Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet, of Hailes (1665 – 3 December 1721) was a Scottish

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

and politician who sat in the

Parliament of Scotland In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

from 1698 to 1707 and in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

from 1707 to 1721. He served as

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 ...

, and eventually Auditor of the Exchequer in Scotland in 1720.

Early life

Dalrymple was the fifth and youngest son of

James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount Stair (May 1619 – 29 November 1695) was a Scottish lawyer and statesman, and a key influence on the Scottish Enlightenment. He was a leading figure of Scottish law, "and also one of the greatest thinkers on ...

and his wife Margaret Ross, daughter of James Ross of Balneil, Wigtown. He was educated at 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 ...

and was awarded MA in 1681, and then studied at the

University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of 39,769 students, a ...

in 1682. He 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 ...

on 3 November 1688.

Career

Dalrymple was elected to represent

Culross Culross (/ˈkurəs/) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cuileann Ros'', 'holly point or promontory') is a village and former royal burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland. According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395. Originally, Culross ...

in 1698 in the

, as a member of the Stair–Queensberry alliance. He was created

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on 8 May 1701 and was also appointed joint solicitor-general for Scotland and auditor of treasury of Scotland in 1701. He was a Commissioner for the union with England in 1702, and again in 1706 when he was one of the Commissioners who negotiated the

Act of Union 1707 The Acts of Union refer to two acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of Scotland in March 1707, followed shortly thereafter by an equivalent act of the Parliament of England. They put into effect the international Treaty of Union agree ...

. In 1707 Dalrymple was one of the

Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain The Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain, serving from 1 May 1707 to 26 May 1708, were not elected like their colleagues from England and Wales, but rather hand-picked. The forty five men sent to London in 1707, to t ...

and at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

, he was returned as Member of Parliament for Haddington. In 1709 he was promoted from solicitor-general to the post of

of Scotland .Also in 1709, he bought Broughton House, renaming it Newhailes after the Dalrymple's Castle Hailes. He was returned again for Haddington at the 1710 British general election. In 1711 he lost the post of Lord Advocate under the Tory administration. In 1712, he was elected Dean of the Faculty of Advocates which he held for the rest of his life. He was returned again at the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election was held on 22 August 1713 to 12 November 1713, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 R ...

and regained his post as Lord Advocate in 1714. Dalrymple was returned as MP for Haddington at the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election was held on 22 January 1715 to 9 March 1715, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliam ...

. He was Commissioner of visitation for

Glasgow University The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

in 1717 and 1718, and for St Andrews University in 1718. He was appointed auditor general of the Scottish Exchequer in 1720.

Personal life

Sir David Dalrymple married first Elizabeth ? (1660-1685) around 1680 in Drummerchut, Ayrshire, Scotland. By his first wife he had sons Andrew and David (pos. died during childbirth). On 4 April 1691 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, he married his second wife, Janet, daughter of Sir James Rocheid of Inverleith, the widow of Alexander Murray of Melgund. By his second wife he had two sons, James (1692-1751) & Hugh (1695-1741), and four daughters, Magdalin (1696-), Janet (1698-1766), Margaret (1705-1705) and Rachel ( -1801): * Andrew Dalrymple (1684–1762), who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony; he married Dorothy Shepherd. * Sir James Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet (1692–1751), of Hailes,

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

. * Hugh Dalrymple (1695–1741), who married Isobel Sommerville and later took the surname Dalrymple-Murray-Kynnynmond. * Janet Dalrymple (1698–1776), who married Sir John Baird, 2nd Baronet of Newbyth, MP for Edinburghshire. After his death, she married Gen. James St Clair of Dysart, MP. Dalrymple died on 3 December 1721. He was succeeded in his baronetcy by his son, James, as his eldest son, Andrew, emigrated to the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

around 1711, giving up his right to the family title.

Descendants

Through his son Hugh, he was a grandfather of Agnes Dalrymple-Murray-Kynynmound, who married Sir Gilbert Elliot, 3rd Baronet, of Minto.

Legacy

Dalrymple was an enthusiastic bibliophile and added a remarkable Library Wing to Newhailes to accommodate his large book collection. This extension to the building was completed in around 1722.Horrocks, Hilary (2017), ''Newhailes'', National Trust for Scotland, p. 22

References

External links

*''The Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland'', by Messrs. John and John Bernard Burke, second edition, London, 1841, p. 620. *''

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

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalrymple, Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet 1665 births 1721 deaths Nobility from East Lothian Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Utrecht University alumni 401

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

Lord advocates Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Burgh Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Members of the Faculty of Advocates Deans of the Faculty of Advocates Politics of Fife Politics of East Lothian Government audit officials Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1689–1702 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1702–1707 Younger sons of viscounts British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722