Robert Dundas of Arniston (6 June 1758 – 17 June 1819) was a Scottish judge. Dundas served as

Solicitor General for Scotland , body = , insignia = Crest of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg , insigniasize = 110px , image = File:Official Portrait of Ruth Charteris QC.png , incumbent = Ruth Charteris KC , incumbentsince = 22 June 2021 , department = Crown Office and ...

between 1784 and 1789 and as

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 ...

from 1789 to 1801. He sat as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for was M.P. for

Edinburghshire Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh ...

from 1790 to 1801, and was Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Scotland from 1801 until his death in 1819.

Life

Robert was born 6 June 1758 at Arniston House south of

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 ...

. He was the eldest son of

Robert Dundas of Arniston, the younger Robert Dundas of Arniston, the younger, FRSE (18 July 1713 – 13 December 1787) was a Scottish judge. He served as Solicitor General for Scotland from 1742 to 1746, as Lord Advocate from 1754 to 1760, and as Member of Parliament for Midlothian ...

and his second wife, Jean, daughter of

William Grant, Lord Prestongrange William Grant, Lord Prestongrange (1701 – 23 May 1764), was a Scottish politician and judge. Grant was procurator for the Church of Scotland and Clerk to the General Assembly in 1731. He campaigned against patronage in the Church. He was appo ...

. Around 1766 the family took additional accommodation at Adam's Court in Edinburgh. He was educated at the high school and 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 ...

, and was admitted advocate in 1779. With the help of his uncle

Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18 ...

he succeeded Alexander Wight as Solicitor General for Scotland in 1784 and became lord advocate in 1789. At this time he was living at Adam Square near

Greyfriars Kirk Greyfriars Kirk ( gd, Eaglais nam Manach Liath) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard. Greyfriars traces its origin to the south-west parish of Edi ...

. From 1790 to 1801 he was MP for

. In June 1792 he was the cause and focus of the

Dundas Riots The Dundas Riots were a series of riots in Edinburgh over three consecutive days in June 1792. They are sometimes also called the King's Birthday Riots. Background The riots came on the back of a period of civil unrest, variously sourced from ...

, starting at his home in George Square. Following the riots he made it a personal aim to prosecute and effectively destroy the Edinburgh lawyer,

Thomas Muir of Huntershill Thomas Muir (24 August 1765 – 26 January 1799), also known as Thomas Muir the Younger of Huntershill, was a Scottish political reformer and lawyer. Muir graduated from Edinburgh University and was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 178 ...

, who he saw as responsible for most of the seditious mischief. He appeared for the crown in the great prosecutions for sedition at Edinburgh in 1793. In 1796 he was elected

Dean of the Faculty of Advocates The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, also known as the Dean of Faculty, is the head of the Faculty of Advocates, the independent body for advocates in Scotland. The Dean is elected by the whole membership. List of deans of Faculty * 1582 to ??? ...

. He was joint-clerk and keeper of the general registers for seisins and other writs in Scotland from 1799 until on 1 June 1801 he was appointed chief baron of the exchequer in Scotland, but in 1801 and 1811 he turned down offers of the lord presidency. He died at his townhouse, 57

George Square, Edinburgh George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the south of the city centre, adjacent to The Meadows (park), the Meadows. It was laid out in 1766 outside the overcrowded Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, ...

on 17 June 1819.His portrait appears in Kay's ''Edinburgh Portraits.''

Family

Part of a Scottish legal and political dynasty, Dundas was the son of

Robert Dundas, of Arniston, the younger Robert Dundas of Arniston, the younger, FRSE (18 July 1713 – 13 December 1787) was a Scottish judge. He served as Solicitor General for Scotland from 1742 to 1746, as Lord Advocate from 1754 to 1760, and as Member of Parliament for Midlothian ...

. His great-great-grandfather

James Dundas, Lord Arniston Sir James Dundas, Lord Arniston (1620–1679) was a Scottish politician and judge.Although styled Lord Arniston like his son this was not an hereditary title but one assumed by them on becoming an ordinary lord of session (judge). He served as ...

(died 1679) and great-grandfather

Robert Dundas, Lord Arniston Robert Dundas, Lord Arniston (1650–1726) was a Scottish politician and ordinary lord of session. Life He was the eldest son of Sir James Dundas, Lord Arniston, by Marion, daughter of Robert, Lord Boyd. He was educated abroad, but returned to Sco ...

had been MPs and judges, as were his grandfather

Robert Dundas, of Arniston, the elder The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

and his father Robert Dundas, of Arniston, the younger. In May 1787 Robert Dundas married his first cousin, Elizabeth Dundas, daughter of his uncle Henry Dundas. Together they had two daughters and three sons. Elizabeth died 18 March 1852. His heir, Robert, who lived at 69 Queen Street in Edinburgh, died in 1838. Henry, the second son, was vice-admiral in the navy, and died 11 September 1863. His daughter married John Borthwick of Crookston

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 ...

(1787–1845).

Notes

References

* ;Attribution *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dundas, Robert 1758 births 1819 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Barons of the Court of Exchequer (Scotland) Members of the Faculty of Advocates Rectors of the University of Glasgow Robert Dundas Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 Solicitors General for Scotland Lord Advocates Deans of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish Tory MPs (pre-1912)