Sir John Cheyne of Tangwick KC LLD (1841–1907) was a 19th/20th century Scottish judge.

Life

He was born on 15 February 1841 at 5 Walker Street in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

's West End the son of Henry Walker WS. He was christened at

Northmavine Northmavine or Northmaven ( non, Norðan Mæfeið, meaning ‘the land north of the Mavis Grind’) is a peninsula in northwest Mainland Shetland in Scotland. The peninsula has historically formed the civil parish Northmavine. The modern Northmav ...

parish church in

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

near his father's home estate of Tangwick Haa which was built by his family around 1690. By 1851 the family was living at 6 Royal Terrace on

Calton Hill Calton Hill () is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the ci ...

. He was sent to

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

to study Law, graduating MA. He passed the Scottish bar as an

Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

in May 1865. He mainly practiced in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

. In the 1880s he was living at 7 Airlie Place in Dundee. Airlie Place is a handsome mid-19th century townhouse forming part of a terrace stepping down towards the River Tay. He was at this stage also Sheriff Substitute for Forfarshire. From 1891 he was also Procurator to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Vice 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 constitu ...

. He became

Sheriff of Ross, Cromarty and Sutherland The Sheriff of Ross, Cromarty and Sutherland was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Ross-shire, Cromarty and Sutherland, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice. Original known as the office of the Sheriff of ...

in 1886, transferring to be

Sheriff of Renfrew and Bute Renfrew (; sco, Renfrew; gd, Rinn Friù) 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 forme ...

in 1889, serving until his death. He was knighted by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...

in 1897. He lived his final years at 13 Chester Street in Edinburgh's West End. He was a member of the

Kirk Session A session (from the Latin word ''sessio'', which means "to sit", as in sitting to deliberate or talk about something; sometimes called ''consistory'' or ''church board'') is a body of elected elders governing each local church within presbyterian ...

under Rev Archibald Scott at St George's Church on

Charlotte Square 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intend ...

. He died on 15 January 1907. He is buried in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

. His simple marble cross stands on the north side of the main central east-west path. The Tangwick estate in Shetland (in which he showed little interest) passed to his younger brother Harry Cheyne.

Family

Cheyne married twice: firstly in 1871 to Margaret Simson (1846-1872) who died soon after childbirth, who lived initially with the whole Cheyne family at 12 Albany Street; secondly in 1875 at Inchture to Mary Isabella Edward (born 1847 in Dundee; died 1931).The Cheyne Family of Scotland, A Y Cheyne He had one daughter by the first marriage and two by the second.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheyne, John 1841 births 1907 deaths Lawyers from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Oxford 19th-century Scottish judges 20th-century Scottish judges People from Shetland