The Hon Alexander Wood of Woodcote, Lord Wood

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(12 November 1788 – 18 July 1864) was a 19th-century Scottish lawyer who became a

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 (judges of the Court of Session); ...

Life

He was born on Blair Street, off the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

on 12 November 1788, the son of Isabella Campbell, daughter of John Campbell of Glensaddle and Newfield, and her husband, George Wood, a surgeon. George Wood was the second son of Alexander Wood, an eminent Edinburgh surgeon. By 1800 the family was living at 6 St Andrew Square in

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street ...

. Wood was educated at the

High School, Edinburgh The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

and then studied law at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, graduating around 1808. In 1811 he qualified as an advocate and in 1815 was living and working independently at 45 Queen Street. In 1826 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

, his proposer being

James Skene James Skene of Rubislaw (1775–1864) was a Scottish lawyer and amateur artist, best known as a friend of Sir Walter Scott. Life The second son of George Skene (1736–1776) of Rubislaw, Aberdeen and his wife Jane (Jean) Moir of Stoneywood, h ...

of Rubislaw. In 1830 he was appointed

Sheriff of Kirkcudbright The Sheriff of Wigtown was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Wigtown, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobit ...

and in 1841 Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. In 1842 he succeeded Adam Gillies, Lord Gillies, on the latter's retirement, as a

. He was then living at 1, Royal Circus in Edinburgh's Second New Town.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1845 He died on 18 July 1864. He is buried with his family in

Restalrig Restalrig () is a small residential suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland (historically, an estate and independent parish). It is located east of the city centre, west of Craigentinny and to the east of Lochend, both of which it overlaps. Restalrig ...

churchyard in eastern Edinburgh. The gravestone lies on the southern wall of the church.

Family

In 1815 he married Jane Anderson (1786–1865) daughter of John Anderson of

Inchyra Inchyra (; gd, An Innis Iarach "the west isle") is a hamlet in the Carse of Gowrie in Scotland. It lies on the northern bank of the River Tay near Perth and is notable particularly for a number of archaeological finds made in the immediate vicin ...

. Their eldest son John Andrew Wood (1819–1890) was an advocate. Other sons included David William Wood and Alexander Wood. They had a daughter Isabella Mary Wood who married

John Inglis, Lord Glencorse Rt Hon John Inglis, Lord Glencorse FRSE DCL LLD (21 August 1810 – 20 August 1891) was a Scottish politician and judge. He was Lord President of the Court of Session (1867–1891).Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo. His cousin was Dr Alexander Wood who was important in the development of the hypodermic needle.

References

1788 births 1864 deaths Lawyers from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh School of Law 19th-century Scottish judges Scottish sheriffs Senators of the College of Justice {{Scotland-law-bio-stub