Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Baronet, of Minto ( – 1 May 1718) was a Scottish writer, lawyer, politician and judge from

Minto Minto may refer to: Places Antarctica *Mount Minto (Antarctica) Australia *Minto, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Minto railway station * Minto County, Western Australia * Parish of Minto, New South Wales Canada * Minto City, British C ...

in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

. He was the younger son of Gavin Elliot of Midlem Mill, Roxburghshire, and his wife, Margaret Hay. He was educated 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 ...

. Initially a writer, he began assisting in legal cases, helping

William Veitch William Veitch LL.D. (1794–1885) was a Scottish classical scholar. Life He was born in Spittal-on-Rule in Roxburghshire, his family being one of the three main farming families in the area. He attended school in Jedburgh then went to Edinburg ...

escape execution in 1679 as an opponent of King Charles II. After similarly helping the

Earl of Argyll Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

in 1681, Elliot went into exile in Europe in 1685, and in his absence was sentenced to death and forfeiture. He was

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

ed by

King James VII James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...

and returned to Scotland in 1687, where 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 1688. After the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

, the forfeiture was quashed in 1690. Elliot became a clerk to the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. In the range of its functions the council was often more important than the Estates in the running the country. Its registers include a wide range of ...

, was knighted in 1692, and made a baronet, of Minto, in 1700. He sat in the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

for

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

from 1703 until the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England were combined to form the Parliament of Great Britain in 1707, which he opposed. In 1703 he became a judge of the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...

, taking the judicial title of Lord Minto. Elliot died at the age of 67 on 1 May 1718, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

References

1650 births Year of birth uncertain 1718 deaths People from the Scottish Borders Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Senators of the College of Justice People sentenced to death in absentia Recipients of Scottish royal pardons Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1702–1707 Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish writers {{NovaScotia-baronet-stub