He was the son of Robert Smith. Given the frequency of the name "John Smith" it is very difficult to identify the correct individual or his dates. All that his known is that he owned two estates north-west of Edinburgh: Grothill ; and King's Cramond. Both still exist as district names. In 1634 he is first referred to as "John Smith of Grothill" in the purchase of the Southfield estate from William Adamson of Craigcrook. As a burgess of Edinburgh he and one other were dispatched to London to settle the Treaty of London in 1641. He was also involved in the drafting of the Solemn League and Covenant in 1643. In 1643 he succeeded Sir Alexander Clerk of Pittencrieff as Lord Provost of Edinburgh. The time of this is critical as it immediately precedes Scotland's involvement in the English Civil War and is said to have been a tactical election. He was succeeded as Provost by Sir Archibald Tod. His most important task in this period was representing the city of Edinburgh during the creation of the Solemn League and Covenant in 1643: the document which gives name to the Covenanters. Although beyond his term of office he also appears on the Treaty of 1650 presumably due to ongoing negotiation in its terms. In 1651 he took over from James Steuart of Coltness as Collector General of Excise a highly unpopular role during these periods of high taxation. In 1676 John Inglis of Cramond purchased Kings Cramond from the "creditors of John Smith of Grothill" implying Smith was deceased and his estate was broken. Grothill House is first shown in a map in John Adair's 1682 map of central Scotland. It stood south-east of Drylaw House. The original Kings Cramond House stood on what is now Barton Avenue West. It was demolished around 1800 and replaced by a huge mansion by Robert Adam known as Barton House and owned by the Ramsays of Barnton, a banking family. The second mansion was demolished in 1920 and redeveloped as large villas. Groathill House was demolished in 1925 to create Telford Road, the main link between Ferry Road and Queensferry Road.
Family
Although little is known of John Smith, "John Smith, Provost of Edinburgh" appears in multiple genealogies. His sister Egidia Smith, married Sir William Gray of Pittendrum, an Edinburgh merchant and son of Andrew Gray, 7th Lord Gray. Their six sons and twelve daughters including Andrew Gray. Their daughter Agnes married John Dundas of Dundas Castle and Newliston. Following the death of John Dundas she married Archibald Primrose, Lord Rosebery. Her daughter Elizabeth married John, Earl of Stair. His sister Agnes Smith was second wife to John Byres of Coates, Treasurer of the Council while he was Provost. There is no mention of any wife or children of John Smith. Although lacking direct heirs, his estates would normally pass to a nephew. Given that his estate was broken and sold in 1676 this implies he died in debt, with no heritable assets.
