Sir Thomas Hope, 1st Baronet Hope of Craighall (1573–1646) was a Scottish lawyer, and

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 ...

under

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

Life

He was the son of an eminent Edinburgh merchant, Henry Hope, and his French wife, Jacqueline de Tott, her parents of Swedish origin. His grandfather John Hope was an Edinburgh merchant of French origin. 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 1605, he made his reputation in 1606 defending John Forbes, and five other ministers at

Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...

who were charged with high treason. In 1608 he was on a team of lawyers, described as "the most learned and best experienced" who defended

Margaret Hartsyde Margaret Hartsyde or Hairtsyde ( fl. 1600–1640) was a Scottish servant, jewel thief, and landowner. A servant of the queen, Anne of Denmark, Hartsyde's duties included looking after the queen's jewels, dealing with the goldsmith George Heriot, ...

, a servant of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

accused of stealing her jewels. He prepared the deed revoking

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

's grants of church property in 1625. He was appointed Lord Advocate under Charles I in 1626, and held the office until 1641. He was created a

Baronet of Nova Scotia This is a list of baronetcies in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. These were first created in 1624, and were replaced by the Baronetage of Great Britain in 1707. This page lists baronetcies, whether extant, extinct, dormant (D), unproven (U), ...

on 11 February 1628. Hope worked for landowners, including Mary, Countess of Home, and

Marie Stewart, Countess of Mar Marie Stewart, Countess of Mar (1576-1644) was a Scottish courtier. She was the daughter of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, a favourite of James VI of Scotland, and Catherine de Balsac. After her marriage, as was customary in Scotland, she di ...

. He conducted the case against

John Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Balmerino John Elphinstone, 2nd Lord Balmerino (died 28 February 1649) was a Scottish aristocrat, convicted in a celebrated trial of the 1630s which became a crux of the religious issue of the time. Early life He was the son of James, 1st Lord Balmerino, ...

in 1634. As Lord High Commissioner to the

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray ...

in 1643, he maintained the king's temporising policy. In 1645 Hope was appointed one of the Commissioners for managing the

Exchequer In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government reven ...

, but died the next year. He is buried in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

in Edinburgh. The grave lies in the north-west section of the original graveyard, against the west wall. His

Cowgate The Cowgate (Scots language, Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, Edinburgh, ...

home, built in 1616, was demolished in 1887 to make way for the Edinburgh Free Library.

Related Works

His ''"Practical Observations Upon divers titles of the Law of Scotland"'', commonly called the ''"Minor Practicks"'', were published in 1726, by

Alexander Bayne Alexander Bayne of Rires (c. 1675 – June 1737) was the first tenant of the chair of Scots law in the University of Edinburgh. Life Bayne was the son of John Bayne of Logie, Fife, to whom he was served heir in general on 8 October 1700, and de ...

. In 1843 the

Bannatyne Club The Bannatyne Club, named in honour of George Bannatyne and his famous anthology of Scots literature the Bannatyne Manuscript, was a text publication society founded by Sir Walter Scott to print rare works of Scottish interest, whether in history, ...

published
A Diary of the Public Correspondence of Sir Thomas Hope of Craighall, 1633–1645: From the Original, in the Library at Pinkie House
', a collection Hope's official and private correspondence from the last twelve years of his life.

Family

Hope married Elizabeth Bennet, daughter of John Binning or Bennet of Wallyford,

Haddingtonshire 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 histo ...

. The couple had the following children: * John Hope, Lord Craighall (1605?–1654) * Thomas Hope, Lord Kerse (1606–1643) *William, died young *Henry, died young *Sir Alexander Hope of Grantham/Granton (1611–1680), Carver Extraordinary and

cup-bearer A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person must have been regarded as ...

to Charles I. * Sir James Hope of Hopetoun (1614–1661),

progenitor In genealogy, the progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; german: Stammvater or ''Ahnherr'') is the – sometimes legendary – founder of a family, line of descent, clan or tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines G ...

of the

Earls of Hopetoun 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 ...

*David, died young *Patrick, died young *Charles, died young *Elizabeth, died young *Margaret, died young *Mary/Marie, mother of Sir Charles Erskine, 1st Baronet of Alva *Elizabeth, died unmarried *Anne/Anna, married

David Erskine, 2nd Lord Cardross David Erskine, 2nd Lord Cardross (baptised 1627 – 1671) was a Scottish Royalist. Life Erskine was the only son of Henry Erskine, second son of the second marriage of John Erskine, Earl of Mar, and heir to the Barony of Cardross, by his wife M ...

Of the four sons who survived infancy, three of these later qualified as advocates: John, Thomas and James. Two of these sons were elevated to judges in the Supreme Court. Two of his sons were appointed to the bench while Hope was Lord Advocate; and it being judged by the Court of Session unbecoming that a father should plead uncovered before his children, the privilege of wearing his hat, while pleading, was granted to him. This privilege his successors in the office of Lord Advocate have in theory ever since enjoyed.

Historical fiction

* Sir Thomas Hope is the subject of

Nigel Tranter Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on castles, particularly on themes of architecture and history. He also specialised in deeply researched historical novels that cover centuries of Sco ...

's last novel, ''Hope Endures'' (2005).

References

;Attribution

External links

Article on Sir Thomas HopeFind A Grave Memorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Thomas 1573 births 1646 deaths

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

Lord Advocates Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Members of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish knights 17th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish politicians Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1630 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1639–1641 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1628–1633 Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard