James David Marwick
Encyclopedia
Sir James David Marwick was a Scottish lawyer
, historian
and town clerk. He served as Town Clerk of Glasgow
for thirty-one years, during which time the entire city was transformed. Its powers and amenities were improved by by-laws and Acts of Parliament, and Marwick directed the city's Glasgow development for much of the second half of the 19th century.
, Orkney, James was born in Leith
, and was educated at Kirkwall and the University of Edinburgh
. He was admitted a procurator
at Dundee
in 1852, and became a solicitor
before the Supreme Courts six years later. For some time he was a member of the Town Council of Edinburgh
, and he became Town Clerk of that city in 1860. He was also clerk to the Convention of Royal Burgh
s from 1861 to 1876. In 1873 Marwick was offered a salary of £2,500 per annum (three times his previous salary) to succeed Angus Turner as Glasgow's Town Clerk. He used his influence to promote the expansion of the city's boundaries. The City Chambers
was erected between 1882 and 1888 as a symbol of municipal confidence and wealth. During those years he occupied a unique place in the municipal, literary, and social life of the city. He enjoyed the friendship of the successive Lord Provost
s of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He gradually built up a reputation as the leading authority on municipal law
in Scotland. His knowledge was utilised by successive Lord Advocate
s, and his opinion constantly sought by the Town Clerks of other burghs; and in no instance was that opinion overturned by the Courts. As a municipal organiser he had the task of framing and carrying out many of the greatest city enterprises of his time, including extension and improvements of the city, duplication of the water-works, the purification of the River Clyde
, the Municipal Tramways, and municipal electricity.
Marwick was also a prolific historian and writer. It was upon his initiative that the Scottish Burgh Record Society was founded, and he edited a number of the society's publications. He never lost interest in the island county from which he sprang, and many a young Orcadian, on coming south, was indebted to him for advice and help. Fellow Orcadian and town councillor William Walls
was a particular friend. When in Edinburgh he took an active interest in the affairs of the Augustine Church
, of which the Rev. William Lindsay Alexander
was minister. In Glasgow he also took an active part in the management of Trinity Congregational Church.
Marwick was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
in 1864. He received the degree of LL.D. from Glasgow University in 1878. The Freedom of the Burgh
of Kirkwall was conferred on him later, and in 1888, on the occasion of her visit to the first Glasgow Exhibition, Queen Victoria gave him the honour of knighthood
, this being the first occasion in which a municipal officer in Scotland was thus distinguished. When he left Edinburgh in 1873 the Corporation and citizens presented his wife with a full-length portrait of him painted by George Herdman, R.S.A.
, and on his retiral from the Town Clerkship of Glasgow in 1904 he was presented with an address and a valuable gift in testimony of the esteem in which he was held by the officials of the Corporation. Subsequently the citizens had his bust executed in duplicate by George Frampton
, one of these being lodged in the art galleries, and the other presented to Sir James's family.
His wife, Lady Marwick, was a daughter of James B. Watt, solicitor, Edinburgh, with whom he had a son James Marwick
, an accountant who founded one of the predecessor firms of KPMG
. Sir James died on 24 March 1908. He was understood to be engaged on several works when he died.
As editor:
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and town clerk. He served as Town Clerk of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
for thirty-one years, during which time the entire city was transformed. Its powers and amenities were improved by by-laws and Acts of Parliament, and Marwick directed the city's Glasgow development for much of the second half of the 19th century.
Biography
A son of William Marwick, a merchant from KirkwallKirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
, Orkney, James was born in Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, and was educated at Kirkwall and 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...
. He was admitted a procurator
Procurator
Procurator may refer to:*Procurator , the title of various officials of the Roman Empire...
at Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
in 1852, and became a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
before the Supreme Courts six years later. For some time he was a member of the Town Council of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, and he became Town Clerk of that city in 1860. He was also clerk to the Convention of Royal Burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
s from 1861 to 1876. In 1873 Marwick was offered a salary of £2,500 per annum (three times his previous salary) to succeed Angus Turner as Glasgow's Town Clerk. He used his influence to promote the expansion of the city's boundaries. The City Chambers
Glasgow City Chambers
The City Chambers in Glasgow, Scotland has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of civic government in the city since 1889, located on the eastern side of the city's George Square...
was erected between 1882 and 1888 as a symbol of municipal confidence and wealth. During those years he occupied a unique place in the municipal, literary, and social life of the city. He enjoyed the friendship of the successive Lord Provost
Lord Provost
A Lord Provost is the figurative and ceremonial head of one of the principal cities of Scotland. Four cities, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, have the right to appoint a Lord Provost instead of a provost...
s of Edinburgh and Glasgow. He gradually built up a reputation as the leading authority on municipal law
Municipal law
Municipal law is the national, domestic, or internal law of a sovereign state defined in opposition to international law. Municipal law includes not only law at the national level, but law at the state, provincial, territorial, regional or local levels...
in Scotland. His knowledge was utilised by successive Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
s, and his opinion constantly sought by the Town Clerks of other burghs; and in no instance was that opinion overturned by the Courts. As a municipal organiser he had the task of framing and carrying out many of the greatest city enterprises of his time, including extension and improvements of the city, duplication of the water-works, the purification of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, the Municipal Tramways, and municipal electricity.
Marwick was also a prolific historian and writer. It was upon his initiative that the Scottish Burgh Record Society was founded, and he edited a number of the society's publications. He never lost interest in the island county from which he sprang, and many a young Orcadian, on coming south, was indebted to him for advice and help. Fellow Orcadian and town councillor William Walls
William Walls
William Walls was a Scottish lawyer, industrialist and Dean of Guild of Glasgow.The son of John Walls and Elizabeth , he was born in Kirkwall, Orkney, and trained as a lawyer in Edinburgh before founding whale oil merchants and refiners William Walls & Co in 1847, in Glasgow...
was a particular friend. When in Edinburgh he took an active interest in the affairs of the Augustine Church
Augustine United Church
Augustine United Church in Edinburgh, Scotland is part of the United Reformed Church and is part of a local ecumenical partnership with St Columba's-by-the-Castle and Greyfriars Tolbooth and Highland Kirk ....
, of which the Rev. William Lindsay Alexander
William Lindsay Alexander
William Lindsay Alexander was a Scottish church leader.He was born at Leith, and was educated at the universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh, where he gained a lasting reputation for classical scholarship...
was minister. In Glasgow he also took an active part in the management of Trinity Congregational Church.
Marwick was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
in 1864. He received the degree of LL.D. from Glasgow University in 1878. The Freedom of the Burgh
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of Kirkwall was conferred on him later, and in 1888, on the occasion of her visit to the first Glasgow Exhibition, Queen Victoria gave him the honour of knighthood
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
, this being the first occasion in which a municipal officer in Scotland was thus distinguished. When he left Edinburgh in 1873 the Corporation and citizens presented his wife with a full-length portrait of him painted by George Herdman, R.S.A.
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy is a Scottish organisation that promotes contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and...
, and on his retiral from the Town Clerkship of Glasgow in 1904 he was presented with an address and a valuable gift in testimony of the esteem in which he was held by the officials of the Corporation. Subsequently the citizens had his bust executed in duplicate by George Frampton
George Frampton
Sir George James Frampton, RA was a notable British sculptor and leading member of the New Sculpture movement.-Early life and career:...
, one of these being lodged in the art galleries, and the other presented to Sir James's family.
His wife, Lady Marwick, was a daughter of James B. Watt, solicitor, Edinburgh, with whom he had a son James Marwick
James Marwick
James Marwick was an original founder of an accounting office that became one of the Big Four auditors, KPMG.Marwick's father was Sir James David Marwick, an Orcadian who was Town Clerk of Glasgow from 1873 to 1904...
, an accountant who founded one of the predecessor firms of KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
. Sir James died on 24 March 1908. He was understood to be engaged on several works when he died.
Published works
As writer:- History of the High Constables of Edinburgh (1865)
- Precedence of Edinburgh and Dublin (1865)
- Suggestions for the Conduct of School Board Elections in Burghs in Scotland (1873)
- Suggestions for the Conduct of School Board Elections in Parishes in Scotland (1876)
- Observations on the Law and Practice of Municipal Elections, and the Conduct of the Business of Town Councils and Commissioners of Police in Scotland (1879)
- Report on Markets and Fairs in Scotland (1890)
- The River Clyde and the Harbour of Glasgow (1898)
- The Water Supply of the City of Glasgow (1901)
- The Municipal Institutions of Scotland, an Historical Survey (1904)
- Edinburgh Guilds and Crafts (1909)
As editor:
- Records of the Convention of Royal Burghs of Scotland, 4 vols. (1866–85)
- Records of the City and Royal Burgh of Edinburgh, 4 vols. (1869–82)
- Charters and Documents relating to the Collegiate Church and Hospital of the Holy Trinity and the Trinity Hospital (1871)
- Charters of the City of Edinburgh (1871)
- Records of the Burgh of PeeblesPeeblesPeebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed. According to the 2001 Census, the population was 8,159.-History:...
, with historical preface by Dr. William ChambersWilliam ChambersWilliam Chambers may refer to:*William Chambers , 18th century Scottish architect*William Chambers *William Lee Chambers, judge*William Chambers , illegitimate son of the above...
(1872) - Records of the City and Royal Burgh of Glasgow, 2 vols. (1876–82)
- Charters of the City of Glasgow (1894)
- Historical Preface to the Glasgow Publications (1897)
- Miscellany of the Scottish Burgh Records Society (1881)