Robert Gordon of Straloch

Robert Gordon of Straloch (14 September 1580 – 18 August 1661) was a Scottish cartographer, noted as a poet, mathematician, antiquary, and geographer, and for his collection of music for the lute. Life The younger son of Sir John Gordon of Pitlurg, Knight, (died 1600) by his spouse Isabel, daughter of William Forbes, 7th Lord Forbes, Robert Gordon was educated at the Marischal College, University of Aberdeen, of which he was the first graduate, and afterwards at the University of Paris. Sometime after 1608 he acquired the estate of Straloch, north of Aberdeen. After the death of his elder brother John Gordon without issue in 1619, Robert inherited his estate of Pitlurg. The original manuscript of Robert's collection of lute music, known as the Straloch Manuscript, is lost, but transcriptions survive. His book, which included a tune for Greysteil was titled, 'Ane playing booke for the Lute, wherein are contained many currents and other musical things, Musica mentis medicina moestae, At Aberdeen, collected by Robert Gordon, February 1627.'