David Grieve FRSE PRPSE FSA FGS FEGS (1808–1889) was a Scottish lawyer and amateur geologist. He served as president of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh from 1874 to 1877.
Life
He was born in Leith on 9 February 1808, probably the son of Agnes Symington (d.1846) and Robert Grieve (1776–1855), a ship-chandler on The Shore. He studied law at the University of Edinburgh.
He spent much of his working life in his role as a Collector for HM Customs. This was first based at Banff in Scotland before being relocated to the south coast of England, being based at both Grimsby and Dover.
He was a member of a local geological society in Banff and presented it with a rare sample of graptolite in 1853. Here he was both a colleague and friend of Charles William Peach, father to Ben Peach.
In 1872 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh his proposer being James McBain. He is known to have made several studies in the quarry within Arthur’s Seat south-east of the city.Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society, 1874
At the time of his Presidency of the RPSE he was living at 2 Keir Street, off Lauriston Place.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1874-75
He died in Edinburgh on 25 June 1889. He is buried in the Grange Cemetery. He is also memorialised on his parents' grave in the western section of Greyfriars Kirkyard.
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