Sir Christopher Nicholson Johnston, Lord Sands
FRSE (18 October 1857 – 26 February 1934) was a
Unionist Party (Scotland)
The Unionist Party was the main centre-right political party in Scotland between 1912 and 1965.
Independent of, although associated with, the Conservative Party in England and Wales, it stood for election at different periods of its history ...
MP for
Edinburgh and St Andrews universities between two by-elections in 1916 and 1917. He was an expert on Church Law and represented the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...
on many occasions.
Life
He was born on 18 October 1857 in
Kincardine,
the son of Margaret Nicholson,
daughter of Reverend Nicholson of
Whithorn
Whithorn ( ʍɪthorn 'HWIT-horn'; ''Taigh Mhàrtainn'' in Gaelic), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christia ...
, and James Johnston of Mansionhouse of Sands (in
Fife).
He studied law at
Madras College
Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell.
History
Madras ...
,
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
, 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 ...
and
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
.
After training as a lawyer he made rapid progress in the profession: Advocate (1880); Advocate Depute (1892);
Sheriff of Caithness, Orkney & Zetland (1899–1900);
Sheriff of Inverness, Elgin & Nairn (1900–1905);
Sheriff of Perthshire (1905–1916); Kings Counsel (10 June 1902). He was
Procurator to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (1907–1918). He became a judge in 1908.
He served as an MP representing St Andrews and Edinburgh Universities 1916–17.
In 1917 he was created a
Senator of the College of Justice (a Scottish law lord) and given the title Lord Sands.
From 1919 he was President of the Scottish
Boys' Brigade
The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...
. From 1921 he chaired the Carnegie Trust for University Education.
He was awarded several honorary doctorates by the Scottish Universities including being created a
Doctor of Divinity by 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 ...
.
In 1925 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were
Sir James Alfred Ewing,
Sir Edmund Whittaker
Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker (24 October 1873 – 24 March 1956) was a British mathematician, physicist, and historian of science. Whittaker was a leading mathematical scholar of the early 20th-century who contributed widely to applied mathema ...
,
Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer, and
Sir Thomas Hudson Beare. He served as the society's vice-president 1932–4.
He died in Edinburgh on 26 February 1934 aged 76. He is buried in the modern extension to
Dean Cemetery off Queensferry Road in western Edinburgh. The grave lies against the north wall in the modern equivalent of ''Lord's Row'' in the original cemetery, forming one off a group of law lords buried together. His wife lies with him.
Family
In 1898 he married Agnes ("Nancy") Warren Dunn (1868–1955) of Dunmullin. They had two daughters and two sons, including
James Wellwood Johnston
James Wellwood Johnston (5 April 1900 – 18 September 1958) was a British lawyer and politician.
The elder son of Christopher Johnston, Lord Sands, he was educated at Rugby School and New College, Oxford. He was called to the Scottish bar in 192 ...
and Alice Crawford Johnston CBE. They lived at 4
Heriot Row
Heriot Row is a highly prestigious street in central Edinburgh, virtually unchanged since its original construction in 1802. From its inception to the present day in remained a top address in the city and has housed the rich and famous of the cit ...
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 Stree ...
.
[Edinburgh and Leith Post Office directory 1900–01]
Publications
*''The Ecclesiastical Law of Scotland''
*''Episcopacy in Scotland'' (1879)
*''The Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act'' (1883)
*''The Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act '' (1886)
*''The Handbook of Scottish Church Defence'' (1892)
*''Church Finance'' (1905)
*''Major Owen and Other Tales'' (1909)
*''The Seven Churches of Asia'' (1916)
*''John Blaw of Castlehill: Jacobite and Criminal'' (1916)
*''Dr Archibald Scott of St Georges, Edinburgh'' (1919)
*''Off the Chain'' (1924) short stories
*''The Story of St Stephens, Edinburgh 1828–1928'' (1927)
*''The Life of
Wallace Williamson'' (1929)
*''Sir Walter Scott's Conge'' (1929)
*''Kinlochmoidart's Dirk and Other Tales'' (1931)
References
External links
*
mention
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Christopher Nicholson
1857 births
1934 deaths
Sands
Unionist Party (Scotland) MPs
Scottish sheriffs
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities
UK MPs 1910–1918
People educated at Madras College
Burials at the Dean Cemetery