Hercules Ross (original) (raw)

Hercules Ross (1745 – December 25, 1816) was a Scottish merchant, who made a fortune in Jamaica, became an intimate friend of Horatio Nelson and figured prominently, if briefly, in the campaign for the abolition of the slave trade. Fiona Scharlau characterises Ross as 'a supreme example of the poor boy who worked hard in a foreign country, creating a life of opportunities that lead to fulfillment of the rags-to-riches dream of the sojourner.'He ended his days at Rossie Castle, a large house which he had built on land acquired by him in Forfarshire.