John Hay Forbes, Lord Medwyn (19 September 1776 – 25 July 1854) was a British judge.

Life

Forbes was 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 ...

on 19 September 1776 the second son of

Sir William Forbes, 6th Baronet Sir William Forbes, 6th Baronet of Monymusk and Pitsligo, usually known as William Forbes of Pitsligo (1739–1806), was a Scottish banker. He was known also as an improving landlord, philanthropist, and writer. Life and career He was born i ...

, and his wife Elizabeth Hay. He 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 ...

and was admitted to the Scottish Bar as an advocate in 1799. He was appointed Sheriff Depute of Perthshire in 1807, and was made

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) ...

in January 1825, when he assumed the courtesy title of Lord Medwyn, from his estate in Perthshire. In the 1830s he is listed as living at 17 Ainslie Place on the Moray Estate in the west end of

. In December 1830 he was made a Lord of Justiciary. He resigned that appointment in May 1849, retired from the bench in October 1852, and died in Edinburgh, 25 July 1854.

Works

He edited a new edition of ‘Thoughts concerning Man's Condition and Duties in this Life, and his Hopes in the World to come’, by

Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes of Pitsligo Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(1678–1762), 1835, 4th ed. Edinburgh, 1854.

Family

Forbes married Louisa Cumming-Gordon, daughter of Sir

Alexander Cumming-Gordon Sir Alexander Penrose Cumming-Gordon, 1st Baronet (19 May 1749 – 10 February 1806) was a Scottish politician. Cumming-Gordon sat as member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live ...

of Altyre, Elgin. They had several children, including the sons William Forbes of Medwyn,

Alexander Penrose Forbes Alexander Penrose Forbes (16 June 18178 October 1875) was a Scottish Episcopalian divine, born in Edinburgh. A leading cleric in the Scottish Episcopal Church, he was Bishop of Brechin from 1847 until his death in 1875. Biography He was the sec ...

(who became

bishop of Brechin The Bishop of Brechin is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Brechin or angus, Scotland, Angus, based at Dundee. Brechin Cathedral, Brechin is a parish church of the established (presbyterian) Church of Scotland. The diocese had a long-es ...

) and

George Hay Forbes George Hay Forbes (1821–1875) was a priest of the Scottish Episcopal Church and the brother of Alexander Penrose Forbes, Bishop of Brechin. Despite severe physical adversity, Forbes was responsible for church building at Burntisland near ...

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

clergyman and founder of the

Pitsligo Press The Pitsligo Press was a printing press founded in 1852 by Scottish Episcopal priest and scholar George Hay Forbes (1821–1875) in Burntisland, Scotland. It published sermons, periodicals, patristic texts, liturgical material, and used fonts in ...

. Their daughter were Louisa Penuel Forbes and Helen Forbes.

Artistic recognition

Forbes' portrait is held in the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medwyn, John Hay Forbes, Lord 1776 births 1854 deaths Lawyers from Edinburgh 18th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish people Scottish sheriffs Medwyn Members of the Faculty of Advocates