George William Thomson Omond

“ ROBERTSON, JAMES PATRICK BANNERMAN, Baron Robertson of Forteviot (1845–1909) , lord president of the Court of Session in Scotland, born in the manse of Forteviot on 10 Aug. 1845, was second son of Robert John Robertson, parish minister of Forteviot, Perthshire, by his wife Helen, daughter of James Bannerman, parish minister of Cargill, Perthshire. He was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, of which he was 'dux,' or head boy, in 1860, and at Edinburgh University, where he specially distinguished himself as a political speaker in college debates, graduating M.A. in 1864. ”

“ On 20 August of that year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Shand of Woodhouse, Dumfriesshire, and for twelve years sat in the House of Lords as a lord of appeal. Of these, one of the last, and by far the most important, was the appeal by the minority of the Free Church of Scotland against the judgment of the Court of Session which rejected the minority's claim to the whole property of the Free Church on union with the United Presbyterians. Six lords of appeal heard the arguments, which finished on 7 Dec. ”

“ GLOAG, WILLIAM ELLIS, Lord Kincairney (1828–1909) , Scottish judge, born at Perth on 7 Feb. 1828, was son of William Gloag, banker in Perth, by his wife Jessie, daughter of John Burn, writer to the Signet, Edinburgh. Educated at Perth grammar school and Edinburgh University, he passed on 25 Dec. 1853 to the Scottish bar, where he enjoyed a fair practice. A conservative in politics, he was not offered promotion till 1874, when he was appointed advocate depute on the formation of Disraeli's second ministry. In 1877 he became sheriff of Stirling and Dumbarton, and in 1885 of Perthshire. ”

“ In 1872 he was appointed registrar of friendly societies for Scotland, and in 1874 one of the sheriff-substitutes of Lanarkshire. In 1881 he received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Edinburgh University, and in 1891 represented the Faculty of Advocates at the International Law Association. In 1903 he was raised to the position of sheriff-principal at Glasgow, where he took a prominent and useful part in public affairs. He died in the house of his son, David Guthrie, C.A., Glasgow, on 31 Aug. 1908. He was buried in the Cathcart cemetery, Glasgow. ”

“ Like his father, who was the active leader of Scottish radicals and senior M.P. for Edinburgh since 1865, McLaren was an advanced liberal, and, though personally very popular with the bar, incurred the hostility of the whig influence which was at that time strong in the Parliament House.
After the Gladstone government retired in 1874 McLaren played an active part in re-organising the Scottish liberals, and in arranging the 'Midlothian campaign' of 1879–80. He moved the vote of thanks to Gladstone after his first speech (24 Nov. 1879) , and helped William Patrick Adam [q. v.] ”

“ At the general election of 1880 Asher was unsuccessful as liberal candidate for the Universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen; but in 1881 he was elected for the Elgin district of boroughs (in succession to Sir M. E. Grant Duff) and retained this seat for the rest of his life. He made no great mark in the House of Commons, where he followed Gladstone in his support of home rule. Meanwhile in 1881 he became Q.C., and was solicitor-general for Scotland during Gladstone's later ministries in the years 1881–5, 1886, and 1892–4. ”

“ In 1902 Balfour was raised to the peerage as Baron Kinross of Glasclune. His health, which had begun to fail before he left the bar, broke down rapidly after he became a judge. On 22 Jan. 1905 he died at Rothsay Terrace, Edinburgh, and was buried in the Dean cemetery there.
Balfour married twice: (1) in 1869, Lilias, daughter of the Hon. Lord Mackenzie (Scottish judge) by whom he had one son, Patrick Balfour, second Baron Kinross (b. 23 April 1870) ; (2) in 1877, Marianne Elizabeth, daughter of the first Baron Moncreiff [q. v.] ”

“ He carried through parliament, in spite of considerable opposition from a party in Scotland which accused him of wishing to destroy religious teaching in elementary schools, the Scottish Education Act of 1872, which closed a long controversy by establishing elected school boards, and leaving it to each board to settle the religious question according to the wishes of the electors (35 & 36 Vict. c. 62) . ”

“ He wrote letters to 'The Times' on law reform, and frequently delivered lectures to public bodies on that subject, publishing addresses in favour of the appointment of a minister of justice for Great Britain (before the Scots Law Society, 1874) ; on 'the liability of employers: a system of insurance by the mutual contributions of masters and workmen the best provision for accidents' (before the Glasgow Juridical Society, 1879) ”

“ Though not one of the crown counsel for Scotland, he was specially retained for the prosecution at the trial of the City of Glasgow Bank directors (Jan. 1879) , became sheriff of chancery in 1885, and procurator and cashier for the Church of Scotland in 1886. In 1887 he was knighted, and was appointed sheriff of Renfrew and Bute in 1888, and of Perthshire in 1889. ”

“ In the privy council he was not infrequently charged with the duty of delivering the judgment of the board, especially in appeals from those parts of the empire where Roman-Dutch law prevails (The Times, 3 Feb. 1909) . ”

“ His progress at the bar was hindered by the state of his health, which forced him to spend at least one winter abroad. In 1869, however, he was made sheriff of chancery, and thereafter gradually acquired a considerable practice. ”

“ His interests were more in politics than law. 'Westminster seems to have been his real goal from the first' (The Times, 3 Feb. 1909) . Early in life he lost sympathy with his presbyterian surroundings. ”

“ After an illness of about six months he died, at 14 Moray Place, Edinburgh, on 21 Nov. 1911, and was buried at Anwoth in Kirkcudbrightshire. In addition to legal and political work Jameson was active in other spheres of public life. ”

“ Passing to the Scottish baron 10 Dec. 1861, he gradually acquired a large practice, and became one of the most distinguished counsel of his day, his only rival being John Blair Balfour, first Baron Kinross [q. v. Suppl. II] . ”

“ Wallace, belong to his widow.
[Scotsman and The Times, 7 April 1910; Roll of the Faculty of Advocates; Roll of the Scots Law Society; Records of the Juridical Society; Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin., vol. xxxi. part 5, p. 694; personal knowledge.] ”