Background
He was born on 12 October 1816 in Edinburgh, the son of Robert Bryson FRSE (1778-1852), a watchmaker, and Janet Gillespie (1788-1858).
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He was born on 12 October 1816 in Edinburgh, the son of Robert Bryson FRSE (1778-1852), a watchmaker, and Janet Gillespie (1788-1858).
He attended the High School in Edinburgh then trained as a watchmaker and entered the family business, then renamed Robert Bryson & Son.
He was President of the Royal Scottish Society of Antiquarians 1860-1861. He was President of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh in 1863. In 1858 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
He was President of the Royal Scottish Society of the Arts 1860-1861.
He died on 7 December 1866 at Hawkhill House, a country villa between Leith and Edinburgh.
He was also a member of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Geological Society.