Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, Lord President of the Court of Session

SIR GEORGE LOCKHART OF CARNWATH

Lord Present of the Court of Session

Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, here treated, is the son of Sir James Lockhart of Lee and his wife Dame Martha Douglas Stirnet: Lockhart 03

Death

Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, here treated, died on 31 March 1689, Easter Sunday, at the entrance to his home in Edinburgh. He died of a gunshot wound inflicted by Chiesely of Dalry. Senators of the College of Justice: 425-6

Burial

Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, here treated, was interred on 4 April 1689, in Greyfriars Burying-ground in Edinburgh. Register of Interments in Greyfriars Burying-ground, Edinburgh, 1568-1700, p. 394

First Marriage

Sir George Lockhart, here treated, married Dame Barbara Gilmour NRS: GD122/2/892 The marriage was booked on 21 April 1663, at Liberton in Midlothian, in the Kingdom of Scotland, reference OPR.693/5]

Children of the First Marriage

Second Marriage

Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, here treated, married Dame Philadelphia Wharton. NRS: CC8/6/80

Children of the Second Marriage

Evidence from the National Records of Scotland

                   1

2 January 1664: Marriage Contract: Tailzie of Craigmillar by Sir John Gilmour to his son Alexander and heirs male, and failing, to the children of John, eldest son of Andrew Wanchope, fiar of Niddrie, and Margaret Gilmour, his daughter, then to Dame Janet his daughter, spouse of Sir John Nicolsome, of Leswaid, knight, and their children, then to Dame Barbara Gilmour, third daughter, spouse of Sir George Lockhart, knight, and their children, failing to the eldest son of his daughter Helen, and Margaret Murray, and failing to Anne, and Margaret his daughter by same, failing to the children of his present spouse, Margaret Cockburne. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Gilmour family of Craigmillar and Liberton, Midlothian, reference GD122/2/892

                   2

15 February 1684: Signature of the lands of Carnwath granted to Sir George Lockhart (Lockart). National Records of Scotland

                   3

28 March 1698: Dame Philadelphia Wharton, relict of the deceased Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, late Lord President of the Court of Session, against John Mair, late Captian in [blank] Regiment, her spouse (married 1690), on ground of bigamy by said Captain John with Jean Askay of the City of London, in 1687. National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh Commissary Court, reference CC8/6/80

Printed Evidence

The Commissariot of Edinburgh. Consistorial Processes and Decreets, 1658-1800. Edited by Francis J. Grant, WS., Rothesay Herald and Lyon Clerk. (Scottish Record Society, Edinburgh, 1909), entry number 87

Genealogy and Biography

1. Stirnet: Lockhart 03
2. An Historical Account of the Senators of the College of justice : from its institution in MDXXXII. By George Brunton and David Haig (Thomas Clark, Edinburgh, MDCCCXXXII), 567 pp. including index

   ---

From Wikipedia: George Lockhart, Lord Carnwath

Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath (c. 1630 – 1689) was a Scottish advocate, judge and commissioner to parliament who was brutally murdered.

Life

The second son of Sir James Lockhart of Lee, laird of Lee, he was admitted as an advocate in 1656. He was knighted in 1663, and was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in 1672. He was celebrated for his persuasive eloquence. In 1674, when he was disbarred for alleged disrespect to the Court of Session in advising an appeal to parliament, fifty barristers showed their sympathy for him by withdrawing from practice. Lockhart was readmitted in 1676, and became the leading advocate in political trials, in which he usually appeared for the defence.

He lived on Mauchine's Close, previously the home of Sir Thomas Hope (and later swept way by the construction of Melbourne Place on George IV Bridge).

He was a Commissioner to the Scottish Parliament for Lanarkshire in 1681/82 and 1685/86. He was appointed Lord President of the Court of Session in 1685, and a Privy Counsellor and a commissioner of the Exchequer in 1686. Lockhart purchased the extensive estates of the Earls of Carnwath in Lanarkshire, which were inherited by his eldest son, George Lockhart of Lee (1673–1731), whose mother was Philadelphia, daughter of Lord Wharton.

Lockhart was murdered in Edinburgh returning from church on Easter Sunday, 31 March 1689, by John Chieslie of Dalry, the father of Lady Grange, and older brother to Robert Chieslie, a future Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Chiesley had been unhappily married to Margaret Nicholson, mother of their ten children. Margaret took her husband to court for aliment. She was awarded 1,700 merks by Sir George. Furious with the decision, Chiesley decided to kill Lockhart.

He followed Lord Carnwath, who was accompanied by his cousins, John Lockhart (Lord Castlehill) and Daniel Lockhart, from St Giles Cathedral, up the Royal Mile a short distance, and down Mauchine's Close to Lockhart's house. Here Chieslie shot him in the back, just outside his house. The assailant made no attempt to escape and confessed at his trial, held before the Lord Provost, Magnus Prince (or Prize), the next day. Two days later he was taken from the Tolbooth to the Mercat Cross on the High Street. His right hand was cut off here, and then nailed onto the gates of West Port. He was then taken to the gibbet at the Gallowlee (the junction of Pilrig Street and Leith Walk) where he was then hanged, and the pistol he had used for the murder was placed round his neck.

Lockhart is buried in the distinctive domed mausoleum of Sir George Mackenzie on the south side of Greyfriars Kirkyard.

From Scotland's People: Old Parish Records - Marriages and Banns

• 21 April 1663 marriage or banns of George Lockhart to Barbara Gilmour, in the parish of Liberton

From National Records of Scotland

2 January 1664: Marriage Contract: Tailzie of Craigmillar by Sir John Gilmour to his son Alexander and heirs male, and failing, to the children of John, eldest son of Andrew Wanchope, fiar of Niddrie, and Margaret Gilmour, his daughter, then to Dame Janet his daughter, spouse of Sir John Nicolsome, of Leswaid, knight, and their children, then to Dame Barbara Gilmour, third daughter, spouse of Sir George Lockhart, knight, and their children, failing to the eldest son of his daughter Helen, and Margaret Murray, and failing to Anne, and Margaret his daughter by same, failing to the children of his present spouse, Margaret Cockburne

From Scotland's People: Old Parish Registers - Births and Baptisms

Possible list of 7 children of Sir George Lockheart and and Barbara Gilmour from first: 11 June 1664 Martha Lockheart to last: 15 December 1677 Barbara Lockhart

• 11 June 1664 birth or baptism of Martha Lockheart, daughter of Sir George Lockheart and and Barbara Gilmour [child 1], in the parish of Edinburgh
• 9 July 1665 birth or baptism of Margaret Lockheart, daughter of Sir George Lockheart and and Barbara Gilmour [child 2], in the parish of Edinburgh
• 31 December 1666 birth or baptism of John Lockheart, son of Sir George Lockheart and and Barbara Gilmour [child 3], in the parish of Edinburgh
• 21 August 1669 birth or baptism of Jonet Lockhart, (U) [son or daughter] of George Lockhart and Barbara Gilmour [child 4], in the parish of Liberton
• 19 December 1671 birth or baptism of James Lockhart, son of Sir George Lockhart and and Barbara Gilmour [child 5], in the parish of Edinburgh
• 21 August 1673 birth or baptism of William Lockheart, son of Sir George Lockheart and and Barbara Gilmour [child 6], in the parish of Edinburgh
• 15 December 1677 birth or baptism of Barbara Lockhart, daughter of Sir George Lockhart and and Barbara Gilmour [child 7], in the parish of Edinburgh

From National Records of Scotland

15 February 1684: Signature of the lands of Carnwath granted to Sir George Lockhart (Lockart).

From Scotland's People: Wills and Testaments

• 3 April 1690 Testament Dative and Inventory; includes 3 Eiks dated 11 February 1726 and 17 June 1729 and 19 January 1731 of George Lockhart, Sir, of Carnewath [Carnwath], president of the Session; court: Edinburgh Commissary Court

From National Records of Scotland

Monday, 13 November 1690: Heritable bond of corroboration by John Cheisley [Chiesley] of Kerswell [Kersewell] in favour of George Lockhart, eldest son and heir to deceased Sir George Lockhart of Carnwath, for 3000 merks scots secured by an annual rent of £120 scots furth of the lands of Kerswell, in corroboration of GD5/161.