Alexander Boswell, Lord Auchinleck, 8th Laird of Auchinleck (1706–1782) was a Scottish judge who served in the

supreme court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

s of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He was the father of the author and biographer

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...

, and grandfather of songwriter Sir Alexander Boswell. Alexander Boswell was the eldest son of James Boswell (ca. 1672–1749), 7th Laird of Auchinleck. He attended the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, read Civil Law at the University of Leyden and was admitted to the

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. The Faculty of Advocates is a const ...

in 1727. He was appointed Sheriff of Wigtown in 1748 but resigned the position in 1750 after inheriting the Auchinleck estate in Ayrshire on the death of his father. There he built the present Adam-style Auchinleck House. In 1754, he built a new aisle in Auchinleck church for Rev. John Dun who was also the family tutor.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; vol. 3; by Hew Scott Alexander was nominated to the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...

in 1754, receiving the additional appointment to the High Court of Justiciary in the following year. As a judge he took the courtesy title ''Lord Auchinleck'' from the name of his estate, of which he was the 8th Laird. He is noted for rescuing the Auchinleck manuscript in 1740 from a professor of the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

who was in the process of destroying it. He donated the manuscript to the

Advocates' Library The Advocates Library, founded in 1682, is the law library of the Faculty of Advocates, in Edinburgh. It served as the national deposit library of Scotland until 1925, at which time through an act of Parliament, the National Library of Scotland ...

in Edinburgh. He is known for frequently arguing with his son, James Boswell, upon matters such as Boswell's career choice, life style, his publishing methods and routes of travel, his friends and even his choice of wife.

Family

He married Euphemia Erskine (1718–1766) in 1738; their children included James, John (1743–1798) and (Thomas) David (1748–1826). John joined the Army but was obliged to resign on the grounds of insanity. Thomas David was a merchant trading with Spain before becoming head of the Prize Department of the Navy. After Euphemia's death in 1766 he married his cousin Elizabeth Boswell on the same day as his son James's marriage in 1769.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boswell, Alexander 1706 births 1782 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 18th-century Scottish judges Scottish sheriffs Clan Boswell Auchinleck People from Auchinleck