James Gordon McIntyre, Lord Sorn, (1896–1983) was a Scottish law lord who served as 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); ...

. He was also a decorated war hero from the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was generally known by his middle name, Gordon.

Life

Sorn Castle from the River Ayr Way - geograph

He was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 21 July 1896, the son of Thomas McIntyre and Jeanie Paterson. He had three sisters. His father purchased

Sorn Castle Sorn Castle is located by the River Ayr just outside the village of Sorn, East Ayrshire, Sorn in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle comprises a medieval Tower houses in Britain and Ireland, tower house, which was extended over the years, and rem ...

in 1908 and began remodelling it in 1909. His father owned a shipping line and was Chairman of

Lloyds Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

but abandoned many of his business activities to concentrate on the estate. Gordon, as he was generally known, was educated at

Winchester School Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of t ...

. In the

he joined at the outset (aged 18), serving in the

Ayrshire Yeomanry The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry was a Regiment of the British Yeomanry and is now an armoured Squadron of the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry (SNIY), part of the British Army Reserve. It is the Lowlands of Scotland's only Royal A ...

. He undertook a short period of officer training then joined the Gallipoli campaign. There he was badly injured in the shoulder in a trench and was rescued by his sergeant. Following recovery, he went to the trenches of the Somme. Here won the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

for capturing a machine gun post. He later won a bar to the medal and also was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

. He later lost a leg in a grenade attack. After the war he went to

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

where he gained a BA in 1921. He then studied law at Glasgow University graduating LLB in 1923. Passing the Scottish Bar he became an advocate and became

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

(KC) in 1936. From 1939 to 1944 he was dean of the Faculty of Advocates. On the death of his father in 1920 he inherited Sorn Castle. In November 1944 he was elected a

with the title Lord Sorn, to replace

Thomas Graham Robertson, Lord Robertson Thomas Graham Robertson, Lord Robertson FRSE (1881-1944) was a 20th-century Scottish advocate, who became a Senator of the College of Justice. Life He was born on 23 November 1881, the son of James Hinton Robertson a notary public. The family li ...

. He retired in 1963 and died on 1 July 1983. He is buried with his father in Sorn churchyard.

Family

In 1923 he married Madeline Scott Moncrieff. They had two children: Robert Gordon McIntyre and Olivia McIntyre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McIntyre, James Gordon 1896 births 1983 deaths Lawyers from Glasgow People educated at Winchester College Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of the University of Glasgow Deans of the Faculty of Advocates Senators of the College of Justice Scottish amputees Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry officers