| Administrative History | James Dun [1708-1798] Beattie's Father-in-Law. Marischal college 1728-1732. Under-master Aberdeen Grammar School 1732. Master (later titled Rector)1744. LLD Marischall College 1772. He married Mary Beaton (1706-1781), who was the daughter of Kenneth Bethune (Beatoun), and had previously been married to William Scott. The mental illness of the Dun children was said to be inherited from her, but as late as 1779 she was able to take care of the Beattie children. Beattie lived in Dun's house when he first came to Aberdeen in 1758 as under-masterat the Grammar school. For many years, both before and after he married Dun's daughter in 1767, the two men were warm friends, and the families shared a house for much of Beattie's life. In the final decade of Dun's life they were embittered by disagreements on the management of Mary Beattie's mental illness, and her care. Beattie was incensed by Dun's will, which left nothing to Mary Beattie, and he wrote that Dun 'in the end proved himself, what I had long thought, the most selfish and senseless of the human race'
Alexander Dun [1739-1785] Brother-in-Law to Beattie. Marischal College 1752-1756. Liutenant to the marines, but became mentally ill, and was confined in hospital in Gibraltar for several months. Returned to Aberdeen in 1763, later that year went to London and attempted to assassinate John Wilkes. Thereafter spent much of his life in prison or in private mental care. During brief periods of liberty he made a murderous attack on a post-boy in 1767, and threatened his father's life in 1770. Beattie and Sir William Forbes were much involved in making arrangements for his care at Inveresk in 1768. He probably spent the last fifteen years of his life in denstitution in London. Alexander's mental illness may have been a manic depressive psycosis; Beattie's anxieties concerning Mrs Beattie's mental illness may have been accentuated by fear that her behaviour was resembling Alexander's |