Alexander Arbuthnot (politician)
British politician

Alexander Arbuthnot, Snr (c. 1654–1705) of Knox, Kincardineshire was a Scottish politician.
He was the second son of Robert Arbuthnott, 1st Viscount of Arbuthnott. He served as tutor to the children of his brother Robert Arbuthnot, 2nd Viscount of Arbuthnott.
He represented Kincardineshire as Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland from 1689 to 1702.
He married firstly Margaret Barclay and secondly Jean Scott.
He should not be confused with Alexander Arbuthnot, an advocate and Provost who represented Bervie from 1703 to 1707.(p.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 5, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4718240. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1654, 1705, 1689 and 1702.
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