James Lumsden Masterton (1863-1942)

Banker

James Lumsden Masterton had a long career in banking with the Bank of Scotland, culminating as agent of the bank at Rothesay. He was clearly influenced by his father's piety, was a supporter of charitable causes, and was something of an amateur numerologist. His article in "The Scottish Bankers Magazine" is a curious insight into his enthusiasms.

Genealogy

James Masterton was the third child of the Reverend William Masterton, minister of Inverkeillor Free Church, and Janet Lumsden and is a member of the large connected family of Mastertons that flourished in Culross. His elder brother was Robert Alexander Masterton. Fuller details of the extended family of James Lumsden Masterton are given in the following link:

BIRTHS: MASTERTON – At the Free Church Manse, Inverkeillor, on the 5th inst., Mrs Masterton, of a son.

Dunfermline Press
Wednesday 16th December, 1863

BANK OF SCOTLAND-The Court of Directors have appointed Mr James Lumsden Masterton, accountant at the Leith Branch, to be agent of the bank at Rothesay, in room of Mr John Mackirdy, resigned.

The Scotsman
30th October 1901

MASTERTON - McINTOSH. - At Ascog Free Church, on 3d June, by Rev. Dr Hewison, Rothesay, and Rev. W. Winter, M.A., Ascog, JAMES LUMSDEN MASTERTON, agent, Bank of Scotland, Rothesay, son of the Rev. W. Masterton, K.D., to ELISABETH BARTON, daughter of the late JAMES McINTOSH, Glasgow, and Mrs McINTOSH, Old Craigmore.

The Scotsman
4th June, 1903

The Number "Nine."

J. L. MASTERTON, BANK OF SCOTLAND, ROTHESAY

The intricate science of numbers, which Pascal, mathematician as well as theologian, characterises as infinite, and which others refer to as magical, does not perhaps present a very popular field of pastime for the banker, jaded as he may be by his dealings with figures in the ordinary way of business. Nevertheless there are some aspects of numbers which are interesting enough, and the following phase is presented as worthy of attention. It may not be entirely new, as the present system of enumeration has been in existence for long in civilised countries ; the writer, however, has not been able to find any reference to it in the various works on the subject which he has consulted.

Here is the formula :-

(1) Arrange in line any series of the nine digits in existence, the last being the lower than the first, taking care, of course, that the same figure does not occur twice, and excluding zero ; reverse them and subtract the smaller line from the larger, when the result will always be 9 or a multiple of 9, thus -

II.	III.	IV.	V.	VI.	VII.	VIII.	IX.
43	564	7196	23451	397521	6312495	84261357	456789123
34	465	6917	15432	125793	5942136	75316248	321987654
9	9 \| 99	9 \| 279	9 \| 8019	9 \| 271728	9 \| 370359	9 \| 8945109	9 \| 134801469
	11	31	891	30192	41151	993901	14977941

The reason why the last figure of the line requires to be less than the first is of course that a greater sum cannot be deducted from a smaller - e.g., 34 cannot bear the deduction of 43.

(2) As showing the affinity of odd numbers to each other - in the case of sums of 3, 5, 7, and 9 figures, the remainder after subtraction will be divisible by 11 as well as 9. Thus the above No III. result is 11 ; No V., 891 divided by 11 = 81 exactly ; No VII., 41151 divided by 11 = 3741 ; No IX., 14977941 divided by 11 = 1361631.

(3) Whether there be an odd or even number of component figures in the original sum, if there are as many figures in the remainder after reversal and subtraction as in the original sum, as -

	IV.
(4251)
(1524)
	2727
reverse and add	7272
	9999

- the result is always a multiple of 11 as well as 9, and there will be no other figures in the final total but 1, 8, 9.

II.	III.	V.	VI.	VIII.
71	521	65843	817456	34567891
17	125	34856	654718	19876543
54	396	30987	162738	14691348
45	693	78903	837261	84319641
11 \| 99	11 \| 1089	11 \| 109890	11 \| 999999	11 \| 99010989
9 \| 9	9 \| 99	9 \| 9990	9 \| 90909	9 \| 9000999
1	11	1110	10101	1000111

This rule holds good in the case of a series of 3, 5, 7, and 9 figures, even though the remainder after subtraction contains fewer figures than the original line, thus -

61325

52316

9009

11 | 18018

9 | 1638

182

(4) The individual figures forming the above remainder, after subtraction, and totals after addition, will, if added together in line, come to multiples of 9, thus :-

(1)

III.	IV.	V.	VI.	VII.	VIII.	IX.
9 + 9 = 18.	2 + 7 + 9 = 18.	8 + 1 + 9 = 18.	271728 = 27.	370359 = 27.	8945109 = 36.	134801469 = 36.

(3)

II.	III.	V.	VI.	VIII.
99 = 18.	1089 = 18.	109890 = 27.	999999 = 54.	99010989 = 45.

This ubiquity of 9 is very remarkable, especially in view of the fact that 9 is the rarest figure of all in ordinary use. To test this, there is probably no book of standard literature, apart from technical books, which contains so much exact enumeration as the Bible does: now on referring to a concordance we find that 9 by itself (i.e., not forming part of a compound like 49), and not ninth, occurs only 11 times in the Old Testament, while its near neighbour 7 by itself, and not seventh, occurs 261 times, and all the other figures of the list - viz., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 - occur more frequently than 9. Nineteen by itself occurs only twice. It looks as if the numeral in question were so indignant at being kept out of sight under the table, that when the tables are turned upside down, and things are reversed, it revenges iself by covering the whole ground and having a finger in every pie, taking into junior partnership its almost equally neglected neighbour 11, for that figure (which is as far on its right hand as the favoured numeral 7 is on its left) only appears 13 times in the authority quoted. One is almost tempted to imagine that there may be some mathematical sub-stratum for the theory which several well-known people have that 9 is an unlucky number. However that may be, its presence in the above equations is certainly as reliable as the presence within a circle of six equilateral triangles, each side of which is the length of the radius. Whether the fact can be turned to any practical account is a different matter, but Mendel's law of heredity has been so adapted in the growing of plants by nurserymen, while Mr. W. J. Millar, C.E., Rothesay, has adapted the same law of Mendel to figures, as shown in a paper which he read before the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh last winter, and it is therefore not impossible that the above law of figure 9 may have some application to banking yet to be discovered. At all events, it emphasises the lesson of the fable where the old man gave to his sons as a legacy, the advice to "dig below the surface."

The Scottish Bankers Magazine
Journal of the Institute of Bankers in Scotland
Vol. II. No. 8 January 1911
p 250 - 252

INVERKEILOR UNITED FREE CHURCH

The autumn communion will be held on 13th September. On the present occasion we are to have the pleasure of a visit from Mr and Mrs Masterton of Rothesay. As the congregation already know, Mr Masterton is presenting two silver bread-plates for the communion, in memory of his father and mother; and on the invitation of the office-bearers, he has promised to be present and officiate as an elder when these are used for the first time. In addition to these communion plates, he is also presenting a complete set of books for the pulpit (1) A pulpit Bible of the Authorised Version, (2) one of the Revised Version, (3) a Psalm book, (4) a Hymnary, and (5) a Bible for the minister's study, containing the Authorised and Revised versions side by side. These together form a most valuable gift, and we are not only grateful for it, but honour the kindness of heart and love of father and mother so beautifully shown by the giver. It will be a real pleasure to him to be present and take part in such a celebration, and it will be no less a pleasure to us to welcome him and Mrs Masterton to the home and church of his youth.

United Free Church Missionary Record
September, 1914

HANDSOME GIFTS FOR INVERKEILOR CONGREGATION

The Autumn Communion was observed in the U.F. Church on Sunday last, and the event was the occasion of a most interesting presentation. Before the service Mr James L. Masterton of Rothesay, formally asked the minister and session to accept of various gifts in memory of his father and mother who had been so long and honourably connected with Inverkeilor U.F. Church and parish. These consisted of two silver bread-plates for the Communion, and a set of books - Authorised and Revised Bibles, with Psalm-book and Hymnary - for the pulpit. The gifts bore the inscription:- "In memory of Rev. William Masterton, minister of Inverkeilor Free Church, 1848-1888, and of Mrs Masterton."

In accepting the gifts, Rev. John Adams, B.D., said they must all feel that the combination was most suggestive - the symbolism of the sacrament and the preaching of the Word. It was simply the donor's way of saying:- "Let these two gracious ministries, in which my parents were so long engaged in this parish, be continued with zeal throughout the coming years; and who knows but they who have gone before and those who are still left may be joined in one after all - re-united in a service which is even more a thing of heaven than a thing of earth." As such, they as a congregation gratefully accepted the gifts, and honoured the filial love which prompted so appropriate a memorial. They looked back with gratitude to all the service rendered by the sainted dead in that congregation, and were assured that these gifts would help to keep their memory green for many a long year to come.

Mr Masterton, who was accompanied by Mrs Masterton, officiated as an elder at the Communion which followed.

Arbroath Herald
19th September, 1914

LETTER TO J.L. MASTERTON Esq., Bank of Scotland, Rothsay, Bute

Dear Sir,

The Prince of Wales has directed me to tell you how grateful He is for the assistance which you have so generously given in the supervision of the Accounts of the Soldiers and Sailors Families Association and Local Committees which have distributed in relief over £2,000,000 provided out of the National Relief Fund. His Royal Highness is well aware that the work undertaken by you has been no ordinary audit. It has been of a particularly irksome and exacting nature and has involved the mastery of a mass of details of which few can have any conception: and while it has obtained no publicity it has been performed patiently and silently with no thought of reward and with a quiet zeal which no private anxiety or difficulty has been able to weaken or subdue.

It is therefore a very real pleasure to His Royal Highness to assure you of His profound appreciation of your work so cheerfully undertaken and so efficiently performed.

I am, Dear Sir,
Yours faithfully,
Walter Penrose (looks like)

Buckingham Palace
23rd December 1915

BUTE.-FOR SALE. MARINE RESIDENCE, occupying an extremely pleasant situation within easy reach of Rothesay. Contains 5 Public Rooms, 11 Bedrooms, Dressingroom, 2 Bathrooms, and ample other Accommodation. Suitable Stabling. Grounds of almost 8 Acres. Apply J. L. Masterton, Bank of Scotland, Rothesay; or T.121. WALKER, FRASER, & STEELE, Property Agents, 74 Bath Street, Glasgow.

The Scotsman
26th February, 1927

MASTERTON - GUNSON - At New Monkland Church, on 6th July 1937, by the Rev. E. Sherwood Gunson, FORBES DAVID MASTERTON, Bridge of Weir and Rothesay, to GEORGIANA MILNE GUNSON, New Monkland and Clynder.

The Scotsman
7th July, 1937

MASTERTON.-At Old Craigmore, BUTE, on 6th November 1942, JAMES LUMSDEN MASTERTON, late agent, Bank of Scotland, Rothesay, son of Rev. William Masterton, Inverkeillor. Funeral to Rothesay Churchyard on Monday, at two o'clock. Friends please accept this (the only) intimation and invitation.

The Scotsman
7th November 1942

RETIRED BANK AGENT

DEATH OF MR J.L. MASTERTON -- By the death on Friday of Mr James Lumsden Masterton, at his home, Old Craigmore, Bute, a well-known and much respected local figure passes. Although 78 years of age, until quite recently his health had remained very good, and he was frequently to be seen cycling or walking in the country, while his mind remained alert and active. On the day prior to his death he wrote a letter to Mr. Thomas Johnstone, Secretary of State for Scotland, containing suggestions for saving petrol in postal deliveries.

A son of the manse, he was born at Inverkeilor, and after leaving school entered the service of the Bank of Scotland, remaining with that institution till he retired at the age of 65, after 50 years' service, being from 1901 to 1929 agent of the Bank at Rothesay. He commenced his apprenticeship with the Arbroath branch, riding half a dozen miles each way daily on horseback from his home. Afterwards he was in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and other offices of the Bank. For some time after his retiral in 1929, when he was presented with tokens of esteem from the staff of his branch, from Bute Savings Bank, and from the session of what is now Trinity Church, he lived at Bridge of Weir, but afterwards made his home at Craigmore.

He was always noted for his keen devotion to religion. For most of his active years in Rothesay he was an elder and session clerk of Trinity, being active in the Sunday School and the Boys' Brigade. In latter years he worshipped in Ascog Church. He was always diligent in publicly opposing what he conceived to be breaches of Sabbath observance, writing frequent protests to the press. In his earlier years he was in the Volunteers, and was keen on swimming.

The funeral services yesterday were conducted by Revs. Robert Steen, John Dunlop Brown, and John Lindsay, and interment took place in Rothesay Cemetery, there being a large and representative company of mourners.

Mr Masterton is survived by his wife, also by one son, Mr Forbes D. Masterton, C.A., Motherwell, and by two daughters.

Rothesay Express
10 November 1942