments in South Africa.
After his return to India in 1906, Meston was secretary to the finance department of the government of India until 1912, when he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. He remained in this position until 1918, when he became finance member of the Viceroy of India's executive council. In 1917, along with Sir Satyendra Prasanno Sinha and Maharaja Ganga Singh, he assisted the Secretary of State for India in representing India in the Imperial War Cabinet and Conference.
After the war, Meston, along with Lionel Curtis, was the main designer of the Institute of International Affairs, and served as chairman of its first governing body from 1920 to 1926, of its publications committee and of the editorial board of International Affairs. Apart from this, Meston was also vice-chairman of the Supervisory Commission of the League of Nations. He sat on the Liberal benches in the House of Lords and served as President of the Liberal Party organization. He was also involved in business and served as chairman and as a board member of several companies.
Meston was made a CSI in 1908 and a KCSI in 1911 and in 1919 he was further honoured when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Meston, of Agra in the Indian Empire and Dunottar in the County of Kincardine.
In 1935, he gave his Presidential Address, which was on 'The Geography of an Indian Village.' He had spent a considerable time involved in the administration of India.
In the Address, he described his travels in India, from the perspective of someone who had lived there for a long period.
He also suggested that, as Fairgrieve explained the following year, the object of the Association was to spread interest in the population about the subject through supporting teachers.
I could find little else about his time working for the GA, but then came across an obituary. See the Update.
Image from the National Portrait Gallery.
Image - shared under CC license
James Scorgie Meston, 1st Baron Meston
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 9 October 1923
NPG x122702
© National Portrait Gallery, London
A plaque with his name can be seen at Aberdeen University.
References
https://rsgs.org/the-kings-speech - link to medal ceremony at the RSGS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Meston,_1st_Baron_Meston - more details once I'd established the correct Lord Meston. Added his GA Presidency to the page.
“THE GEOGRAPHY OF AN INDIAN VILLAGE. ADDRESS TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION, By the Rt. Hon. BARON MESTON OF AGRA AND DUNOTTAR President, 1934-35.” Geography, vol. 20, no. 1, 1935, pp. 1–12. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40559216.
Obituary: G. F. S. “Lord Meston 1865-1943.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, vol. 106, no. 3, 1943, pp. 294–296. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2979981.
I amended this entry to add his GA Presidential role and RSGS Medal award.
Some papers: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F42492
https://saalg.blogspot.com/2018/04/meston-formation-of-civil-servant.html
If anyone has further information on this President and his time at the GA please get in touch. This is quite a slight entry compared with some of the others.
Update - late September
His interests were wide, and he was also the President of the Royal Statistical Society.
There was a strong connection with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, which continued.
He received the Scottish Geographical Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 1934. This led me to a useful biography, and as an RSGS medal winner myself gave me a connection with Scorgie Meston.
Sir James Scorgie Meston. 1st Baron Meston KCSI, was a prominent British civil servant, financial expert and businessman. He served as Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from 1912 to 1918. He passed the Indian civil service examination in 1883 and was posted to the North-Western Provinces and Oudh in 1885 (which later became the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh), where he was director of land records between 1897 and 1899 and financial secretary to the government between 1899 and 1903. From 1905 to 1906 he briefly left India to act as an adviser to the Cape Colony and Transvaal governments in South Africa.
After his return to India in 1906, Meston was secretary to the finance department of the government of India until 1912, when he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. He remained in this position until 1918, when he became finance member of the Viceroy of India's executive council. In 1917, along with Sir Satyendra Prasanno Sinha and Maharaja Ganga Singh, he assisted the Secretary of State for India in representing India in the Imperial War Cabinet and Conference.
After the war, Meston, along with Lionel Curtis, was the main designer of the Institute of International Affairs, and served as chairman of its first governing body from 1920 to 1926, of its publications committee and of the editorial board of International Affairs. Apart from this, Meston was also vice-chairman of the Supervisory Commission of the League of Nations. He sat on the Liberal benches in the House of Lords and served as President of the Liberal Party organization. He was also involved in business and served as chairman and as a board member of several companies.
Meston was made a CSI in 1908 and a KCSI in 1911 and in 1919 he was further honoured when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Meston, of Agra in the Indian Empire and Dunottar in the County of Kincardine.
In 1935, he gave his Presidential Address, which was on 'The Geography of an Indian Village.' He had spent a considerable time involved in the administration of India.
In the Address, he described his travels in India, from the perspective of someone who had lived there for a long period.
He also suggested that, as Fairgrieve explained the following year, the object of the Association was to spread interest in the population about the subject through supporting teachers.
I could find little else about his time working for the GA, but then came across an obituary. See the Update.
Image from the National Portrait Gallery.
Image - shared under CC license
James Scorgie Meston, 1st Baron Meston
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 9 October 1923
NPG x122702
© National Portrait Gallery, London
A plaque with his name can be seen at Aberdeen University.
References
https://rsgs.org/the-kings-speech - link to medal ceremony at the RSGS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Meston,_1st_Baron_Meston - more details once I'd established the correct Lord Meston. Added his GA Presidency to the page.
“THE GEOGRAPHY OF AN INDIAN VILLAGE. ADDRESS TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION, By the Rt. Hon. BARON MESTON OF AGRA AND DUNOTTAR President, 1934-35.” Geography, vol. 20, no. 1, 1935, pp. 1–12. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40559216.
Obituary: G. F. S. “Lord Meston 1865-1943.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, vol. 106, no. 3, 1943, pp. 294–296. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2979981.
I amended this entry to add his GA Presidential role and RSGS Medal award.
Some papers: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F42492
https://saalg.blogspot.com/2018/04/meston-formation-of-civil-servant.html
If anyone has further information on this President and his time at the GA please get in touch. This is quite a slight entry compared with some of the others.
Update - late September
“LORD MESTON.” Geography, vol. 28, no. 4, 1943, pp. 120–120. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562330
Updated November 2020
Sir James Scorgie Meston succeeded Sir John Hewett as the Lieutenant Gov. of the United Provinces of Agra & Oudh in 1912. He was looked upon as progressive and was very keen on public constructive works.Built in 1913 by the Raja of Sahaspur Bilari, this European mansion served as a guest house for the erstwhile Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Sir James Scorgie Meston. Also home to Italian officers captured by the British Army during WWII. pic.twitter.com/ir1a14y4BP
— The Unhotel Company (@unhotelier) March 29, 2018
This may not have been the view of those in the United Provinces at the time of course.
Updated August 2021
James Scorgie Meston, 1st Baron Meston
by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 9 October 1923
NPG x122705
Built in 1913 by the Raja of Sahaspur Bilari, this European mansion served as a guest house for the erstwhile Governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Sir James Scorgie Meston. Also home to Italian officers captured by the British Army during WWII. pic.twitter.com/ir1a14y4BP
— The Unhotel® Company (@unhotelier) March 29, 2018
Updated August 2022
I came across this document with his Presidential Address in 1934 from the Scottish Educational Journal. It has been posted separately.
Updated August 2023
In 1912, he was made Lieut-Governor of the United Provinces and was in that post when the last World War began.
His wide knowledge of conditions in India led to his being summoned to London in 1917 and made representative for India in the Imperial War Cabinet.
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