James Abercromby, 1st Baron Dunfermline

James Abercromby, 1st Baron Dunfermline PC (7 November 1776 – 17 April 1858), was a British barrister and Whig politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons between 1835 and 1839.

The Right Honourable The Lord Dunfermline PC
Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
In office 19 February 1835 – 27 May 1839
Monarch	William IV Victoria
Preceded by	Charles Manners-Sutton
Succeeded by	Charles Shaw-Lefevre
Judge Advocate General
In office 12 May 1827 – 21 January 1828
Monarch	George IV
Prime Minister	George Canning The Viscount Goderich
Preceded by	Sir John Beckett, Bt
Succeeded by	Sir John Beckett, Bt
Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer in Scotland
In office 1830–1832
Monarch	William IV
Preceded by	Sir Samuel Shepherd
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Master of the Mint
In office 13 June 1834 – 14 November 1834
Monarch	William IV
Prime Minister	The Viscount Melbourne
Preceded by	The Lord Auckland
Succeeded by	Alexander Baring
Personal details
Born	(1776-11-07)7 November 1776
Died	17 April 1858(1858-04-17) (aged 81) Colinton House, Midlothian
Nationality	British
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	Mary Anne Leigh (d. 1874)

Background and education

Abercromby was the third son of General Sir Ralph Abercromby, who fell at the Battle of Alexandria, and Mary, 1st Baroness Abercromby, daughter of John Menzies of Fernton, Perthshire. He was the younger brother of George Abercromby, 2nd Baron Abercromby and Sir John Abercromby and the elder brother of Alexander Abercromby.[1] He attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh, and was called to the English Bar, Lincoln's Inn, in 1801. He became a commissioner of bankruptcy and later appointed steward of the Duke of Devonshire's estates.[2][3]

Legal and political career

Abercromby sat as Whig Member of Parliament for Midhurst between 1807 and 1812[4] and for Calne between 1812 and 1830.[5] He brought forwards two motions for bills to change the representation for Edinburgh in parliament. He received great support but no change was made until the Reform Act 1832.[2] In 1827 he was sworn of the Privy Council[6] and appointed Judge-Advocate-General by George Canning,[7] a post he held until 1828, the last months under the premiership of Lord Goderich.

In 1830 Abercromby was made Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer in Scotland, a position he retained until 1832, when the office was abolished. He received a pension of £2,000 a year.[2] In 1832 returned to the House of Commons as one of two members for Edinburgh, whose representation had now been increased from one to two members.[8] In July 1834 he entered Lord Melbourne's cabinet as Master of the Mint,[9] but only held the post until November of the same year, when the Whigs lost power.

Abercromby was considered for the speakership of the House of Commons by his party for the 1833 election, but Edward Littleton was eventually chosen instead (he was defeated by Charles Manners-Sutton). However, in the 1835 election he was chosen as the Whig candidate. Due to an evenly balanced House of Commons the election rendered great interest and was fiercely contested. On 19 February 1835 Abercromby was elected, defeating Manners-Sutton by 316 votes to 306. The Dictionary of National Biography writes that "As speaker Abercromby acted with great impartiality while he possessed sufficient decision to quell any serious tendency to disorder." During his tenure a number of reforms for the introduction of private bills were made.[2] In spite of failing health Abercromby continued as speaker until 1839.[2] On his retirement he was raised to the peerage as Baron Dunfermline, of Dunfermline in the County of Fife.[10][11]

After his retirement Abercromby continued to take an interest in public affairs, specifically those involving the city of Edinburgh. He was one of the originators of the United Industrial School for the support and training of destitute children.[2] In 1841 he was elected as Dean of Faculty at the University of Glasgow.[12] He also wrote a biography of his father, published posthumously in 1861.[2]

Family

Lord Dunfermline married Mary Anne, daughter of Egerton Leigh, of West Hall, in High Legh, on 14 June 1802. He died at Collinton House, Midlothian, in April 1858, aged 81, and was buried at Grange cemetery, Edinburgh. He was succeeded in the barony by his son, Sir Ralph Abercromby, KCB, who was Secretary of Legation at Berlin and served as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Sardinia between 1840 and 1851 and to The Hague between 1851 and 1858. Lady Dunfermline died in August 1874.[1]

He was the nephew of Robert Bruce, Lord Kennet.[13]

Arms

Coat of arms of James Abercromby, 1st Baron Dunfermline

Crest A Bee erect proper Escutcheon Argent a Fess embattled Gules therefrom issuant in chief a Dexter Arm embowed in Armour proper garnished Or encircled by a Wreath of Laurel the hand supporting the French Standard in bend sinister also proper in base (for Abercromby) a Chevron indented Gules between three Boars' Heads erased Azure Supporters On either side a Greyhound per fess Argent and Or each plain collared with a Line reflexed over the back Gules and suspended from the collar a Shield Azure charged with the Speaker's Mace in pale gold and charged on the shoulder with a Thistle proper Motto Vive ut vivas [14]

References

1. thepeerage.com James Abercromby, 1st Baron Dunfermline
2. Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1885). "Abercromby, James" . Dictionary of National Biography. 1. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, ISBN 0-550-18022-2, page 4
4. "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Mayo to Minehead". Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
5. "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Caernarfon to Cambridgeshire South West". Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
6. leighrayment.com Privy Counsellors 1679–1835
7. "No. 18362". The London Gazette. 18 May 1827. p. 1081.
8. "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Ealing to Elgin". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
9. "No. 19164". The London Gazette. 13 June 1834. p. 1108.
10. "No. 19737". The London Gazette. 28 May 1839. p. 1072.
11. Anderson, John (1856). A History of Edinburgh from the Earliest Period to the Completion of the Half Century 1850: With Brief Notices of Eminent Or Remarkable Individuals. A. Fullarton & co. p. 444. ISBN 978-1-85285-581-9. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
12. "Biography of James Abercromby 1st Baron Dunfermline". www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
13. http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp1.pdf
14. "Dunfermline, Baron (UK, 1839 - 1868)".

• Burke, John, History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, vol.iii, London, 1838, pp. 1–2.
• Anderson, William, The Scottish Nation, Edinburgh, 1867, vol.iv, p. 105.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by James Abercromby
• "Archival material relating to James Abercromby, 1st Baron Dunfermline". UK National Archives.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Henry Watkin Williams-Wynn William Plunket	Member of Parliament for Midhurst 1807–1812 With: Samuel Smith 1807 Thomas Thompson 1807–12	Succeeded by Thomas Thompson George Smith
Preceded by Joseph Jekyll Henry Smith	Member of Parliament for Calne 1812–1830 With: Joseph Jekyll 1812–16 Sir James Macdonald, Bt 1816–30	Succeeded by Sir James Macdonald Thomas Babington Macaulay
Preceded by Robert Adam Dundas	Member of Parliament for Edinburgh 1832–1839 With: Francis Jeffrey 1832–34 Sir John Campbell 1834–39	Succeeded by Sir John Campbell Thomas Babington Macaulay
Legal offices
Preceded by Sir John Beckett, Bt	Judge-Advocate-General 1827–1828	Succeeded by Sir John Beckett, Bt
Preceded by Sir Samuel Shepherd	Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer in Scotland 1830–1832	Succeeded by Office abolished
Political offices
Preceded by The Lord Auckland	Master of the Mint 1834–1835	Succeeded by Alexander Baring
Preceded by Charles Manners-Sutton	Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom 1835–1839	Succeeded by Charles Shaw-Lefevre
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Dunfermline 1839–1858	Succeeded by Ralph Abercromby