James L'Amy of Dunkenny (8 July 1772 – 15 January 1854) was a Scottish advocate and amateur

phrenologist Phrenology is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It is based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or ...

. He served as Sheriff of Forfar from 1819 until death.

Life

L'Amy was born on 8 July 1772 the son of Agnes (née) Hamilton and John Ramsay L'Amy of Dunkenny,

Forfarshire Angus (; ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agriculture and fishing. Global pharmaceuticals ...

. His older sister was the Scottish poet Agnes Lyon. He studied law and qualified as an advocate in 1794. In the 1820s he was living at 27 Northumberland Street next to the "father of phrenology" and fellow-lawyer,

George Combe George Combe (21 October 1788 – 14 August 1858) was a Scottish people, Scottish lawyer and a spokesman of the phrenology, phrenological movement for over 20 years. He founded the Edinburgh Phrenological Society in 1820 and wrote ''The Constitu ...

, at 25 Northumberland Street. Combe may have introduced L'Amy to phrenological thinking. In 1830 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

. His proposer was George Augustus Borthwick. He was Vice President of the

Royal Scottish Society of Arts The Royal Scottish Society of Arts is a learned society in Scotland, dedicated to the study of science and technology. It was founded as The Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland by Sir David Brewster in 1821 and dedicate ...

. In 1852 he is listed as a director of the

Scottish Naval and Military Academy The Scottish Naval and Military Academy in Edinburgh was a school which opened on 8 November 1825. It catered for boys intending to have a career with the Army, Navy or the East India Company. It closed in July 1858. It was re-formed as the Scottis ...

on Lothian Road, Edinburgh.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1852 He died on 15 January 1854 in

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 ...

and is buried with his wife and family in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 1 ...

. The grave stands at the top end of the western extension facing the eastern gate into

George Heriot's School George Heriot's School is a private primary and secondary day school on Lauriston Place in the Lauriston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. In the early 21st century, it has more than 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff, and 80 non-teaching staff. It was ...

Family

In 1811 he married Mary Carson (d.1835). Their children included John Ramsay L'Amy (1813-1892).

References

1772 births 1854 deaths Scottish lawyers Phrenologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard Scottish sheriffs {{Scotland-bio-stub