The Tobacco Lords (or “Virginia Dons”) were Glasgow merchants who in the 18th Century made enormous fortunes by trading in tobacco from Great Britain's American Colonies. Many of them became sufficiently wealthy that they adopted the lifestyle of aristocrats, lavishing vast sums on great houses and splendid churches. Many would suffer severe losses during and after the American Revolution.
Read more about Tobacco Lords: History, American Revolution, Legacy, Notable Tobacco Lords, See Also, References
Famous quotes containing the words tobacco and/or lords:
“My excuse for not lecturing against the use of tobacco is, that I never chewed it; that is a penalty which reformed tobacco-chewers have to pay; though there are things enough I have chewed which I could lecture against.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“From scenes like these old Scotia’s grandeur springs,
That makes her loved at home, revered abroad;
Princes and lords are but the breath of kings,
“An honest man’s the noblest work of God!””
—Robert Burns (1759–1796)