CHAMBERS(1869) p095 HOUSE OF ROBERT GOURLAY

Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath (c. 1630 – 1689) was a Scottish

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

, judge and commissioner to parliament who was murdered.

Life

In 1644 he purchased from Sir Thomas Hope the mansion of Robert Gourlay on 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 ...

in Edinburgh, very close to the Law Courts. The second son of Sir

James Lockhart of Lee Sir James Lockhart, Lord Lee (died 1674) was a Scottish courtier, politician and judge, a royalist commander of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Life He was son of Sir James Lockhart XI of Lee, of a lairdly family, by his wife, Jean Weir of Stone ...

, laird of Lee, he was admitted as an

in 1656. He was knighted in 1663, and was appointed Dean of 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 constitu ...

in 1672. He was celebrated for his persuasive eloquence. In 1674, when he was disbarred for alleged disrespect to the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...

in advising an appeal to parliament, fifty advocates showed their sympathy for him by withdrawing from practice. Lockhart was readmitted in 1676, and became the leading advocate in political trials, in which he usually appeared for the defence. He lived on Mauchine's Close, previously the home of Sir Thomas Hope (and later swept way by the construction of Melbourne Place on

George IV Bridge George IV Bridge is an elevated street in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is home to a number of the city's important public buildings. History A bridge connecting the Royal Mile to the south was first suggested as early as 1817, but was first p ...

). He was a Commissioner to the Scottish Parliament for

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

in 1681/82 and 1685/86. He was appointed

Lord President of the Court of Session The Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General is the most senior judge in Scotland, the head of the judiciary, and the presiding judge of the College of Justice, the Court of Session, and the High Court of Justiciary. The L ...

in 1685, and a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

and a commissioner of the Exchequer in 1686. Lockhart purchased the extensive estates of the

Earls of Carnwath The title Earl of Carnwath is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created together with the subsidiary title of Lord Dalzell and Liberton, on 21 April 1639 for Robert Dalzell, 2nd Lord Dalzell. His father, Sir Robert Dalzell, had been raised ...

in Lanarkshire, which were inherited by his eldest son, George Lockhart of Lee (1673–1731), whose mother was Philadelphia, daughter of

Lord Wharton Baron Wharton is a title in the Peerage of England, originally granted by letters patent to the heirs male of the Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton, 1st Baron, which was forfeited in 1729 when the last male-line heir was declared an outlaw. The B ...

. Lockhart was murdered in Edinburgh returning from church on

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

, 31 March 1689, the service being by William Hay, Bishop of Moray, by John Chieslie of Dalry, the father of

Lady Grange Rachel Chiesley (baptised 4 February 1679 – 12 May 1745), usually known as Lady Grange, was the wife of James Erskine, Lord Grange, Lord Grange, a Scottish lawyer with Jacobitism, Jacobite sympathies. After 25 years of marriage and ...

, and older brother to

Robert Chieslie Sir Robert Chieslie of Dalry (sometimes spelled Cheislie, Chiesley or Chishley) (c. 1650 – c. 1705) was a Scottish merchant who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1694 to 1696. Given the rarity of the name he is probably Robert Cheisl ...

, a future

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

. Chiesley had been unhappily married to Margaret Nicholson, mother of their ten children. Margaret took her husband to court for

aliment Aliment, in Scots law and in other civil systems, is the sum of money paid, or allowance given in respect of the reciprocal obligation of parents and children, husband and wife, grandparents and grandchildren, to contribute to each other's ma ...

. She was awarded 1,700

merks The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly ...

by Sir George. Furious with the decision, Chiesley decided to kill Lockhart. The Chiesleys attended the same Easter Sunday service as Lord Carnwath. John followed Lord Carnwath, who was accompanied by his cousins, John Lockhart (Lord Castlehill) and Daniel Lockhart, from

St Giles Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...

, up the

a short distance, and down Mauchine's Close to Lockhart's house. Here Chieslie shot him in the back, just outside his house.Margaret Macauley, ''The Prisoner of St Kilda: The true story of the unfortunate Lady Grange''. Edinburgh: Luath, 2009. ) The assailant made no attempt to escape and confessed at his trial, held before the Lord Provost, Magnus Prince (or Prize), the next day. Two days later he was taken from the

Tolbooth A tolbooth or town house was the main municipal building of a Scottish burgh, from medieval times until the 19th century. The tolbooth usually provided a council meeting chamber, a court house and a jail. The tolbooth was one of three essen ...

to the Mercat Cross on the High Street. His right hand was cut off here, and then nailed onto the gates of West Port. He was then taken to the gibbet at the Gallowlee (the junction of Pilrig Street and

Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the centre of the city to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the street to the ...

) where he was then hanged, and the pistol he had used for the murder was placed round his neck. Lockhart is buried in the distinctive domed mausoleum of

Sir George Mackenzie Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh (1636 – May 8, 1691) was a Scottish lawyer, Lord Advocate, essayist and legal writer. Early life Mackenzie, who was born in Dundee, was the son of Sir Simon Mackenzie of Lochslin (died c. 1666) and Elizabe ...

on the south side of

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

.Monuments and monumental inscriptions in Scotland: The Caledonian Society of Scotland

Notes

Sources

*Concise Dictionary of National Biography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lockhart, George 1689 deaths Lords President of the Court of Session Year of birth uncertain Deans of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish knights Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Privy Council of Scotland Scottish murder victims 17th-century Scottish judges 17th-century Scottish people English MPs 1659 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1681–1682 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1685–1686 Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard

Life

See also

Notes

Sources