Hugh Scott

Son of Robert Scot, heir apparent of Robert Scot of Knightspottie, director of the chancery, by Margaret, daughter of Alexander Aitchison of Gosford, - succeeded his grandfather in 1592, and was appointed director of chancery shortly afterwards, on the resignation of Mr William Scot. In the year 1611, he obtained a charter of the lands of Tarvet, in the county of Fife, and imitating the example of the former proprietor, named them Scotstarvet, which afterwards continued to be the designation of his family. He had the honour knighthood, and of a seat in the privy council conferred on him by King James VI. in 1617. According to Sir James Balfour, Sir John, "a busy man in foul weather," exhibited to Charles I. certain articles regarding alterations of tenures and holdings, and the omission in recovering the casualties of marriage, which were ordered to be prosecuted to his majesties "profett and commodity," but which only served to augment the general distrust of that prince, felt by the landed proprietors of Scotland. Sir John was appointed an Extraordinary Lord on the 14th January 1629, in place of the Master of Jedburgh, deceased, but retained the office for a short time only, being displaced to make room for Sir John Hamilton, in November 1630. He succeeded Sir Alexander Morrison of Prestongrange, as an Ordinary Lord, on the 28th July 1632. Sir John was one of four judges of the court, who, in 1639, refused to take the king's covenant when tendered by the royal commissioner, - in respect he did not conceive the innovations which had been introduced into the church since 1580 could subsist with the covenants then subscribed, of which the present was a copy, and that it belonged to the General Assembly to clear doubts of this nature; and he was appointed one of the committee of estates established for the defence of the country in 1640. He was, on the 30th July 1641, ordered to attend upon the parliament then sitting, together with Lords Craighall and Durie, and was, in November of that year, reappointed a judge ,em.ad vitam aid culpam</em> by the king, with the consent of the estates. He was named one of the commissioners of exchequer, 1st February 1645, and a member of the committee of war in the year 1648 and 1649, and was fined L.1500 sterling by Oliver Cromwell in 1654. At the Restoration, however, he was not thought sufficiently loyal. His office of director of chancery was given to Sir William Ker, a younger son of the Earl of Lothian, who being a dexterous dancer, "danced him out of his office," and Charles II., in his turn, fined him L.6000 Scots. He died in 1670 in the 84th year of his age.

Source: An Historical Account of the Senators of the College of Justice: From Its Institution in MDXXXII; by George Brunton, David Haig; 1832; Page 280