Hercules James Robertson, Lord Benholme (13 October 1795 – 15 September 1874) was a Scottish judge. He became a

Senator of the College of Justice The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session); ...

in 1853.

Life

Born in

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 ...

, he was the son of George Robertson – Scott and his wife Isabella Scott. Robertson was educated at the

High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and then studied law 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 called to the Scottish bar in 1817. Robertson was

Sheriff of Renfrew A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

shire in 1842 and was appointed a

Lord of Session The senators of the College of Justice are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court of Session) ...

assuming the judicial title Lord Benholme, after his mother's family seat. He lived with his family at 76 Great King Street, a very large Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh's Second New Town. He died in Edinburgh on 15 September 1874.

Family

On 7 July 1829, he married Ann Wilhelmina Hope (died 1842), the daughter of

Charles Hope, Lord Granton Rt Hon Lord Charles Hope FRSE (29 June 1763 – 30 October 1851) was a Scottish politician and judge. Life Hope was born on 29 June 1763, the eldest son of Mary Breton, the only daughter of Eliab Breton of Forty Hill, Enfield (a granddaughter o ...

. They had four sons and two daughters. His son David Robertson became a minister and married Eleanor Charlotte Dalrymple-Fergusson, daughter of

Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet of Kilkerran FRSE (1800–1849) was a Scottish lawyer. Life He was born at Fort George in Inverness-shire on 26 August 1800. He was the eldest son of Sir James Fergusson, 4th Baronet, fourth baro ...

of Kilkerran. His son George Robertson (1830–1896) became a civil engineer in charge of the expansion of

Leith Docks Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

. He was a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

and President of the

Royal Scottish Society of Arts The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by David Brewster, Sir David Brewster in 182 ...

from 1866 to 1868.

Arms

References

1795 births 1874 deaths Lawyers from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Benholme Scottish sheriffs 19th-century Scottish judges {{Scotland-law-bio-stub