Robert Burnet, Lord Crimond (1592 – 24 August 1661Dalrymple of Hailes, p. 373) 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 ...

advocate and judge.

Background

He was the fourth son of Alexander Burnett of Leys by his wife Katherine, daughter of Alexander Gordon of Lesmoir, and younger brother of

Sir Thomas Burnett, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Burnett, 1st Baronet of Leys (died 27 June 1653) was a feudal baron and leading Covenanter who had represented Kincardineshire in the Scottish Parliament in 1621. Early years The eldest surviving son of Alexander Burnett of Leys and ...

. Crimond studied for seven years in France, and was admitted a Scottish advocate on 20 February 1617.Burnett, p. 131

Career

His career at the Bar was so successful, that in 1628 he acquired Banachtie and Mill of Bourtie from William Seton of Meldrum, and, in 1634,

Crimond Crimond is a village in Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland, located northwest of the port of Peterhead and just over from the coast. Geography The main A90 road runs through Crimond and is lined by Crimond Church with a villag ...

, in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

, which afterwards became his residence. He refused to subscribe to the

Solemn League and Covenant The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians in 1643 during the First English Civil War, a theatre of conflict in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. On 17 August ...

, and as a consequence spent several years in exile in Paris from 1637. In that year he wrote to his brother-in-law, Archibald Johnston of Warristoun, protesting against the injustice of the sentence passed upon the bishop

Thomas Sydserf Thomas Sydserf(f), or St. Serf, (1581 – 1663) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland who served as Protestant Bishop first of Brechin, then Galloway and finally Orkney. Life The eldest son of James Sydserf, an Edinburgh mercha ...

. After his return he was urged by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

to act as a judge, but declined, and lived in retirement on his estate at Crimond until the restoration of

King Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

. He was nominated a Senator of the College of Justice on 19 January 1661 and took his seat in the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...

under the judicial title Lord Crimond on 1 June, an office he enjoyed scarcely three months before dying at

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 ...

on 24 August.

Marriage

Crimond married twice: firstly in 1620, Beatrix, youngest daughter and co-heir of William Maule of Glaster, son of Sir Robert Maule of Panmure, by whom he had a daughter, Bethia (1622–1624). After her death in 1622, he remarried secondly Rachel, daughter of James Johnston, a merchant in Edinburgh, by his spouse Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Craig, and sister of

Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston Archibald Johnston, Lord Wariston (1611 – 1663) was a Scottish judge and statesman. He assisted Alexander Henderson in writing the Scottish National Covenant in 1638, and was appointed Procurator of the Kirk in the same year. He was said ...

. Crimond's issue by his second wife, with three daughters, included Robert (1630–1662), who, admitted to the Scottish bar 1656, died unmarried, Thomas Burnet (1638-1704), physician successively to four English sovereigns, and the noted historian and bishop

Gilbert Burnet Gilbert Burnet (18 September 1643 – 17 March 1715) was a Scottish people, Scottish philosopher and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch language, Dutch, French language, French, Latin language, Latin, Greek language, Gree ...

(1643-1715).Burnett, p. 133

Legacy

Upon his death, Alexander Brodie of Brodie paid the following diary tribute to his memory: ..."27 August 1661. I heard that the good Mr Robert Burnet, Crimond, was removed by death; 'The righteous are taken away and perishing, none considering or laying it to hart, that they are taken away from the euel to come"... His grandson Thomas Burnet gave the following description of his character ..."His excessive modesty so far depressed his abilities, that he never made a showy figure at the bar, though he was universally esteemed a man of judgement and knowledge in his profession; he was eminent for probity and generosity in his practice; in so much that nearly one half of it went in acts of charity and friendship; from the poor he never took a fee, nor from a clergyman when he sued in the right of his church"...Dalrymple of Hailes, p. 374

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burnet, Robert 1592 births 1661 deaths

Members of the Faculty of Advocates People from Crimond