James Fraser Tytler of Woodhouselee WS

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1780–1862) was a 19th-century Scottish lawyer and Depute to the

Lord Lyon The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...

, dealing with heraldic matters.

Life

The Fraser Tytler family vault, Greyfriars Kirkyard

He was born in or near

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 ...

on 9 October 1780, the son of the eminent judge,

Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee FRSE (15 October 17475 January 1813) was a Scottish advocate, judge, writer and historian who was a Professor of Universal History, and Greek and Roman Antiquities at the University of Edinburgh. Lif ...

, and his wife, Ann Fraser of Balnain, and paternal grandson of

William Tytler William Tytler WS FRSE (1711–1792) was a Scottish lawyer, known as a historical writer. He wrote ''An Inquiry into the Evidence against Mary Queen of Scots'', against the views of William Robertson. He discovered the manuscript the ''"Kingis Q ...

. In 1794 he was apprenticed as a lawyer to Richard Hotchkiss WS in offices on the south side of the

Grassmarket The Grassmarket is a historic market place, street and event space in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In relation to the rest of the city it lies in a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels. Location The Grassmarket is located direct ...

, under the shadow of

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

. He qualified as 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 ...

in 1803 and set up practice in the

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

at 9 Duke Street (later renamed Dublin Street). He was elected 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 ...

in 1821. His proposer was William Arbuthnot. At this stage he acted as legal advisor to the Scottish Tax Office at 12 North St David Street and lived in at 34

Charlotte Square 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intended ...

, one of Edinburgh's most exclusive addresses. In 1827 he became Depute and legal advisor to the

and in 1829 became Crown Agent as principal legal advisor to the

Lord Advocate , body = , insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg , insigniasize = 110px , image = File:Official Portrait of Dorothy Bain QC.png , incumbent = Dorothy Bain KC , incumbentsince = 22 June 2021 , appointer = Monarch on the advice ...

. In later life he shared legal chambers with his son at 19 Castle Street. He died on the day following his 82nd birthday, on 10 October 1862. He is buried on the family estate at Woodhouselee near

Roslin, Midlothian Roslin (formerly spelt Rosslyn or Roslyn; Scottish Gaelic: Riasg Linne) is a village in Midlothian, Scotland, 11 kilometres (7 mi) to the south of the capital city Edinburgh. It stands on high ground, near the northwest bank of the river ...

. The house is now demolished. He is also memorialised on the family vault in

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 ...

, but the vault lies within the section known as the Covenanters Prison which is generally closed to the public.

Family

In 1810 he married Elizabeth Carmichael (d.1845). They were parents to James Stuart Fraser Tytler WS. He was brother to

Patrick Fraser Tytler Patrick Fraser Tytler FRSE FSA(Scot) (30 August 179124 December 1849) was a Scottish advocate and historian. He was described as the "Episcopalian historian of a Presbyterian country". Life The son of Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhou ...

. His uncle was Col Patrick Tytler.

References

1780 births 1862 deaths People from Midlothian Scottish lawyers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh {{Scotland-bio-stub