Sir Gilbert Elliot, 1st Baronet, of Minto ( – 1 May 1718) was a Scottish writer, lawyer, politician and judge from Minto in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

. He was the younger son of Gavin Elliot of Midlem Mill, Roxburghshire, and his wife, Margaret Hay. 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 ...

. Initially a writer, he began assisting in legal cases, helping William Veitch escape execution in 1679 as an opponent of King Charles II. After similarly helping the

Earl of Argyll Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

in 1681, Elliot went into exile in Europe in 1685, and in his absence was sentenced to death and forfeiture. He was

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

ed by King James VII and returned to Scotland in 1687, where he was admitted to 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 1688. After the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, the forfeiture was quashed in 1690. Elliot became a clerk to the

Privy Council of Scotland The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...

, was knighted in 1692, and made a baronet, of Minto, in 1700. He 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 ...

for

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

from 1703 until the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England were combined to form the Parliament of Great Britain in

1707 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...

, which he opposed. In 1703 he became a judge of 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 ...

, taking the judicial title of Lord Minto. Elliot died at the age of 67 on 1 May 1718, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son Gilbert.

References

1650s births 1718 deaths Nobility from the Scottish Borders Shire Commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Senators of the College of Justice People sentenced to death in absentia Recipients of Scottish royal pardons Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1702–1707 Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Faculty of Advocates Scottish writers {{NovaScotia-baronet-stub