Rt Hon John Inglis, Lord Glencorse

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

DCL LLD (21 August 1810 – 20 August 1891) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

politician and judge. He was

Lord President of the Court of Session The Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General () is the most senior judge in Scotland, the head of the judiciary, and the presiding judge of the College of Justice, the Court of Session, and the High Court of Justiciary. ...

(1867–1891).John Inglis Lord Glencorse
University of Glasgow (see "summary" for birth/death dates)

Life

The youngest son of Maria Moxham Passmore and Rev John Inglis DD (1761–1834), minister of Old

Greyfriars Kirk Greyfriars Kirk () is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard. Greyfriars traces its origin to the south-west parish of Edinburgh, f ...

, Inglis was born on 21 August 1810 at 43 George Square 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 ...

. He attended the

High School A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

in Edinburgh. He then studied law at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

from whence 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 ...

. He graduated with a BA in 1834 and an MA in 1836. Inglis 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 ...

in 1835, and in 1852 he was made

Solicitor General for Scotland His Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland () is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Scottish Government on Scots Law. They are also responsible for the Crown Office and P ...

in Lord Derby's first ministry, three months later becoming

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (), is the principal legal adviser of both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolution, devolved powers of the Scottish P ...

, a post he held from May to December of that year. In the summer of 1857, he famously served as counsel for

Madeleine Smith Madeleine Hamilton Smith (29 March 1835 – 12 April 1928) was a 19th-century Glasgow socialite who was the accused in a sensational murder trial in Scotland in 1857. Background Smith was the first child (of five) of an upper-middle-class ...

, a Glasgow socialite who was the defendant in a sensational murder trial. Smith was freed with a verdict of "not proven". In March 1858 he resumed this office in Lord Derby's second administration, being returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

as member for Stamford. Again his tenure was brief, leaving office in July 1858. He was responsible for the

Universities (Scotland) Act 1858 The ancient university governance structure in Scotland is the organisational system imposed by a series of Acts of Parliament called the Universities (Scotland) Acts 1858 to 1966. The Acts applied to what were termed the 'older universities': the ...

, and in the same year he was elevated to the bench as

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 ...

, with the judicial title ''Lord Glencorse''. In 1867 he was made

Lord Justice General Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

of Scotland and Lord President of the Court of Session. He was made a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...

in 1859, and awarded a Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) by the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in 1859. Outside his judicial duties he was responsible for much useful public work, particularly in the department of higher education. In 1869 he was elected

Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh The chancellor is the titular head of the University of Edinburgh. Their duties include conferring academic degree, degrees, promoting the university's image throughout the world, and furthering its interests, both within Scotland and beyond. The ...

against

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

, having already been

Rector of the University of Aberdeen The Lord Rector of the University of Aberdeen is the students' representative and chairperson in the University Court of the University of Aberdeen. The position is rarely known by its full title and most often referred to simply as " Rector". T ...

in 1857–1860 and

Rector of the University of Glasgow The (Lord) Rector of the University of Glasgow is one of the most senior posts within the institution, elected every three years by students. The theoretical role of the rector is to represent students to the senior management of the university ...

in 1865. Inglis was President of Scottish Texts Society and published ''Historical Study of Law'' 1863. His Edinburgh address in later life was 30 Abercromby Place in Edinburgh's New Town. He died at Loganbank, a villa in

Glencorse Glencorse is a parish of Midlothian, Scotland, lying south of Edinburgh.Gazetteer of Scotland, publ, by W & AK Johnston, Edinburgh, 1937. Article on Glencorse. Places are presented alphabetically It is bounded on the north-west by the former pa ...

south of Edinburgh on 20 August 1891, the day before his 81st birthday. He is buried in his family vault in

New Calton Cemetery New Calton Burial Ground is a burial ground in Edinburgh. It was built as an overspill and functional replacement to Old Calton Burial Ground and lies half a mile to its east on Regent Road in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the south-east slopes of Ca ...

Family

In 1842 he married Isabella Mary Wood (1820–1855), daughter of Alexander Wood, Lord Wood

(1788–1864), a judge and one of his senior colleagues. They had two sons, John David Inglis (1843–1861) and Harry Herbert Inglis (1848–1907). Inglis employed Rev Robert Keith Dick Horne as private tutor to his children. Horne was later minister of Corstorphine Old Parish Church in west Edinburgh.

Memorials

A memorial to Lord Glencorse (in the Jacobean style) stands in the south-east corner of

St Giles Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alteratio ...

on the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal ...

in Edinburgh, above the stairway from the church to the crypt, near the entrance to the

Thistle Chapel The Thistle Chapel, located in St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, is the chapel of the Order of the Thistle. At the foundation of the Order of the Thistle in 1687, James II of England, James VII ordered Holyrood Abbey be fitted out as a ...

. A bust of Lord Glencorse, sculpted by

Charles McBride Charles McBride (sometimes known as Charles McBryde; 1853 – 17 December 1903) was a Scottish sculptor active in the second half of the 19th century. Life McBride was born in Edinburgh in June 1853. He lived at 8 Hope Street just off Charlo ...

, is held by 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 ...

Notable cases

*In 1857 Inglis defended

in a sensational murder trial. *In 1865 Inglis presided over the case of the poisoner,

Edward William Pritchard Edward William Pritchard (6 December 1825 – 28 July 1865) was an English doctor who was convicted of murdering his wife and mother-in-law by poisoning them. He was also suspected of murdering a servant girl, but was never tried for this crime. ...

, the last person to be publicly hanged in Glasgow.

References

*This article includes material drawn from Concise

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

, 1939

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inglis, John 1810 births 1891 deaths Politicians from Edinburgh People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Glasgow Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Lord advocates Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies

UK MPs 1857–1859 Chancellors of the University of Edinburgh Rectors of the University of Aberdeen Rectors of the University of Glasgow Lords President of the Court of Session Lords Justice-General Members of the Faculty of Advocates Burials at the New Calton Burial Ground Solicitors general for Scotland Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Lawyers from Edinburgh