Sir Archibald Macdonald, 1st Baronet (13 July 1747 – 18 May 1826) was a British lawyer, judge and politician.

Early life

Macdonald was born at

Armadale Castle Armadale Castle is a ruined country house in Armadale, Skye, former home of the MacDonalds. A mansion house was first built here around 1790, facing south-east over the Sound of Sleat. In 1815 a square Tudor-Gothic mock-castle, intended for sh ...

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...

on 13 July 1747, the posthumous son of Sir Alexander Macdonald, 7th Baronet, and his second wife, Lady Margaret Montgomerie. His elder brothers included Sir James Macdonald, 8th Baronet and Alexander Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald. His paternal grandparents were Sir James Macdonald, 6th Baronet and the former Janet

Macleod MacLeod, McLeod and Macleod ( ) are surnames in the English language. The names are anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic ', meaning "son of Leòd", derived from the Old Norse ''Liótr'' ("ugly"). One of the earliest occurrences of the surnam ...

(a daughter of Alasdair MacLeod, 2nd of Grishornish). His maternal grandparents were Alexander Montgomerie, 9th Earl of Eglinton, and Susanna Kennedy (a daughter of Sir Archibald Kennedy, 1st Baronet).Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, pps. 450-451. He was brought to England, away from Jacobite influence and entered

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

in 1760. He went on to

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

in 1764, graduating B.A. in 1768 and M.A. in 1772. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1770.

Career

Macdonald was Member of Parliament for Hindon in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, from 1777 until 1780, and then for

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...

, from 1780 to 1792, a seat where his father-in-law had a strong influence. In politics, Macdonald followed the Whig lead of his father-in-law. He became

solicitor-general A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

in 1784 and

attorney-general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

, and was knighted, in 1788. He served as the prosecutor in

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In ...

criminal libel Criminal libel is a legal term, of English origin, which may be used with one of two distinct meanings, in those common law jurisdictions where it is still used. It is an alternative name for the common law offence which is also known (in order ...

trial over the publication of '' Rights of Man'' in 1792. The 1792 Slave Trade Bill passed the House of Commons; mangled and mutilated by the modifications and amendments of Pitt, Earl of Mornington, Edward James Eliot and MacDonald, it lay for years, in the House of Lords.

Judicial career

Macdonald was appointed as second judge of the

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

circuit in Wales in 1780. He was promoted as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1793, and served in this post until he retired in 1813, with failing eyesight. On his retirement from the court, Macdonald was created 1st Baronet Macdonald, of East Sheen, in the

Baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

, on 27 November 1813.

Personal life

Angelika Kauffmann Portrait Louisa Leveson Gower 1767

On 26 November 1777, Macdonald married Lady Louisa Leveson-Gower (1757–1827), daughter of

Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, KG PC (4 August 172126 October 1803), known as Viscount Trentham from 1746 to 1754 and as The Earl Gower from 1754 to 1786, was a British politician from the Leveson-Gower family. Sitting in ...

(at the time called by the courtesy title Earl Gower), then

Lord President of the Council The Lord President of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lor ...

, and the former Lady Louisa Egerton (a daughter of the 1st Duke of Bridgwater). Together, they were the parents of two sons and five daughters, of which three survived: * Susan Macdonald (1780–1803), who was the illustrator of ''"The Sports of the Genii"'' (1804) by Anne Hunter. *

Sir James Macdonald, 2nd Baronet Sir James Macdonald, 2nd Baronet, GCMG (14 February 1784 – 29 June 1832) was a British politician. He sat in the House of Commons between 1805 and 1832. Early life Macdonald was born 14 February 1784, the eldest and only surviving son of Si ...

(1784–1832), who married three times, including to Lady Sophia Keppel, a daughter of

William Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

. * Caroline Diana Macdonald (1790–1867), who married the cleric Thomas Randolph, son of The Rt. Rev. John Randolph. Sir Archibald died on 18 May 1826. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his only son,

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

Descendants

Through his youngest daughter Caroline, he was a grandfather of the naval officer

George Granville Randolph George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Giorg ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Archibald 1747 births 1826 deaths Nobility from Highland (council area)

201 Year 201 ( CCI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Fabianus and Arrius (or, less frequently, year 954 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 201 for this yea ...

People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Newcastle-under-Lyme Chief Barons of the Exchequer Younger sons of baronets British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796