Susan Carnegie

Susan Carnegie (née Scott; 7 August 1743 - 14 April 1821) was a writer and benefactor who helped found the Montrose Asylum, the first public asylum in Scotland.

Early life and education Carnegie was born on 7 August 1743 in Edinburgh to Mary Brown (1712-1794) and David Scott (1700-1768), who was the Treasurer of the Bank of Scotland. She was baptised in 1744. Tutored at home, she studied various subjects including philosophy, and became fluent in French and Italian. Funds for the project were raised from the profits of her own estates, which she had secured through her marriage contract, and also through her own networks. The institution gained a Royal Charter in 1810, closing eventually in 2011, and the building sold for housing development in 2016.

Carnegie's influence on the ethos of the institution persisted even after her death; in 1834, in accordance with her wishes concerning the kind of care which should be provided, the asylum hired William A. F. Browne. She also corresponded with the poet and moral philosopher James Beattie under the pseudonym Arethusa.

Personal life On 17 March 1769 she married George Carnegie (born 1726), who was 18 years older than her, and with whom she had nine children; six sons and three daughters. He died thirty years later, in 1799.

NHS Tayside named the Susan Carnegie Centre, opened on 5 December 2011, after her. A portrait of her, by an unknown artist, is owned by NHS Tayside.