Patrick Brydone

Patrick Brydone (5 January 1736 – 19 June 1818) was a Scottish traveller and author. He held the position of Comptroller of the Stamp Office during his lifetime.

Born in Coldingham, Berwickshire, Brydone was the son of Robert Brydone, a Church of Scotland minister, and Elizabeth Dysart. He attended the University of St. Andrews. Following his education, he traveled abroad as a tutor or companion, commonly referred to as a bearleader, accompanying William Beckford and other gentlemen.

In 1767 or 1768, shortly after returning from a trip to Switzerland, Brydone again traveled with Beckford and two others as a preceptor. In 1770, he participated in a tour through Sicily and Malta with these companions. This journey was notable because Sicily was relatively little explored by travelers at that time. Brydone documented this experience in his book, "A Tour through Sicily and Malta, in a Series of Letters to William Beckford, Esq., of Somerly in Suffolk," published in 1773.

His work gained popularity for its detailed descriptions of Italy. It received favorable reviews and was well received by the reading public, leading to seven or eight editions in England during his lifetime. The book was also translated into French and German. Nine years after its initial publication, Count Borch published a volume of Letters to serve as a supplement to Brydone's voyage.

Brydone was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1773. His election was based on his character and his knowledge of natural sciences, notably his experiments on electricity published in the Royal Society's Transactions. His nominees for fellowship included notable figures such as John Pringle, Benjamin Franklin, John Hunter, Thomas Dundas, Rudolph de Valltravers, and Richard Huck.

In 1783, Brydone became a founding member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He held the official position of Comptroller of the Stamp Office, a precursor to the modern Inland Revenue. The latter part of his life was spent in retirement at Lennel House in Berwickshire, where he died on 19 June 1818.

In 1785, Brydone married Mary Robertson, the daughter of Professor William Robertson. They had three daughters, the eldest of whom, Mary, married Gilbert Elliot, who later became the 2nd Earl of Minto.

One of Brydone’s major works is his 1806 publication of "A Tour through Sicily and Malta in a series of letters to William Beckford."