Charles Shaw, Baron Kilbrandon
Encyclopedia
Charles James Dalrymple Shaw, Baron Kilbrandon PC (15 August 1906 – 10 September 1989) was a Scottish
judge and law lord.
and went then to Balliol College, Oxford
. He finally graduated at the University of Edinburgh
. On 5 April 1937, he married Ruth Caroline Grant and had by her two sons and three daughter.
in 1932 and was appointed its dean in 1957. After his military service in the Second World War, he was nominated a Queen's Counsel
in 1949. He was Sheriff of Ayr and Bute from 1954 and subsequently Sheriff of Perth and Angus in 1957. Two years later, he became a Senator of the College of Justice
and Lord of Session, chosing the judicial title Lord Kilbrandon. Shaw chaired the Scottish Law Commission
in 1965. He was appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
on 4 October 1971 and received the traditional life peer
age as Baron Kilbrandon, of Kilbrandon, in the County of Argyll. In the same year he was sworn off the Privy Council
.
Shaw was chancellor of the Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness
as well as of the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles and acted as director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
. He was chairman of the Scottish Transport Council and of the Standing Consultative Council on Youth Service in Scotland.
and a Doctor of Science
by his old alma mater, Edinburgh's university. Gray's Inn
made him an honorary bencher and Balliol College an honorary fellow.
His most important contribution to public life was probably his work as chairman of Royal Commission on the Constitution
(commonly referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission) from 1972. The commission's report and nearly all recommendations were enacted in new bills and created the basic structures of child care practices and polices in Scotland.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
judge and law lord.
Family and education
He was the son of James Edward Shaw and his wife Gladys Elizabeth Lester. Shaw was educated at Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and went then to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. He finally graduated at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. On 5 April 1937, he married Ruth Caroline Grant and had by her two sons and three daughter.
Judicial career
Shaw was elected to the Faculty of AdvocatesFaculty of Advocates
The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary...
in 1932 and was appointed its dean in 1957. After his military service in the Second World War, he was nominated a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1949. He was Sheriff of Ayr and Bute from 1954 and subsequently Sheriff of Perth and Angus in 1957. Two years later, he became a Senator of the College of Justice
Senator of the College of Justice
The Senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of Senator: Lords of Session ; Lords Commissioner of Justiciary ; and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court...
and Lord of Session, chosing the judicial title Lord Kilbrandon. Shaw chaired the Scottish Law Commission
Scottish Law Commission
The Scottish Law Commission is Scottish advisory public body established by Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1965 to keep the law of Scotland under review and recommend necessary reforms to improve, simplify and update Scots law. It plays a leading role in developing the law for the people of...
in 1965. He was appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the House of Lords of the United Kingdom in order to exercise its judicial functions, which included acting as the highest court of appeal for most domestic matters...
on 4 October 1971 and received the traditional life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
age as Baron Kilbrandon, of Kilbrandon, in the County of Argyll. In the same year he was sworn off the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
.
Shaw was chancellor of the Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness
Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness
The Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers Caithness and Sutherland , mainland Ross and Cromarty , and mainland Inverness-shire, Nairnshire, Moray and Banffshire . The diocesan centre is St. Andrew's Cathedral in Inverness...
as well as of the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles and acted as director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950,...
. He was chairman of the Scottish Transport Council and of the Standing Consultative Council on Youth Service in Scotland.
Honours and legacy
During his career Shaw were awarded the honorary degrees of a Doctor of Laws by the University of AberdeenUniversity of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
and a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
by his old alma mater, Edinburgh's university. Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
made him an honorary bencher and Balliol College an honorary fellow.
His most important contribution to public life was probably his work as chairman of Royal Commission on the Constitution
Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)
The Royal Commission on the Constitution, also referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission or Kilbrandon Report, was a long-running royal commission set up by Harold Wilson's Labour government to examine the structures of the constitution of the United Kingdom and the British Islands and the...
(commonly referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission) from 1972. The commission's report and nearly all recommendations were enacted in new bills and created the basic structures of child care practices and polices in Scotland.