Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet, of Hailes (1665 – 3 December 1721) was a Scottish

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 ...

and politician who 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 ...

from 1698 to 1707 and in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 65 ...

from 1707 to 1721. He served as

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate ( gd, Morair Tagraidh, sco, Laird Advocat), is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved p ...

, and eventually Auditor of the Exchequer in Scotland in 1720.

Early life

Dalrymple was the fifth and youngest son of

James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount Stair (May 1619 – 29 November 1695), Scottish lawyer and statesman, and a key influence on the Scottish Enlightenment. He was a leading figure of Scottish law, “and also one of the greatest thinkers on law ...

and his wife Margaret Ross, daughter of James Ross of Balneil, Wigtown. 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 1 ...

and was awarded MA in 1681, and then studied 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 ...

in 1682. He was admitted a member of 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 constit ...

on 3 November 1688.

Career

Dalrymple was elected to represent

Culross Culross (/ˈkurəs/) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cuileann Ros'', 'holly point or promontory') is a village and former royal burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland. According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395. Originally, Culross ...

in 1698 in the

, as a member of the Stair–Queensberry alliance. He was created

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

on 8 May 1701 and was also appointed joint solicitor-general for Scotland and auditor of treasury of Scotland in 1701. He was a Commissioner for the union with England in 1702, and again in 1706 when he was one of the Commissioners who negotiated the

Act of Union 1707 The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the t ...

. In 1707 Dalrymple was one of the

Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain The Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain, serving from 1 May 1707 to 26 May 1708, were not elected like their colleagues from England and Wales, but rather hand-picked. The forty five men sent to London in 1707, to t ...

and at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

, he was returned 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 o ...

for Haddington. In 1709 he was promoted from solicitor-general to the post of

of Scotland . Also in 1709, he bought Whitehills House, renaming it

Newhailes Newhailes House is a Palladian style country house which stands in 80 acres of parkland on the edge of the small town of Musselburgh in East Lothian, Scotland. Originally named Whitehills, it is a Category A listed building which is now occupied ...

after the Dalrymple's Castle Hailes. He was returned again for Haddington at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junt ...

. In 1711 he lost the post of Lord Advocate under the Tory administration. In 1712, he was elected Dean of the Faculty of Advocates which he held for the rest of his life. He was returned again at the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had led a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig Junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, ...

and regained his post as Lord Advocate in 1714. Dalrymple was returned as MP for Haddington at the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

. He was Commissioner of visitation for

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

in 1717 and 1718, and for St Andrews University in 1718. He was appointed auditor general of the Scottish Exchequer in 1720.

Personal life

On 4 April 1691 he married Janet, daughter of Sir James Rocheid of Inverleith, the widow of Alexander Murray of Melgund. By his wife he had three sons and one daughter: * Andrew Dalrymple (1684–1762), who immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony; he married Dorothy Shepherd. *

Sir James Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet Sir James Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet (24 July 1692 – 24 February 1751) was Member of Parliament for Haddington Burghs and the Principal Auditor of the Exchequer in Scotland. Early life He was the son of Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet and Janet ...

(1692–1751), of Hailes,

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 his ...

. * Hugh Dalrymple (1695–1741), who married Isobel Sommerville and later took the surname Dalrymple-Murray-Kynnynmond. * Janet Dalrymple (1698–1776), who married

Sir John Baird, 2nd Baronet Sir John Baird, 2nd Baronet, of Newbyth (13 October 1686 – 30 September 1745) of Newbyth, Haddington, was a Scottish politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1722. Life Baird was the eldest son of Sir William Baird who was the ...

of Newbyth, MP 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, ...

. After his death, she married Gen.

James St Clair General The Hon. James St Clair (1688 – 30 November 1762) was a Scottish soldier and Whig politician. Background St Clair was the second son of Henry St Clair, 10th Lord Sinclair and his wife Grizel Cockburn, daughter of Sir James Cockburn ...

of Dysart, MP. Dalrymple died on 3 December 1721. He was succeeded in his baronetcy by his son, James, as his eldest son, Andrew, immigrated to the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as th ...

around 1711, giving up his right to the family title.

Descendants

Through his son Hugh, he was a grandfather of Agnes Dalrymple-Murray-Kynynmound, who married Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet, of Minto.

Legacy

Dalrymple was an enthusiastic bibliophile and added a remarkable Library Wing to Newhailes to accommodate his large book collection. This extension to the building was completed in around 1722.Horrocks, Hilary (2017), ''Newhailes'', National Trust for Scotland, p. 22

References

External links

*''The Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland'', by Messrs. John and John Bernard Burke, second edition, London, 1841, p. 620. *''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalrymple, David 1st Baronet 1665 births 1721 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Utrecht University alumni Dalrymple, David, 1st Baronet Lord Advocates Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Burgh Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Faculty of Advocates Deans of the Faculty of Advocates Politics of Fife Politics of East Lothian Government audit officials Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1689–1702 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1702–1707 Younger sons of viscounts British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722