George Cranstoun, Lord Corehouse (28 November 1770 – 26 June 1850) was a Scottish

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

, judge and satirist.

Life

Cranstoun was likely born at his father's estate, Longwarton. He was baptised in Ancrum,

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

, Scotland, the second son of the Hon. George Cranstoun of Longwarton, seventh son of William Cranstoun, 5th Lord Cranstoun, and Maria, daughter of Thomas Brisbane of Brisbane, Ayrshire. He was originally intended for a military career, however 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 ...

on 2 February 1793, was appointed a depute-advocate in 1805, and

sheriff-depute A sheriff court () is the principal local civil and criminal court in Scotland, with exclusive jurisdiction over all civil cases with a monetary value up to , and with the jurisdiction to hear any criminal case except treason, murder, and rap ...

Sutherland Sutherland () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The name dates from the Scandinavian Scotland, Viking era when t ...

in 1806. He was chosen dean of the Faculty of Advocates on 15 November 1823, and was raised to the bench on the death of Lord Hermand in 1826, under the title of Lord Corehouse, from his residence Corehouse near the fall of

Corra Linn The Falls of Clyde are a series of linns or waterfalls on the River Clyde, near Lanark, Scotland. They are renowned for their beauty and have frequently been painted by artists. There are four in total: Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn, and Dundaff ...

on the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

. In 1832–3 Lord Corehouse is listed as living at 12 Ainslie Place on the Moray Estate in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

's fashionable west end. In January 1839, while apparently in perfect health, he was suddenly struck with paralysis, which compelled him to retire. He died 26 June 1850. Corehouse18

Associations and works

His accomplishments as a Greek scholar secured him the friendship of

Lord Monboddo James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (baptised 25 October 1714 – 26 May 1799) was a Scottish judge, scholar of linguistic evolution, philosopher and deist. He is most famous today as a founder of modern comparative historical linguistics. In 1767, h ...

. While attending the civil law class in 1788 Cranstoun met

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

, and a friendship continued through life. Scott read the opening stanzas of the '' Lay of the Last Minstrel'' to William Erskine and Cranstoun. While practising at the bar Cranstoun wrote a satire, 'The Diamond Beetle Case,’ in which he caricatured the manner and style of several of the judges in delivering their opinions.

Family

His second sister, Jane Anne, afterwards Countess of Purgstall, was a correspondent of Walter Scott; his youngest sister, Helen D'Arcy, was a noted poet and hostess in Edinburgh and was the wife of philosopher

Dugald Stewart Dugald Stewart (; 22 November 175311 June 1828) was a Scottish philosopher and mathematician. Today regarded as one of the most important figures of the later Scottish Enlightenment, he was renowned as a populariser of the work of Francis Hutc ...

References

1770 births 1850 deaths 18th-century Scottish judges 19th-century Scottish people Place of birth missing Corehouse Scottish satirists Deans of the Faculty of Advocates Scholars of Greek language Scottish scholars and academics Scottish sheriffs {{Scotland-law-bio-stub