James Lorimer of Kellyfield,

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 ...

LLD (4 November 1818 – 13 February 1890) 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, ...

and professor of

public law Public law is the part of law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that are of direct ...

. He was an authority on international law.

Life

Lorimer was born in

Aberdalgie Aberdalgie (Gaelic: ''Obar Dheilgidh'', 'Confluence of the Thorn-Stream') is a small village in the Scottish council area of Perth and Kinross. It is southwest of Perth, and lies between the B9112 road, to the north, and the River Earn, to the ...

House in

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

. He was the son of James Lorimer, manager of the Earl of Kinnoul's estates. He was educated at the High School in Perth then studied law at

Edinburgh University 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 1582 ...

, doing further postgraduate studies in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

and

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, broadening his understanding of European Law. He was admitted to 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 1845. He purchased an impressive Georgian townhouse at 22 Queen Street, with James Jardine as a close neighbour. In 1861 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 ...

his proposer being Leonard Schmitz. He became Regius Professor of Public 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 ...

in 1862, a post he retained until his death. The post had been vacant since the death of Robert Hamilton in 1831. After gaining this post he moved to 21 Hill Street, close to Old College where he worked. Lorimer first rented

Kellie Castle Kellie Castle is a castle just outside Arncroach and below the dominant hill in the area, Kellie Law. it is about 4 kilometres north of Pittenweem in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Early history The earliest records of Kellie go back to ...

in 1878 and it became the family home. His children included the painter

John Henry Lorimer John Henry Lorimer (12 August 1856 – 4 November 1936) was a Scottish painter who worked on portraits and genre scenes of everyday life. Life Lorimer was born in Edinburgh, the son of James Lorimer, who was Regius Professor of Public Law ...

and the architect

Sir Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Gothi ...

and his nephew was the sculptor

Hew Lorimer Hew Martin Lorimer, OBE (22 May 1907 – 1 September 1993) was a Scottish sculptor. Early life He was born in Edinburgh, the second son of architect Sir Robert Lorimer. He was educated at Loretto School in Musselburgh, then at Magdalen Colle ...

. In Edinburgh after retiral he moved to the suburb of

Bruntsfield Bruntsfield is a largely residential area around Bruntsfield Place in Southern Edinburgh, Scotland. In feudal times, it fell within the barony of Colinton. Location Bruntsfield Place is less than south on the A702 main road from the West e ...

, living at 1 Bruntsfield Crescent. He is buried in the extreme south-west corner of the very small and remote Newburn Churchyard in

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

with his wife and children. The grave is designed by his son,

Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Gothi ...

who was later buried in the same grave. A plaque in his memory is situated at the entrance to the Law Faculty at the University of Edinburgh.

Works

Lorimer's publications include ''The Institutes of Law: a Treatise of the Principles of Jurisprudence as Determined by Nature'' (1872) and ''The Institutes of the Law of Nations: a Treatise of the Jural Relations of Separate Political Communities'' (two volumes, 1884). His legal philosophy was one of

Natural law Natural law ( la, ius naturale, ''lex naturalis'') is a system of law based on a close observation of human nature, and based on values intrinsic to human nature that can be deduced and applied independently of positive law (the express enacte ...

that stood against the prevailing

Legal positivism Legal positivism (as understood in the Anglosphere) is a school of thought of analytical jurisprudence developed largely by legal philosophers during the 18th and 19th centuries, such as Jeremy Bentham and John Austin. While Bentham and Austin de ...

. His concerns with the application of natural law to international relations were particularly influential in formalising the forms of inter-state recognition in 19th century continental Europe. In 1873 he was one of the founders of the

Institut de Droit International The Institute of International Law (French: Institut de Droit International) is an organization devoted to the study and development of international law, whose membership comprises the world's leading public international lawyers. The organizati ...

Family

Lorimer married Hannah Stodart (1835–1916) in 1851. She was only 16, he was 33. Lorimer was the father of both the noted architect,

, and the famous painter,

. These sons are buried with him, together with their sister, Louise Lorimer (1860-1946). He was also the father of the artist Hannah Cassels im Thurn. Their eldest son James Lorimer (1852–1898) died in Grahamstown,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Artistic recognition

Lorimer's portrait, by J. H. Lawson, hangs in the main stair leading to the Playfair Library in

Old College, University of Edinburgh Old College is a late 18th-century to early 19th-century building of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on South Bridge, and presently houses parts of the University's administration, the University of Edinburgh School of Law ...

. His sketch portraits of 1884, by

William Brassey Hole William Brassey Hole RSA (7 November 1846 – 22 October 1917) was a Scottish artist, illustrator, etcher, and engraver, known for his industrial, historical and biblical scenes. Life Early life and training Hole was born in Salisbury, ...

, are held by the

Scottish National Portrait Gallery The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...

. He was also sketched and painted by his son John Henry on several occasions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lorimer, James 1818 births 1890 deaths International law scholars People from Perth and Kinross Members of the Faculty of Advocates Members of the Institut de Droit International Scottish legal professionals Scottish legal scholars Academics of the University of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish people Scottish scholars and academics 19th-century scholars