Sir George Deas, Lord Deas (1804–1887) was a 19th century Scottish judge.

Life

The grave of Sir George Deas, Warriston Cemetery

Deas, son was born in 1804. Sir David Deas, naval medical officer, was his brother. He acquired the rudiments of knowledge in various schools in Falkland,

Milnathort Milnathort is a small town in the parish of Orwell in the county of Kinross-shire, Scotland and since 1996, the local council area of Perth and Kinross. The smaller neighbour of nearby Kinross, Milnathort has a population of around 2,000 peopl ...

in Kinross, and Perth, and in 1817 entered a

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

's office in Perth. Having spent some time there, and also in the office of a writer in

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fi ...

, he came to

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

, where he pursued his legal studies, and also attended various classes 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 ...

obtaining prizes in

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

moral philosophy Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...

, and law. He was called to the Scottish bar in 1828, where he soon acquired considerable practice. In 1833, "George Deas, advocate", is listed as living at 33 Scotland Street in Edinburgh's New Town, ground floor and basement accommodation in a high quality tenement. In 1840 he received the appointment of Advocate depute, an office to which he was reappointed in 1846, and which he held until 1850. He was made Sheriff of Ross and Cromarty in 1850 and

Solicitor General for Scotland , body = , insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg , insigniasize = 110px , image = File:Official Portrait of Ruth Charteris QC.png , incumbent = Ruth Charteris KC , incumbentsince = 22 June 2021 , department = Crown Office and ...

from 1851. He was created a permanent lord ordinary of the court of session, with the judicial title of Lord Deas, and a judge of exchequer in May 1853, and a Lord Commissioner of Justiciary in April 1854. He was knighted in 1858. He resigned his judicial roles in 1885 As an advocate he was distinguished rather by strong logical faculty than by eloquence. He proved himself an acute and painstaking judge; and though he was seldom deterred from making a caustic remark by the fear of giving pain, his disposition is said to have been kindly. He spoke with a broad Scots accent. He was the Judge who presided over the case of

Mary Timney Mary Timney (died 29 April 1862) was the last woman publicly executed in Scotland. She had been convicted of the murder of her landlady Ann Hannah. Timney lived in Carsphad (now New Galloway) in a stone cottage adjacent to Hannah's house. The tw ...

, the last woman publicly hanged in Scotland. Deas married, first, in 1838, Margaret, only daughter of Sylvester Reid, and secondly, in 1857, the widow of Sir Benjamin Fonseca Outram, CB, MD. Pittendreich House,

Lasswade Lasswade is a village and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River North Esk, nine miles (14.5 kilometres) south of Edinburgh city centre, contiguous with Bonnyrigg and between Dalkeith to the east and Loanhead to the west. Melvil ...

, was built in 1857 for Deas, and he also owned Hartwoodhill estate in North Lanarkshire. In 1860 he lived at 3 Moray Place on the

Moray Estate The Moray Estate in Edinburgh was an exclusive early 19th century building venture attaching the west side of Edinburgh's New Town. Built on an awkward and steeply sloping site, it has been described as a masterpiece of urban planning. Back ...

. He died on 7 February 1887 at his residence, 32 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. He is buried against the east wall of

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

in north Edinburgh, near the sealed northern gate. With him lie his wife, Dame Sally Outram (1818–1899) and son, Francis Deas FRSE (1839–1874) an advocate and amateur microscopist.

Arms

References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deas, George 1804 births 1887 deaths People from Fife Deas Members of the Faculty of Advocates 19th-century Scottish judges Solicitors General for Scotland Scottish sheriffs