James Cleland Burns, 3rd Baron Inverclyde, (14 February 1864 – 16 August 1919) was the second son of

John Burns John Elliot Burns (20 October 1858 – 24 January 1943) was an English trade unionist and politician, particularly associated with London politics and Battersea. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was ...

, the first Lord Inverclyde, and grandson of Sir George Burns, 1st Baronet, a founder of the

Cunard Line The Cunard Line ( ) is a British shipping and an international cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its four ships have been r ...

. James Burns succeeded to the title of

Baron Inverclyde Baron Inverclyde, of Castle Wemyss in the County of Renfrew, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1897 for the Scottish shipowner John Burns, 1st Baron Inverclyde, Sir John Burns, 2nd Baronet. The Baronetcy had been ...

on the death of his elder brother,

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyeb ...

, in 1905.

Biography

James, Lord Inverclyde, was descended from a long line of prominent Glaswegians. One great-grandfather, Dr. Burns, was minister of the Barony Parish for sixty-nine years, from 1770, while another, Dr. Cleland, was a magistrate of the city, and in 1807 laid the

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

of St George's Church. His grand-uncle, James, and his grandfather, Sir George Burns, Bart., were founders not only of the service of Irish steamers and of the West Highland service, but of the

. His father, Sir John Burns, Bart., had the public services of his house recognised with a peerage in 1897 and became the first Lord Inverclyde. James Burns was born at Glasgow in 1864, and educated at

Repton Repton is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England, located on the edge of the River Trent floodplain, about north of Swadlincote. The population taken at the 2001 census was 2,707, increasing to 2 ...

. He was the principal Director of the shipping business of Messrs. G. & J. Burns, Limited, and took a strong interest in everything connected with shipping. He was President of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom in 1899. In 1900, he became Chairman of the Glasgow Shipowners' Association, and was an Honorary Member of the Advisory Committee on New Lighthouse Works to the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

. He was a Director of the Cunard Steamship Co., Ltd., and of the Clydesdale Bank Ltd. He was a member of the Glasgow Committee of

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited, trading as Lloyd's Register (LR), is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research ...

, a representative of Glasgow on the London General Committee of Lloyds' Register, and a Director of the Clyde Steamship Owners' Association. He was an Associate of the Institute of Naval Architects and of the Scottish Institute of Engineers and Shipbuilders. He was also involved in the religious and philanthropic life of the city. He became Prime Warden Shipwright of The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights in 1919, dying in office. He was an enthusiastic yachtsman. He was Commodore of the Royal Clyde Yacht Club, Vice-Commodore of the Royal Northern Yacht Club and the Royal Highland Yacht Club, and a member of the

Royal Yacht Squadron The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to we ...

. After Christopher Furness, 1st Baron Furness died in November 1912, Lord Inverclyde acquired his

steam yacht A steam yacht is a class of luxury or commercial yacht with primary or secondary steam propulsion in addition to the sails usually carried by yachts. Origin of the name The English steamboat entrepreneur George Dodd (1783–1827) used the term ...

and renamed her ''Beryl''. However, she was destroyed by fire in

Gare Loch The Gare Loch or Gareloch () is an open sea loch in Argyll and Bute in the west of Scotland, and it bears a similar name to the village of Gairloch in the north west Highlands. The loch is well used for sailing, recreational boating, list of ...

in December 1913. He was President of the Scottish Hockey Association, and took a leading part in bringing the game into vogue in Scotland. He distinguished himself as a

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er and

lawn tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player, and, as President of the Lorne Curling Club, taking a rink to Carsbreck bonspiel every winter. He owned the estate of Wemyss Bay, and had as his residence there Castle Wemyss. In addition to the ground belonging to his own house of Hartfield at

Cove A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creek (tidal), creeks, or recesses in a coast ...

, he leased the shooting on

Rosneath Rosneath () is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It sits on the western shore of the Gare Loch, northwest of the tip of the Rosneath Peninsula. It is about by road from the village of Kilcreggan, which is sited on the southern shore ...

moor above from the

Duke of Argyll Duke of Argyll () is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful noble families in Scotlan ...

. Lord Inverclyde was

Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire. Before the twentieth century, the county was spelled Dumbartonshire. *John Elphinstone, 11th Lord Elphinstone (17 March 1794 – 19 August 1799) *John Elphinstone, ...

, and a Justice of the Peace for the counties of

Lanark Lanark ( ; ; ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a populatio ...

Renfrew Renfrew (; ; ) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former royal house, Renfrew gaine ...

, and the County of the City of Glasgow. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Clyde Royal Garrison Artillery of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

on 27 March 1909.''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage''.

Family

He married on 2 April 1891, Charlotte Mary Emily, youngest daughter of Mr Nugent-Dunbar of Machermore Castle, Newton Stewart, and had two daughters, Emily and Muriel, and a son, John Alan Burns, who succeeded him.

Vanity Fair

On 21 April 1909, his caricature appeared in '' Vanity Fair'', accompanied by the following biography- :"Men of the Day No.1168 :Lord Inverclyde :Of the public details of Lord Inverclyde's life there is little to be said. After leaving Repton he went into business with messrs. G. and J. Burns, of Glasgow, and began to acquire that intimate knowledge of shipping affairs which, at a later stage in his career, made him known in the House of Lords as the Representative of Shipping. As a director of the Cunard Steamship Company, Limited, he has shown decided ability, and it is rumoured that reasonably fresh eggs will shortly be procurable on the Company's liners. If Lord Inverclyde could achieve such a reform he would deserve well of us, but we have travelled by the Cunarders for many years, and dare not vouch for the story. :Lord Inverclyde has at no time figured prominently in municipal matters, being doubtless deterred by the displays of hooliganism for which Glasgow municipal gatherings have, of lat years, been notorious. He holds a number of posts, however, in which he serves with quiet distinction, and, as Lord Lieutenant of Dumbarton, has done excellent service towards the preservation of Dumbarton Castle, which surmounts the bald and precipitous dome of rock in the Clyde. :He is of sturdy habit, fond of all outdoor sports, and would like to divide his year into two seasons, one for curling and one for tennis, did not yachts and guns, in their season, shake his constancy. He is a member of the King's Bodyguard for Scotland, has a covered tennis court and a grouse moor, and a delightful residence at Castle Wemyss on the Firth of Clyde. :He is a Unionist Tariff Reformer, because he can't help it, and is incurably modest."

References

*''History of the Cunard Steamship Company'', 1886 *''Who's Who in Glasgow'', 1909 {{DEFAULTSORT:Inverclyde, James Burns, 3rd Baron 1864 births 1919 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Businesspeople from Glasgow Nobility from Glasgow Scottish businesspeople in shipping Ship owners People associated with Inverclyde Lord-lieutenants of Dunbartonshire People educated at Repton School Scottish cricketers Scottish male sailors (sport) Scottish male curlers British male curlers Scottish male field hockey players Scottish bankers Scottish landowners Scottish male tennis players British male tennis players 19th-century Scottish businesspeople 20th-century Scottish businesspeople Cricketers from Glasgow