Plaque to Lord Balmuto on Kinghorn Church in Fife

Claud Irvine Boswell, Lord Balmuto (1742 – 22 July 1824) was a Scottish judge.

Biography

The Boswell family acquired Balmuto Castle (aka Balmuto Tower) in the late 14th century. Boswell was born at Balmuto Castle in 1742. His father, John Boswell of Balmuto, a

writer to the signet The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of document ...

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 ...

, died when Claud was an infant. Boswell's paternal uncle was James Boswell of

Auchinleck Auchinleck ( ; sco, Affleck ;
gd, Achadh nan Leac

and his son (Boswell's cousin) was the infamous

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...

companion of Dr Johnson. At the age of six he was sent to Mr Barclay's school at

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...

. After finishing his education 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 ...

, he was admitted a member of the Faculty of Advocates on 2 August 1766. At Edinburgh University he befriended Henry Hunter and employed him as a tutor.Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana by Hew Scott In 1774 he organised and paid for the rebuilding of

Kinghorn Kinghorn (; gd, Ceann Gronna) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. According ...

Parish Church. On 25 March 1780 he was appointed sheriff depute of

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

and

Kinross Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinross's origins are connect ...

, and, after serving this office for 19 years was, upon the death of James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, appointed a lord of session, and took his seat upon the bench with the title of Lord Balmuto on 21 June 1799. After nearly 23 years of judicial work he resigned in January 1822, and was succeeded by

William Erskine, Lord Kinneder William Erskine, Lord Kinneder (1768–1822), was a friend and confidant of Sir Walter Scott, and a scholar and songwriter. Early life and education Erskine was the son of the Rev. William Erskine, episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western ...

. The death, under his own roof, of his kinsman, Sir Alexander Boswell, from the effects of a wound received by him in the duel with James Stuart of Dunearn, gave him a shock from which he never entirely recovered. He died at Balmuto on 22 July 1824, in his 83rd year. He was a robust and athletic man, with black hair and beetling eyebrows. His manner was boisterous and his temper passionate. Though fond of joking, a habit he sometimes indulged in on the bench, he was not particularly keen in the perception of wit in others. In 1783 he married Anne Irvine, who, by the death of her brother and grandfather, became the heiress of Kingcussie. They had two daughters and a son. Two etchings of him will be found in Kay, Nos. 262 and 300.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boswell, Claud Irvine 1742 births 1824 deaths 18th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish people Clan Boswell Balmuto Alumni of the University of Edinburgh