John Nisbet, Lord Dirleton (c. 1609–1687) was a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
judge remembered for his prosecution of the
Covenanters
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covena ...
.
Life
He was the son of Sir
Patrick Nisbet, Lord Eastbank, a Lord of Session, in turn son of
Henry Nisbet of Dean,
Lord Provost of Edinburgh
The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the ...
in 1597.
John Nisbet was admitted as an
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, ...
in 1633, he was
sheriff-depute of
Edinburghshire from 1639.
In 1634 he acted for John Toash, the master of household to
James Crichton of Frendraught. He was accused of burning down
Frendraught Castle. Nisbet argued successfully that the case against Toash was disproved by the conviction of another suspect, John Meldrum. He defended
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 – 21 May 1650) was a Scottish nobleman, poet and soldier, lord lieutenant and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three ...
in 1641. He was appointed
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 ...
and raised to the
bench with the judicial title Lord Dirleton in 1664. He severely persecuted the
Covenanter
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covena ...
s. He was a commissioner for the union of Scotland and England in 1670, and was forced to resign his position as Lord Advocate in 1677. In 1663, he purchased the estate of
Dirleton
Dirleton is a village and civil parish in East Lothian, Scotland approximately east of Edinburgh on the A198. It contains . Dirleton lies between North Berwick (east), Gullane (west), Fenton Barns (south) and the Yellowcraigs nature reserve, ...
, in
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the hist ...
, which included
Dirleton Castle
Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around west of North Berwick, and around east of Edinburgh. The oldest parts of the castle date to the 13th century, and it was abandoned by the ...
, and constructed
Archerfield House not far distant.
His Edinburgh townhouse was on the
Canongate
The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...
at the head of Reid's Close, built in 1624 by his father, and distinguished by a square turret projecting over the pavement.
[Cassell's Old and New Edinburgh vol.III p.10]
Publications
He was author of the legal work "Law Doubts" also known as "Dirleton's Doubts".
See also
John Nisbet of Hardhill
References
*
1600s births
1687 deaths
17th-century Scottish judges
Lord Advocates
Dirleton
Dirleton is a village and civil parish in East Lothian, Scotland approximately east of Edinburgh on the A198. It contains . Dirleton lies between North Berwick (east), Gullane (west), Fenton Barns (south) and the Yellowcraigs nature reserve, ...
Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1667
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