Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Abercromby was the third son of George Abercromby of Tullibody and his wife Mary, the daughter of Ralph Dundas, born on 21st October 1740.

In 1761 Abercromby was promoted to captain during the French and Indian War, then in 1773, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 37th Regiment of Foot.

During the American Revolution he fought at the battle of Long Island, the Battle of Brandywine, the Battle of Germantown and was at the sieges of Charleston and Yorktown. He commanded the battalion of Light Infantry.

Following the capitulation of the British in 1783, he was made Colonel for life of the 75th Highland Regiment which had been established to defend British interests in India from the French.

He served in India between 1790 and 1797 where he was governor of Bombay and commander in chief of the Bombay army.

From 1793 he was commander in chief in India where he made 'a handsome fortune whilst fighting the battles of the East India Company in Hindostan'.

In 1798, following his return home, he was elected MP for Clackmannanshire. In 1801, he became governor of Edinburgh Castle, a post that he held until his death.

By this time, he was losing his eyesight and he was forced to resign from parliament the following year.

His niece married James Alexander Haldane and it was from Haldane's brother, Captain Robert Haldane, that he purchased the Airthrey estate.

Haldane wanted to use the proceeds of the sale to fund travel for 'himself and some missionaries to Hindostan' to spread Christianity among the 'degraded and idolatrous natives'.

Immediately after he bought it, Abercromby began to make considerable improvements, laying 'out large sums of money in improving it'.

It was his wish that no expense should be spared in giving the house 'an aristocratic air' due to the family receiving a peerage through his elder brother Ralph.

In 1806, he purchased the lands at Spittal and Spittal Kerse and also 'acquired in excambion with the master of Cowan's Hospital Alexander Runceman in Stirling these parts and portions of the…lands at Craigton' along with the houses built on it.

This consisted of 'three enclosures and extending to 23 acres and 39 falls or thereby and teinds of the same.'

It was Abercromby's wish to demolish Logie village which stood in the vicinity of the old Logie kirk.

EVENTUALLY, it seemed that the old lady was about to give in as Abercromby promised her a new home sited wherever she wished on any part of the Airthrey Estate, but he was in for a surprise.

She wanted her new cottage to be built in front of Airthrey Castle. In the end she lived out the rest of her life in her old house.

He went on to obliterate the village of Pathfoot and added the land to his park, enclosing it with a substantial stone wall.

On the formation of the new turnpike road leading from Causewayhead to Dollar, Abercromby purchased a small part of the lands of Holehead in 1822.

He was said to have been a kind man and took a deep interest in parochial affairs.

He was instrumental in the building of the new manse and offices as well as a new church when he agreed at the beginning of 1802 to sign over a field called Jock's Croft near Pathfoot.

This land was for the site of the new manse along with as much ground adjacent to it as necessary.

The old manse stood south of the present garden of Airthrey Castle with the new church built in 1805 a little to the south of the old one Abercromby contributed £100 for the building of the spire of the new church.

In addition, he set up an annual payment of £15 which was to be paid to the minister of Logie for the poor in the parish.

On January 10, 1801, Abercromby executed a deed of entail of the lands and barony of Airthrey in favour of himself and heirs and failing him having children, it was to pass to Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby of Tullibody, Knight of the Order of the Bath and his heirs.

On the death of his brother Ralph in March 1801 of wounds sustained at the Battle of Alexandria, on October 19 that year he nominated the Honourable George Abercromby of Tullibody, Ralph’s eldest son, to inherit should he not have any children.

He acquired more land and on August 9, 1823, despond these lands to himself and his heirs or, failing that, to his nephew George, Lord Abercromby and his heirs.

Robert Abercromby died on November 3, 1827, at Airthrey without issue. He was 87 and the oldest general in the British Army.

His personal estate amounted to just over £9023. He was survived by his nephew George, who became, on his mother’s death on February 11, 1821, 2nd Baron Abercromby.