Sir Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Baronet, (of Minto) (16 April 1766) was a Scottish 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 Col ...

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 ...

. From 1763 until his death 3 years later, he was

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...

, the second most senior judge in Scotland.

Early life

He was the oldest son of the judge

Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Baronet, of Minto Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Baronet, of Minto ( – 1 May 1718) was a Scottish writer, lawyer, politician and judge from Minto in the Scottish Borders. He was the younger son of Gavin Elliot of Midlem Mill, Roxburghshire, and his wife, Margaret Hay ...

(–1718). Elliot studied law at the

University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

and 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 1715.

Career

He was the

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 ...

(MP) 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 1722 to 1726 He was also an eager agriculturist, and was one of the members of an

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 ...

"committee of taste for the improvement of the town." He was a keen supporter of the

Hanoverian succession The Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Catholic, or who married one, bec ...

, in opposition to

Jacobitism Jacobitism (; gd, Seumasachas, ; ga, Seacaibíteachas, ) was a political movement that supported the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British throne. The name derives from the first name ...

. In June 1726 he was made 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 Lord Minto. He became a

Lord of Justiciary The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. The High Court is both a trial court and a court of appeal. As a trial court, the High Court sits on circuit at Parliament House or in the adjacent former Sheriff Cour ...

in 1733 and in 1761

Keeper of the Signet The office of Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenance and care of the public records of Scotland. Tod ...

. In 1763 he was promoted to

Personal life

In 1718, Elliot was married to Helen Stewart, the daughter of

Sir Robert Steuart, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Steuart (or Stewart), 1st Baronet of Allanbank (1643 – 1707) was a Scottish politician who represented North Berwick in the Parliament of Scotland from 1698 to 1702. Early life Steuart was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1643. He was ...

, who had been a member of the pre-union

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 ...

. Together they were the parents of : * Eleanor Elliot (1719–1797), who married

John Rutherfurd John Rutherfurd (September 20, 1760February 23, 1840) was an American politician and land surveyor. He represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1791 to 1798. Early life John Rutherfurd was born on September 20, 1760 in New York C ...

in 1737. * Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet (1722–1777), who married Agnes Dalrymple-Murray-Kynynmound, a daughter of

Hugh Dalrymple-Murray-Kynynmound Hugh Dalrymple-Murray-Kynnynmond ( Hugh Dalrymple) (1695 – 23 December 1741), was a Scottish landowner, lawyer and journalist. Early life He was a younger son of Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet and Janet ( Rochead) Murray Dalrymple. At the time ...

. *

Jean Elliot Jean Elliot (April 1727 – 29 March 1805), also known as Jane Elliot, was a Scottish poet. She wrote one of the most famous versions of '' The Flowers of the Forest'', a song lamenting the Scottish army's defeat in the Battle of Flodden. ...

(1727–1805), a poet who never married. *

Andrew Elliot Andrew Elliot (November 1728 – 25 May 1797) was a British merchant and official who served as the Acting and last British Governor of New York in 1783. Early life Elliot was born November 1728 in Edinburgh, the son of Sir Gilbert Elliot, ...

(1728–1797), a trader in British North America who served as acting colonial governor of the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

in 1783; he married twice: Eleanor McCall in 1754; and after her death in 1756, to Elisabeth Plumsted, daughter of

William Plumsted William Plumsted (November 7, 1708 – August 10, 1765) was the mayor of Philadelphia in 1750, 1754, and 1755. Early life Plumsted was born on November 7, 1708 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The son of Clement Plumsted, who was also a mayor of Phi ...

, in 1760. * John Elliot (1732–1808), an admiral in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

who never married. Sir Gilbert died on 16 April 1766 and was survived by nine children.

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter Eleanor, he was a grandfather to

, MP for

(who married Mary Ann Leslie, the only child of Maj.-Gen.

Alexander Leslie Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (15804 April 1661) was a Scottish soldier in Swedish and Scottish service. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of a Swedish Field Marshal, and in Scotland be ...

), Elizabeth Rutherfurd (who married Andrew St Clair of Herdmanston, ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

'' 12th

Lord Sinclair Lord Sinclair is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. According to James Balfour Paul's ''The Scots Peerage'', volume VII published in 1910, the first person to be styled Lord Sinclair was William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney and 1st Earl of Cai ...

, parents of

Charles St Clair, 13th Lord Sinclair Lt.-Col. Charles St Clair, 13th Lord Sinclair (30 July 1768 – 30 September 1863) was a Scottish noble and representative peer. Early life Charles Sinclair was born on 30 July 1768. He was the eldest son of Elizabeth ( Rutherfurd) St Clair (–1 ...

) and Jane Rutherfurd (who married William Oliver of

Dinlabyre Dinlabyre is a village on the B6357 in Liddesdale, on the edge of the Newcastleton Forest, close to Castleton, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire. Places nearby include Hermitage, Hermitage Castle, the Hermitag ...

). Through his son Andrew, he was a grandfather of Eleanor Elliot (–1830), who married James Jauncey Jr. and Admiral Robert Digby, Agnes Murray Elliot (1763–1860), who married

Sir David Carnegie, 4th Baronet Sir David Carnegie of Pitarrow, 4th Baronet FRS FRSE (22 November 1753 – 25 May 1805) was a Scottish politician and (but for the attainder of the 5th Earl) 7th Earl of Southesk, 7th Baron Carnegie of Kinnaird and 7th Baron Carnegie, of Kinnai ...

, and Elizabeth Elliot (–1847), who married

William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart General William Schaw Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart (17 September 175516 June 1843) was a British soldier and diplomat. Early life He was the son of Charles Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart and his wife Ann Hamilton. Cathcart born at Petersham, Lon ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot, Gilbert 1693 births Year of birth uncertain 1766 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1722–1727 Utrecht University alumni Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Lords Justice Clerk People from the Scottish Borders Minto 2 Members of the Faculty of Advocates