Sir James Foulis, Lord Colinton (died 1688), was a Scottish politician and judge.

Life

James Foulis was the only son of Alexander Foulis of

Colinton Colinton is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated southwest of the city centre. Up until the late 18th century it appears on maps as Collington. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north-east. To the north-w ...

and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Hepburn of Ford (near

Pathhead, Midlothian Pathhead village is a conservation area in Midlothian, Scotland. Location Pathhead is located around south east of Dalkeith and south of Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh. It lies above the east bank of the River Tyne. The name of the vi ...

). She was the widow of Sir John Stuart, sheriff of Bute. His father was created a

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 14th ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

7 June 1634. Foulis was knighted by

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 ...

14 November 1641, and represented

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 ...

in parliament in 1645–1948 and in 1651. He was a commissioner to enforce the acts against runaways and deficients in 1644, and a member of the committee of estates in 1646–1947. He adopted the royalist cause, was taken prisoner at

Alyth Alyth () () is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, northeast of Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie and about northwest of Dundee. In 2022 the town had an estimated population of 3,046. First mentioned by name in a 12th-century royal char ...

by a detachment of

George Monck George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (6 December 1608 3 January 1670) was an English military officer and politician who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support ...

's force, then besieging Dundee, 28 September 1651, and was imprisoned for his royalist opinions. After the Restoration he became an ordinary lord of session (14 February), and a commissioner of excise in 1661. He was commissioner to parliament for

Edinburghshire Midlothian is a historic county of Scotland. It emerged in the Middle Ages as the territory surrounding the city of Edinburgh within the wider Lothian region, and was formally called the "shire of Edinburgh" or Edinburghshire until the 20th ce ...

from 1661 to 1681, and a lord of the articles in each parliament from the Restoration. When the

High Court 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 C ...

was constituted in February 1671 he became a lord commissioner, and took his seat in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and the oaths in 1672, having the title of Lord Colinton. He was sworn of the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...

in 1674, and was a commissioner for the plantation of kirks in 1678. On 12 December 1681, at the trial of

Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll Archibald may refer to: People and characters *Archibald (name), a masculine given name and a surname * Archibald (musician) (1916–1973), American R&B pianist * Archibald, a character from the animated TV show '' Archibald the Koala'' Other us ...

, he voted, old cavalier though he was, against the relevancy of the indictment, and it was only carried by

Lord Nairne Lord Nairne is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created by Charles II for Sir Robert Nairne of Strathord in 1681, which since 1995 is held by the Viscount Mersey. History Sir Robert Nairne of Strathord (c. 1620–1683), a supporter of Charl ...

's casting vote. On 22 February 1684 Foulis was appointed

lord justice clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Lord Beckett, who was appointed to the position on 4 February 2025, succeeding Lady Dorr ...

in succession to Sir Richard Maitland, and died at Edinburgh 19 January 1688.

Family

Foulis was twice married, secondly to Dame Margaret Erskine, Lady Tarbet, daughter of Sir George Erskine of Innertail. He had a son

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

, who succeeded to the title, and was a member of parliament; and a daughter, who married James Livingstone.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foulis, James Year of birth unknown 1688 deaths Nobility from Edinburgh Politicians from Edinburgh 17th-century Scottish politicians

202 Year 202 ( CCII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Antoninus (or, less frequently, year 955 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 202 for this yea ...

Lords Justice Clerk Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1644–1647 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1648–1651 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1661–1663 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1665 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1667 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1669–1674 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1678 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1681–1682 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1685–1686 Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland