James Gordon McIntyre, Lord Sorn, (1896–1983) was a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as a

Senator of the College of Justice 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 ...

. He was also a decorated war hero from the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was generally known by his middle name, Gordon.

Life

Sorn Castle from the River Ayr Way - geograph

He was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

on 21 July 1896, the son of Thomas McIntyre and Jeanie Paterson. He had three sisters. His father purchased Sorn Castle in 1908 and began remodelling it in 1909. His father owned a shipping line and was Chairman of Lloyds Register but abandoned many of his business activities to concentrate on the estate. Gordon, as he was generally known, was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

. In the

he joined at the outset (aged 18), serving in the Ayrshire Yeomanry. He undertook a short period of officer training then joined the Gallipoli campaign. There he was badly injured in the shoulder in a trench and was rescued by his sergeant. Following recovery, he went to the trenches of the Somme. Here won the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

for capturing a machine gun post. He later won a bar to the medal and also was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. He later lost a leg in a grenade attack. After the war he went to

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

where he gained a BA in 1921. He then studied law at

Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

graduating LLB in 1923. Passing the Scottish Bar he became an advocate and became

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

(KC) in 1936. From 1939 to 1944 he was dean 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 the death of his father in 1920 he inherited Sorn Castle. In November 1944 he was elected a

with the title Lord Sorn, to replace Thomas Graham Robertson, Lord Robertson. He retired in 1963 and died on 1 July 1983. He is buried with his father in Sorn churchyard.

Family

In 1923, McIntyre married Madeline Scott Moncrieff, a daughter of Robert Scott Moncrieff, of

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

, a practising

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 ...

. They had two children, Robert Gordon and Olivia.'' Burke's Peerage 2003'' (2003), p. 2171

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McIntyre, Gordon Lord Sorn 1896 births 1983 deaths Lawyers from Glasgow People educated at Winchester College Recipients of the Military Cross Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Alumni of the University of Oxford Alumni of the University of Glasgow Deans of the Faculty of Advocates Senators of the College of Justice Scottish amputees Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry officers People from Sorn, East Ayrshire British lawyers with disabilities