James Veitch, Lord Elliock

James Veitch, Lord Elliock FRSE (25 September 1712 – 1 July 1793) was a Scottish advocate, judge, politician and landowner who became a Senator of the College of Justice.

Life

He was born in Edinburgh in September 1712, the son of Christian Thomson, daughter of Gavin Thomson, Provost of Peebles,[1] and William Veitch of Elliock House near Dumfries, a Writer to the Signet (WS) who died in 1747.

Veitch studied Law at the University of Edinburgh, Leyden University and Halle University. While in Germany he met and apparently befriended Frederick the Great. He passed the Scottish bar as an advocate and was elected to the Faculty of Advocates in 1738.[2]

He was appointed Sheriff-Depute of Peebles in 1747. He served as MP for Dumfriesshire from 1755 to 1760.

In 1761 he was elected a Senator of the College of Justice in the place of Andrew Macdowal, Lord Bankton.[2]

He was Commissioner for Forfeited Estates in 1769, as Deputy Governor of the Royal Bank of Scotland (1776–), and as a member of the Board of Trustees for Manufactures & Fisheries (1777–).

In 1775 he is listed as living at Jock's Lodge to the east of Edinburgh.[3] He moved to St Andrew Square in the 1780s, as soon as the houses were built.[4]

In 1783 he was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

He died at St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, on 1 July 1793. His position as Senator was filled by William Baillie, Lord Polkemmet. He was buried in Restalrig Churchyard in eastern Edinburgh on 5 July.[5]

Family

His children included Mary Veitch (1752-1776) and Henry Veitch of Elliock (1760-1838) Commissioner of excise, who married Zepherina Loughman of George Square, Edinburgh.[6]

References

1. "VEITCH, James (1712-93), of Elliock, Dumfries. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
2. An Historical Account of the Senators of the College of Justice: Brunton, Haig and Lockhart
3. Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1775
4. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1784
5. Scottish Record Society. Robarts - University of Toronto. Edinburgh. 1898-. Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: others (link)
6. Scottish Record Society, Edinburgh (7 May 1898). "Scottish Record Society. [Publications]". Edinburgh – via Internet Archive.

• Lee, Sidney, ed. (1899). "Veitch, James" . Dictionary of National Biography. 58. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Lord Charles Douglas	Member of Parliament for Dumfriesshire 1755–1761	Succeeded by Archibald Douglas