[1] He was the grandson of Richard Lawson of High Riggs three times Lord Provost.
His father was James Lawson, MP for Edinburgh in the Scottish Parliament in 1526, 1531 and 1532 (elections were annual).
Lady Lawson Street in Edinburgh, which adjoins High Riggs, is named after her.
[3] In 1568 his grandson, John Lawson of High Riggs, made complaint to the Town Council that the Flodden Wall had been built in such a way as to cause the flooding of his property.
In 1573 the Council declared parts of his building at High Riggs as unsafe and a public danger.