James Keith, Baron Keith of Avonholm
Encyclopedia
James Keith, Baron Keith of Avonholm PC
(20 May 1886 - 29 June 1964) was a Scottish
advocate and Lord of Session.
His grandfather and namesake, James Keith (17 April 1825 - 21 March 1901) and his father, Sir Henry Shanks Keith (26 Dec. 1852 - 9 July 1944) both served as Provosts of Hamilton
, Lanarkshire, Scotland; his father also being appointed a Deputy Lieutenant and Honorary Sheriff of Lanarkshire. His family owned the large high-end grocery business, Keith's of Hamilton, operating from substantial premises on the town's Cadzow Street (the building remains.)
The young James Keith was brought up at Avonholm, Hamilton and attended the prestigious Hamilton Academy
.
Key career dates and appointments
1911 admitted to the Scottish Bar
1926 invested as King's Counsel (KC)
1936-37 served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates
1937-53 served as a Lord of Session
1937-53 served as Senator of the College of Justice
(Scotland)
1953 appointed, Privy Counsellor (PC)
1953 created Baron Keith of Avonholm of St. Bernard's in the City of Edinburgh
1953-61 served as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
. Here he dissented in 22% of the cases which he heard - a larger percentage than that of his famously radical contemporary, Lord Denning.
Children
On the 7 July 1915 James Keith married Jean Maitland Bennett. The couple had three children - the Hon. Elizabeth Hamilton Keith, the Hon. Helena Stewart Keith and the Hon. Henry Shanks Keith (7 Feb. 1922 - 21 June 2002) who was himself appointed Queen's Counsel
(1963); Lord of Session (1971); Privy Counsellor (1976); created in 1977 Baron Keith of Kinkel, of Strathummel in the District of Perth and Kinross and holding the office of Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
(1977–96), and being invested as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (G.B.E.) in 1997.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(20 May 1886 - 29 June 1964) was a Scottish
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
advocate and Lord of Session.
His grandfather and namesake, James Keith (17 April 1825 - 21 March 1901) and his father, Sir Henry Shanks Keith (26 Dec. 1852 - 9 July 1944) both served as Provosts of Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
, Lanarkshire, Scotland; his father also being appointed a Deputy Lieutenant and Honorary Sheriff of Lanarkshire. His family owned the large high-end grocery business, Keith's of Hamilton, operating from substantial premises on the town's Cadzow Street (the building remains.)
The young James Keith was brought up at Avonholm, Hamilton and attended the prestigious Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a school situated in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, Hamilton Academy featured in the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Magazine article series on...
.
Key career dates and appointments
1911 admitted to the Scottish Bar
1926 invested as King's Counsel (KC)
1936-37 served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates
Faculty 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...
1937-53 served as a Lord of Session
1937-53 served as 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...
(Scotland)
1953 appointed, Privy Counsellor (PC)
1953 created Baron Keith of Avonholm of St. Bernard's in the City of Edinburgh
1953-61 served as 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...
. Here he dissented in 22% of the cases which he heard - a larger percentage than that of his famously radical contemporary, Lord Denning.
Children
On the 7 July 1915 James Keith married Jean Maitland Bennett. The couple had three children - the Hon. Elizabeth Hamilton Keith, the Hon. Helena Stewart Keith and the Hon. Henry Shanks Keith (7 Feb. 1922 - 21 June 2002) who was himself appointed 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...
(1963); Lord of Session (1971); Privy Counsellor (1976); created in 1977 Baron Keith of Kinkel, of Strathummel in the District of Perth and Kinross and holding the office of 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...
(1977–96), and being invested as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (G.B.E.) in 1997.