John Inglis, Lord Glencorse
Rt Hon John Inglis, Lord Glencorse FRSE DCL LLD (1810 – 1891) was a Scottish politician and judge. He was Lord President of the Court of Session (1867–1891).[1]
Life
The youngest son of Rev John Inglis DD (1761–1834), minister of Old Greyfriars Kirk,[2] and his wife, Maria Moxham Passmore, Inglis was born on 21 August 1810 at 43 George Square[3] in Edinburgh. He attended the High School in Edinburgh. He then studied Law at the University of Glasgow from whence he went to Balliol College, Oxford. He graduated BA in 1834 and MA in 1836.
He was admitted a member of the Faculty of Advocates in 1835, and in 1852 he was made Solicitor General for Scotland in Lord Derby's first ministry, three months later becoming Lord Advocate, a post he held from May to December of that year. In the summer of 1857, he famously served as counsel for Madeleine Smith, a Glasgow socialite who was the defendant in a sensational murder trial.[4] Smith was freed with a verdict of "not proven".
In March 1858 he resumed this office in Lord Derby's second administration, being returned to the House of Commons as member for Stamford. Again his tenure was brief, leaving office in July 1858. He was responsible for the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858, and in the same year he was elevated to the bench as Lord Justice Clerk, with the judicial title Lord Glencorse. In 1867 he was made Lord Justice General of Scotland and Lord President of the Court of Session. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1859, and awarded a Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) by the University of Oxford in 1859.
Outside his judicial duties he was responsible for much useful public work, particularly in the department of higher education. In 1869 he was elected Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh against Gladstone, having already been Rector of the University of Aberdeen in 1857–1860 and Rector of the University of Glasgow in 1865.
He was President of Scottish Texts Society and published Historical Study of Law 1863.
He died at Loganbank, a villa in Glencorse[5] south of Edinburgh on 20 August 1891, the day before his 81st birthday.[1] He is buried in his family vault in New Calton Cemetery.
Family
In 1842 he was married to Isabella Mary Wood (1820–1855), daughter of Alexander Wood, Lord Wood FRSE (1788–1864),[6] a law lord and one of his senior colleagues. She bore him a son, John David Inglis (1843–1861) and another, Harry Herbert Inglis WS (1848–1907).
Memorials
A bust of Lord Glencorse, sculpted by Charles McBride, is held by Edinburgh University.[7]
Notable cases
- In 1857 Inglis defended Madeleine Smith in a sensational murder trial.[1]
- In 1865 Inglis presided over the case of Edward William Pritchard, the last person to be publicly hanged in Glasgow.
References
- 1 2 3 John Inglis Lord Glencorse. University of Glasgow (see "summary" for birth/death dates)
- ↑ Waterston, Charles D; Macmillan Shearer, A (July 2006). Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002: Biographical Index (PDF). I. Edinburgh: The Royal Society of Edinburgh. ISBN 978-0-902198-84-5. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ↑ Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1809–10
- ↑ James Crabb Watt, John Inglis, Lord Justice-General of Scotland: A Memoir (1893), p. 333.
- ↑ BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF FORMER FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 1783 – 2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0 902 198 84 X.
- ↑ BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF FORMER FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 1783 – 2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0 902 198 84 X.
- ↑ http://collections.ed.ac.uk/art/record/19531
- This article includes material drawn from Concise Dictionary of National Biography, 1939
External links
- Works by or about John Inglis, Lord Glencorse at Internet Archive
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Inglis
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Frederic Thesiger Lord Robert Cecil |
Member of Parliament for Stamford March 1858 – July 1858 With: Lord Robert Cecil |
Succeeded by Lord Robert Cecil Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt. |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by George Deas |
Solicitor General for Scotland 1852 |
Succeeded by Charles Neaves |
| Preceded by Adam Anderson |
Lord Advocate May–December 1852 |
Succeeded by James Moncreiff |
| Preceded by James Moncreiff |
Lord Advocate March–July 1858 |
Succeeded by Charles Baillie |
| Preceded by John Hope |
Lord Justice Clerk 1858–1867 |
Succeeded by Lord Glenalmond |
| Preceded by Lord Colonsay |
Lord Justice General 1867–1891 |
Succeeded by Lord Robertson |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Unknown |
Rector of King's College, Aberdeen 1857 – ? |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Viscount Palmerston |
Rector of the University of Glasgow 1865–1868 |
Succeeded by Earl of Derby |
| Preceded by Baron Brougham and Vaux |
Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh 1868–1891 |
Succeeded by Arthur Balfour |