Extraordinary Lord of Session
Encyclopedia
Extraordinary Lords of Session were lay members of the Court of Session
in Scotland
from 1532 to 1762.
When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President
, 14 Ordinary Lords and three or four Extraordinary Lords. The Extraordinary Lords were nominees of the King, not necessarily qualified, unsalaried, and free to sit or not as they pleased. This may have been a device to conciliate the barons, but it facilitated royal interference in the work of the courts, and the Extraordinary Lords tended to sit only in cases where they had a personal interest.
The number of Extraordinary Lords rose to eight in 1553 but, after protest, was reduced to four and continued at around that level until 1723 when it was provided that no future vacancies should be filled.
Archbishop Burnet was the last cleric to hold judicial office, being an Extraordinary Lord from 1664 to 1668, and John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale
was the last Extraordinary Lord, holding office from 1721 to 1762.
incomplete list
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
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...
from 1532 to 1762.
When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
, 14 Ordinary Lords and three or four Extraordinary Lords. The Extraordinary Lords were nominees of the King, not necessarily qualified, unsalaried, and free to sit or not as they pleased. This may have been a device to conciliate the barons, but it facilitated royal interference in the work of the courts, and the Extraordinary Lords tended to sit only in cases where they had a personal interest.
The number of Extraordinary Lords rose to eight in 1553 but, after protest, was reduced to four and continued at around that level until 1723 when it was provided that no future vacancies should be filled.
Archbishop Burnet was the last cleric to hold judicial office, being an Extraordinary Lord from 1664 to 1668, and John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale
John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale
John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale PC was a Scottish nobleman.Tweeddale was an able and accomplished statesman, and possessed considerable knowledge of law. He was appointed an Extraordinary Lord of Session in 1721, the last person to hold this office. He was one of the Scottish representative...
was the last Extraordinary Lord, holding office from 1721 to 1762.
Extraordinary Lords of Session
- 1539: William Ruthven, 2nd Lord RuthvenWilliam Ruthven, 2nd Lord RuthvenWilliam Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven was a Scottish nobleman. He served as an Extraordinary Lord of Session and Keeper of the Privy Seal.-Life:...
- 1539: John, Lord Erskine
- 1541: William Keith, 4th Earl MarischalWilliam Keith, 4th Earl MarischalWilliam Keith, 4th Earl Marischal was a Scottish nobleman and politician.-Family background and career:Keith was born on 24 July 1506, the son of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal and Lady Elizabeth Douglas....
- 1541: William, Earl of Rothes
- 1541: Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord MaxwellRobert Maxwell, 5th Lord MaxwellRobert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell , A member of the council of Regency of the Kingdom of Scotland. Regent of the Isle of Arran and like his father before head of the clan Maxwell. A distinguished Scottish nobleman, politician, soldier and in 1513 Lord High Admiral...
- 1541: John Lindsay, 5th Lord Lindsay
- 1542: George Seton, 6th Lord SetonGeorge Seton, 6th Lord SetonGeorge Seton IV, 6th Lord Seton was a Lord of the Parliament of Scotland.He was the son of Jean Hepburn, daughter of Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell. His father, the 5th Lord Seton was killed at the battle of Flodden and George's mother survived her husband by 45 years till 1558, managing...
- 1542: Alexander, Lord Livingston
- 1542: James Ogilvy, 4th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie
- 1542: John, Lord Innermeath
- 1554: Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington
- 1554: Adam Livingstone of Dunipace
- 1561: William Keith, 4th Earl MarischalWilliam Keith, 4th Earl MarischalWilliam Keith, 4th Earl Marischal was a Scottish nobleman and politician.-Family background and career:Keith was born on 24 July 1506, the son of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal and Lady Elizabeth Douglas....
- 1561: William Maitland of Lethington
- 1561: James Balfour, parson of Flisk
- 1562: John Wood of Tulliedairie
- 1563: Adam, Bishop of Orkney
- 1565: Alexander, Bishop of Galloway
- 1566: Edward Henryson
- 1566: John Wood of Tulliedairie
- 1566: Gavin Hamilton, Commendator of Kilwinning
- 1567: Sir John Wishard of Pitarrow
incomplete list
- 1641: Archibald, Earl of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, 8th Earl of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, was the de facto head of government in Scotland during most of the conflict known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, also known as the British Civil War...
- 1641: Archibald, Lord Angus
- 1641: John, Lord Lindsay
- 1641: John Lord Balmerino
- 1649: John, Lord Coupar
- 1649: John Kennedy, 6th Earl of Cassilis
- 1661: John Lindsay, 17th Earl of Crawford
- 1661: John, Earl of RothesJohn Leslie, 1st Duke of RothesJohn Leslie , son of John Leslie, 6th Earl of Rothes, was the 7th Earl of Rothes and 1st Duke of Rothes. He was a descendant of Princess Beatrix, sister of King Malcolm III of Scotland...
- 1661: John, Earl of LauderdaleJohn Maitland, 1st Duke of LauderdaleSir John Maitland, 1st Duke and 2nd Earl of Lauderdale, 3rd Lord Thirlestane KG PC , was a Scottish politician, and leader within the Cabal Ministry.-Background:...
- 1662: John Middleton, 1st Earl of MiddletonJohn Middleton, 1st Earl of MiddletonJohn Middleton, 1st Earl of Middleton was a Scottish army officer, who belonged to a Kincardineshire family which had held lands at Middleton since the 12th century....
- 1664: John Hay, 2nd Earl of TweeddaleJohn Hay, 1st Marquess of TweeddaleJohn Hay, 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl of Tweeddale was Lord Chancellor of Scotland....
- 1664: Alexander BurnetAlexander BurnetAlexander Burnet was a 17th century Scottish prelate. Born in the summer of 1615 to James Burnet and Christian née Dundas, he gained an MA from the University of Edinburgh in 1633. He chose to follow the career of his father, who had been minister of Lauder, by becoming a churchman himself...
, Archbishop of Glasgow - 1667: Alexander Bruce, 2nd Earl of KincardineAlexander Bruce, 2nd Earl of KincardineAlexander Bruce, 2nd Earl of Kincardine FRS was a Scottish inventor, politician, judge and freemason, responsible for developing the pendulum clock, in collaboration with Christiaan Huygens....
- 1668: James Graham, 2nd Marquess of Montrose
- 1669: John, Earl of Dunfermline
- 1673: John, Earl of AthollJohn Murray, 1st Marquess of AthollJohn Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl, KT was a leading Scottish royalist and defender of the Stuarts during the English Civil War of the 1640s, until after the rise to power of William and Mary in 1689...
- 1674: Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 9th Earl of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll was a Scottish peer.He was born in 1629 in Dalkeith, Scotland, the son of Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll....
- 1680: Alexander Stuart, 5th Earl of MorayAlexander Stuart, 5th Earl of MoraySir Alexander Stuart, 5th Earl of Moray KT , was a Scottish nobleman who remained loyal to Roman Catholic James VII of Scotland .-Biography:...
- 1681: William, Earl of QueensberryWilliam Douglas, 1st Duke of QueensberryWilliam Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry PC also 3rd Earl of Queensberry and 1st Marquess of Queensberry was a Scottish politician....
- 1682: James, Earl of Perth
- 1684: Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of MiddletonCharles Middleton, 2nd Earl of MiddletonCharles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton, Jacobite 1st Earl of Monmouth, PC was a Scottish and English politician who held several offices under Charles II and James II & VI...
- 1686: William Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton
- 1686: Patrick, Earl of StrathmorePatrick Lyon, 3rd Earl of Strathmore and KinghornePatrick Lyon, 3rd Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne was a Scottish peer and the son of John Lyon, 2nd Earl of Kinghorne....
- 1693: William Douglas, 1st Duke of QueensberryWilliam Douglas, 1st Duke of QueensberryWilliam Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry PC also 3rd Earl of Queensberry and 1st Marquess of Queensberry was a Scottish politician....
- 1693: William Johnstone, 1st Marquess of AnnandaleWilliam Johnstone, 1st Marquess of AnnandaleWilliam Johnstone, 2nd Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, 1st Marquess of Annandale KT was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of James Johnstone, 1st Earl of Hartfell and Henrietta Douglas...
- 1693: Patrick, Lord PolwarthPatrick Hume, 1st Earl of MarchmontPatrick Hume, 1st Earl of Marchmont , known as Sir Patrick Hume, 1st Baronet from 1648 to 1690 and as Lord Polwarth from 1690 to 1697, was a Scottish statesman...
, later Earl of Marchmont - 1693: William Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton
- 1694: Archibald, Earl of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 1st Duke of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll, 10th Earl of Argyll was a Scottish peer.-Biography:The eldest son of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll and Mary Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray, Campbell sought to recover his father's estates...
- 1696: James Douglas, 2nd Duke of QueensberryJames Douglas, 2nd Duke of QueensberryJames Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry and 1st Duke of Dover was a Scottish nobleman.He was the eldest son of William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry and his wife Isabel Douglas, daughter of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas.Educated at the University of Glasgow, he was appointed a...
- 1699: Hugh Campbell, 3rd Earl of Loudoun
- 1704: John Campbell, 2nd Duke of ArgyllJohn Campbell, 2nd Duke of ArgyllField Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, 1st Duke of Greenwich KG , known as Iain Ruaidh nan Cath or Red John of the Battles, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman.-Early Life:...
- 1708: Archibald, Earl of IlayArchibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of ArgyllArchibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, businessman and soldier...
- 1712: John Murray, 1st Duke of AthollJohn Murray, 1st Duke of AthollJohn Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, KT, PC was a Scottish nobleman, politician, and soldier. He served in numerous positions during his life, and fought in the Glorious Revolution for William III and Mary II....
- 1721: John Hay, 4th Marquess of TweeddaleJohn Hay, 4th Marquess of TweeddaleJohn Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale PC was a Scottish nobleman.Tweeddale was an able and accomplished statesman, and possessed considerable knowledge of law. He was appointed an Extraordinary Lord of Session in 1721, the last person to hold this office. He was one of the Scottish representative...