Claud Irvine Boswell, Lord Balmuto (1742 – 22 July 1824) was a Scottish judge.

Biography

The Boswell family acquired Balmuto Castle (aka Balmuto Tower) in the late 14th century. Boswell was born at Balmuto Castle in 1742. His father, John Boswell of Balmuto, a

writer to the signet The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of documen ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, died when Claud was an infant. Boswell's paternal uncle was James Boswell of

Auchinleck Auchinleck ( ; ;
) is a village southea ...

and his son (Boswell's cousin) was

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...

, companion of

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

. At the age of six he was sent to Mr Barclay's school in

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; , ) is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1541. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-century castle (now Dalkeith Pala ...

. After finishing his education at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, 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 const ...

on 2 August 1766. While at university he befriended Henry Hunter and employed him as a tutor.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott In 1774 he organised and paid for the rebuilding of

Kinghorn Kinghorn (; ) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. Known as the place where K ...

Parish Church. On 25 March 1780 he was appointed Sheriff Depute of

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

and

Kinross Kinross (, ) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth, Scotland, Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the Counties of Scotland, historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinro ...

. After serving this office for 19 years was, he was appointed a

lord of session The senators of the College of Justice in Scotland are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court ...

on the death of

James Burnett, Lord Monboddo James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (baptised 25 October 1714 – 26 May 1799) was a Scottish judge, scholar of linguistic evolution, philosopher and deist. He is most famous today as a founder of modern comparative historical linguistics. In 1767, h ...

. On 21 June 1799, he took his seat on the bench with the title of Lord Balmuto. After nearly 23 years of judicial work he resigned in January 1822, and was succeeded by

William Erskine, Lord Kinneder William Erskine, Lord Kinneder (1768–1822), was a friend and confidant of Sir Walter Scott, and a scholar and songwriter. Early life and education Erskine was the son of the Rev. William Erskine, Scottish Episcopal Church, episcopalian minist ...

Death

The death, under his own roof, of his kinsman, Sir Alexander Boswell, from the effects of a wound received by him in the duel with James Stuart of Dunearn, gave him a shock from which he never entirely recovered. He died at Balmuto on 22 July 1824, in his 83rd year.

Personal life

He was a robust and athletic man, with black hair and beetling eyebrows. His manner was boisterous and his temper passionate. Though fond of joking, a habit he sometimes indulged in on the bench, he was not particularly keen in the perception of wit in others. In 1783 he married Anne Irvine, who, by the death of her brother and grandfather, became the heiress of Kingcussie. They had two daughters and a son. Two etchings of him will be found in Kay, Nos. 262 and 300.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boswell, Claud Irvine 1742 births 1824 deaths 18th-century Scottish judges 19th-century Scottish people Clan Boswell Balmuto Alumni of the University of Edinburgh